The University of British Columbia Faculty of Law (UBC Law) and the University of Hawai’i at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law Joint Legal Education Program is the result of an agreement entered into by UBC Law and the Law School in 2009.

Students who successfully complete the program will receive a JD degree from UBC and a JD degree from the Law School.

UH Students

UH students will be required to complete at UH at least 4 terms of full-time study with at least 60 credits including the “First Year Curriculum,” Constitutional Law I, Professional Responsibility, Second Year Seminar and 2 credits of skills or clinic courses. UH students will be required to complete at UBC Canadian Constitutional Law, and five courses, one from each of the following lists:

1. Public Regulation: LAW 200 Aboriginal Peoples and Canadian Law, LAW 210 Administrative Law, LAW 220 Taxation I.
2. Private Regulation: LAW 230 Corporations I, LAW 240 Family Law, LAW 250 Trusts.
3. Procedure: LAW 260 Advanced Criminal Procedure, LAW 270 Civil Procedure, LAW 280 Evidence.
4. Law and Society Studies. The contents of this list are determined based on available course offerings in a given year.
5. Legal Research and Writing: LAW 379/380 Externship, LAW 390 Environmental Law Workshop (4 credits), LAW 430 Advanced Legal Research, LAW 472 The Allan McEachern Course in Trial Advocacy, LAW 473 Appellate Advocacy, LAW 474 Trial Advocacy, LAW 483 Competitive Moots and Advocacy A, LAW 484 Competitive Moots Advocacy and Client Counselling B, LAW 485 Client Counselling Competition (3 credits), LAW 486 Law Review, LAW 488/489 First Nations Legal Clinic, LAW 490 Clinical Criminal Law, and LAW 491 Law Students Legal Advice Program.

Students seeking exposure to a wide range of foundational legal topics are advised to consider taking all of the 200 level courses.

Students will also be required to complete a Seminar (which incorporates a substantial academic writing requirement) (3 credits) and 40 hours of pro bono work (volunteer service) at either UBC or UH. 

Students may pursue a concentration in business law. 

Native Hawaiian students are welcome to participate in UBC’s First Nations Legal Studies Program.

UBC requires a student to acquire a minimum of 92 credits of which 34 credits will be accepted from UH. UBC requires a minimum of 28 and a maximum of 34 credits per year. Each year consists of two consecutive terms in each of which a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 18 credits shall be taken.

Application Instructions

For application deadlines, please contact Interim Associate Dean for Student Services Cynthia Quinn at quinnc@hawaii.edu.

• Application Form:  Current UH students must apply directly to UBC using this Admission Application .pdf.
• Personal Statement:  The personal statement is an essay of no more than 750 words about the applicant.  The contents of the statement should outline those features about the applicant that distinguish her or him from other candidates and/or anything is relevant including highlights about non-academic achievements.
• Résumé: Write a résumé detailing your education, extracurricular activity, professional experience, and community service.
• Letter of Good Standing:  This letter should state that you are eligible to participate in the joint legal education program.
• Two Academic Letters of Recommendation
• Official Transcripts:  The application form requires that official transcripts be forwarded to UBC and it is the applicant’s responsibility to have official transcripts sent directly to the UBC Faculty of Law.  

UBC Law Joint Program
Faculty of Law
1822 East Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1

UBC Students

UBC law students will complete the first two years of their UBC J.D. degree at UBC and, if admitted by UH to the program, they will subsequently attend UH for two years. After successful completion of the first year at UH, UBC will award them their UBC J.D. degree. After successful completion of the second year at UH, UH will them their UH J.D. degree. Up to five UBC Law students may be admitted to the program each year and the admission process is handled by UH.  

For more information, please see the Guidance for Students Pursuing the Joint UBC/UH Degree .pdf.

Application Instructions

To apply, you must complete the free electronic application for the UH-UBC Joint Legal Education Program via LSAC before February 1, 2012. 

• Personal Statement:  Compose a 500-word personal statement on a subject of your choice.
• Résumé: Write a résumé detailing your education, extracurricular activity, professional experience, and community service.
• Addendum:  Outline your background and goals and how the joint program will be beneficial to you in an addendum.

Please do not need use the LSAC Credential Assembly Service.  Please request that UBC Law forward the following materials directly to the UH Law School Admissions Office.

• UBC Law Transcript
• Letter of Good Standing:  This letter should state that you are eligible to participate in the joint legal education program.
• Copies of your LSAT Score(s) and Writing Sample(s)

Please request that the educational institutions and recommenders forward the following materials directly to the UH Law School Admissions Office.

• All Undergraduate and Graduate/Professional Transcripts
• Two Academic Letters of Recommendation: We strongly recommend that you submit at least one letter from a law school professor. 

Tuition and Costs

The Joint Legal Education program is not an exchange program. Rather you are registered for two years at UBC where you pay UBC Law fees and then for your final two
years (four semesters) at UH where you pay UH fees as a non-resident student.  See Tuition.