University of Hawai’i at Mānoa—William S. Richardson School of Law
The information on this page was provided by the law school.
Official Guide to ABA-Approved JD Programs
The William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa is located at the foot of the beautiful Mānoa Valley, minutes from sandy beaches and lush rain forests, as well as from the economic and legal center of urban Honolulu. We offer an excellent academic programs with professors committed to outstanding teaching, scholarship, and public service. Our school is particularly noted for its collegial atmosphere, accessible faculty, student support and camaraderie, and unequaled cultural and ethnic diversity.
The William S. Richardson School of Law is committed to providing a rich, diverse curriculum, with traditional Socratic classroom settings as well as essential clinical experience. With a wide array of courses, workshops, and clinics, students at the Law School have opportunities for externships, supervised field and research projects, and real courtroom experience.
We offer both a Full-Time In-Person and Part-Time Online Juris Doctor (JD) Program. Our Advanced JD (AJD) and Master of Laws (LLM) Programs attract graduates of foreign law schools, while our dual degree programs provide the opportunity to earn a law degree with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. The Law School offers JD Certificates in Pacific-Asian Legal Studies, International & Comparative Law, Environmental Law, and Native Hawaiian Law. Our LLM Specializations include Business & Commercial Law, Conflict Resolution, Criminal Law, Environmental Law and Ocean Law & Policy, International & Comparative Law, Human Rights & Social Justice.
Placement after graduation is consistently very high. The William S. Richardson School of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.
The JD Program
At the Law School, we are committed to learning as a collaborative enterprise. Our program challenges students to grow intellectually and professionally. Faculty members engage with students as partners as well as serving as sources of knowledge. A foremost concern of the Law School is to provide assistance in "learning how to learn." Students prepare for a challenging and rewarding professional life equipped with skills in legal counseling, advocacy, and decision-making. Students are encouraged to study law and legal institutions as integral parts of larger social, political-economic, and ecological systems.
The Law School curriculum is rich and diverse. Classroom experiences include vigorous discussion in traditional Socratic classroom settings, as well as lectures, seminars, informal small group discussions and individually supervised field and library research projects. Writing skills are honed in small groups and on a one-to-one basis with experienced faculty and practitioners. Students participate in experiential clinical courses that provide a wide array of opportunities including real courtroom experience, simulation clinics and externship opportunities.
All students in the full-time in-person JD program must enroll for at least 12 credits during the three-year program. A normal semester course load is 14 to 16 credit hours. Through rigorous, stimulating, and challenging study, the Law School's graduates are well-prepared to work in any jurisdiction in the country.
We recognize that talented law students can come from anywhere and shouldn’t be bound by location, family, or professional obligations. The Hawai’i Online JD Flex is a part-time program where the curriculum format is 100% online. Students in the part-time online JD program typically enroll in 9-11 credits during the four-year program. Classes are taught on weekday evenings (Hawai'i time). Note that Hawai'i does not participate in Daylight Saving Time. In this flexible learning format, students of diverse backgrounds interact with their peers and instructors in a blended synchronous (on a set schedule) and asynchronous (on your schedule) educational environment.
Ulu Lehua Scholars Program
The Ulu Lehua Scholars Program was established by the William S. Richardson School of Law in 1974 as a manifestation of its commitment to make legal education accessible to members of all of Hawai‘i’s diverse communities. Each year, the Program provides a small number of students who have demonstrated their academic potential, leadership ability, and commitment to social justice with an opportunity to obtain a legal education at Richardson.
Candidates who are chosen for the Ulu Lehua Scholars Program have, through their actions, demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to social justice and community service, an ability to overcome educational and other forms of adversity, an impressive academic record, and the intelligence and seriousness of purpose required to succeed in law school, pass the bar, and become a public spirited legal professional.
Student Life
Student Publications, Teams & Organizations
Student editorial boards publish the University of Hawai’i Law Review and the online Asian-Pacific Law and Policy Journal. Students also organize and participate in many aspects of our extensive moot court program, including participating in national and international competitions. Our moot court teams regularly perform well, bringing home national and international titles and awards. Most students are active in various organizations within the Law School and in the community. A sampling includes Advocates for Public Interest Law (APIL), student divisions of the American Bar Association, American Inns of Court, Phi Delta Phi and Delta Theta Phi, Hawai’i Women Lawyers, and the Environmental Law Society. Student affinity groups include the ’Ahahui o Hawai’i, an organization primarily made up of Native Hawaiian law students; Black Law Students Association; Filipino Law Students Association; La Alianza; and LAMBDA; as well as the American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society.
Career Placement and Bar Passage
Tuition and Aid
| Expense | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition |
$23,304.00
|
$46,272.00
|
| Fees |
$772.00
|
$772.00
|
Internal Scholarships
Merit scholarship awards range from a one-time $3,000 award to Full Tuition. Prospective JD students do not need to complete a separate scholarship application for merit scholarships. JD scholarship recipients will be notified by the Admissions Office when they are admitted. Students can find scholarship award information at https://law.hawaii.edu/admissions/grants-scholarships/
Continuing students are eligible to apply for our 40+ donor-based scholarships. These scholarships review applicants based on need, merit, and/or area of interest.
External Scholarships
Both prospective and current students may explore links to external scholarships at https://law.hawaii.edu/admissions/grants-scholarships/external-scholarships/. Eligibility for these scholarships may be based on financial need, academic achievement, and extracurricular activities.
Richardson Opportunity Grants
Our biggest source of financial aid is need-based funding in the form of Richardson Opportunity Grants. Richardson Opportunity Grants may be available to students who demonstrate financial need based on information provided on their FAFSA . The maximum annual UHM award for law students is $6,000. Students must be enrolled at least half-time to receive the Richardson Opportunity Grant. Funding is limited and as a result we encourage you to file your FAFSA as soon as possible during each year you will be enrolled.
Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP)
Students who are a resident of a WICHE-region state or jurisdiction may be considered for the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) and pay 150% of the Hawai'i Resident tuition rate. This is a savings of nearly $12,000 per year.
Admission Decisions: Beyond the Numbers
JD Admissions
Admission to our full- and part-time Juris Doctor (JD) programs is determined by an applicant’s academic achievement, aptitude for the study of law, and professional promise. Preference is given to those with strong ties to, or special interest in, Hawai’i, the Asia-Pacific region, environmental law, and other specific programs in the Law School. Approximately 30-40 percent of our students are nonresidents. New JD students begin in the Fall semester (August).
In addition to the LSAT and undergraduate GPA, factors considered for admission include academic work beyond the bachelor’s degree, work experience, writing ability, public service, diversity, overcoming adversity, and other accomplishments. The Graduate Record Examination(GRE) is accepted in lieu of the LSAT.
Applications from students wishing to transfer to complete their JD requirements or wishing to visit for a semester or a year are considered for both August and January admission.
LLM Admissions
Admission decisions for our Master of Laws (LLM) program are based upon a candidate's previous law study, work experience, English writing ability, letters of recommendation, and TOEFL or IELTS scores. There is no LSAT requirement, but applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in law, or its equivalent, from an institution outside the United States, or a JD degree from an ABA-accredited American law school.
Advanced JD
The Law School’s Advanced JD (AJD) program allows graduates of foreign law schools to earn a JD degree in as little as two years. Qualified foreign law graduates may be admitted with advanced standing and awarded up to one year of full-time credit for their previous law study. No LSAT is required for admission to this program.
Law School faculty members work with admitted JD students to design individual courses of study suited to each student’s background and interests. The AJD program offers foreign law graduates excellent preparation for bar admission in the United States and for the successful practice of law. Students who complete this accelerated JD program receive the same degree as other JD students and are eligible to take the bar examination in all US jurisdictions, if they meet other requirements for bar admission.
