William S. Richardson School of Law

What William S. Richardson School of Law does

William S. Richardson School of Law is the only ABA-accredited law school in the State of Hawaii, operating as an academic unit within the publicly funded University of Hawaii at Manoa. The school delivers Juris Doctor programs in three modalities — a traditional full-time residential JD, a part-time Hawai'i Online JD (HOJD), and a two-year Advanced JD (AJD) for qualified foreign lawyers — alongside in-person and online Master of Laws (LLM) programs. Its core customer base comprises prospective and enrolled JD, LLM, AJD, and international visiting students, with secondary constituencies including law alumni and the Hawaii bar community.

The school is differentiated by a portfolio of specialized academic centers and programs: Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law, the Environmental Law Program (ranked top-25 nationally), the Jon Van Dyke Institute for International Law & Justice, the Institute of Asian-Pacific Business Law, and the Hawai'i Innocence Project. Experiential learning is delivered through clinics (Child Welfare, Refugee & Immigration, Medical-Legal Partnership) and externships. Supporting technology includes a digital learning management system, the STAR registration portal, Med+Proctor health clearance, and The Docket — a free AI-powered platform launched in May 2026 to centralize legal-academia calls for papers. Dual-degree pathways with Shidler College of Business (JD/MBA) and Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health (JD/MSW) extend the credential stack.

Revenue is generated through tuition and fees (subscription model, billed annually, differentiated by Hawaii residency status), federal financial aid administration, and donations managed through the University of Hawaii Foundation. State appropriations supplement tuition. Distribution occurs through direct on-campus enrollment for the full-time JD, self-serve online enrollment for HOJD and Online LLM, and channel-based international exchange partnerships. Go-to-market is sales- and event-led, anchored by recruitment events, law school visits, information sessions, and a multi-channel digital presence (website, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Bluesky, YouTube).

Name

William S. Richardson School of Law

Legal name

University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law

Website

https://law.hawaii.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Public ABA-accredited law school at the University of Hawaii at Manoa offering JD, LLM, and AJD programs with specialized concentrations in environmental, Native Hawaiian, Pacific-Asian, and international law, serving domestic and international legal students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

ABA-Accredited JD-Granting Law Schools (EDAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

LLM & Post-JD Graduate Law Programs (EDAHAIAC), Online / Hybrid Law Schools & Programs (EDAHAIAE)

Keywords

• Legal education programs
• Juris doctor degrees
• Master of laws programs
• Environmental law studies
• Native hawaiian law

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. JD Tuition and Fees: Full-time and part-time JD program tuition with differentiated rates for resident and non-resident students, plus fees for programs and services.
2. LLM Program Tuition: Master of Laws programs (in-person and online) with tuition revenue from both domestic and international students.
3. Financial Aid Services: Administering federal student loans, grants, scholarships, and work-study programs for eligible students. Federal school code 001610.
4. Bar Exam Fee Administration: Assistance with bar exam costs through additional federal loan funds (Graduate PLUS loans) for eligible students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

William S. Richardson School of Law is the ABA-accredited law school of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, delivering Juris Doctor (JD), Master of Laws (LLM), and Advanced JD (AJD) degree programs with concentrations in environmental law, Pacific-Asian legal studies, international and comparative law, and Native Hawaiian law. Programs are offered on-campus in Honolulu, fully online, and through international exchange partnerships, supported by clinical/experiential learning, moot court programs, and the new AI-powered Docket platform serving the broader legal academy.

Product overview

William S. Richardson School of Law offers a comprehensive suite of legal education programs centered around its core JD degree offerings: Full-Time JD, Hawai'i Online JD (part-time), and Advanced JD (for international lawyers). The school provides graduate-level legal education through In-Person and Online LLM programs. Supporting the academic curriculum are specialized centers including Ka Huli Ao (Native Hawaiian Law), Environmental Law Program (top-25 ranked), and the Experiential Learning Program with clinics and externships. The school also offers The Docket, an AI-powered platform for the legal academy. All programs emphasize the school's mission of developing ethical legal professionals serving Hawai'i and the Pacific region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full-Time JD Program Traditional three-year full-time Juris Doctor program for students pursuing careers in law and related professions. Full-time students enroll in 12 or more credits per semester, with tuition differentiated by Hawai‘i resident vs. non-resident status. ABA-accredited; prepares graduates for bar admission.
• Hawai‘i Online JD (HOJD) Program Part-time online Juris Doctor program with flexible scheduling designed for working professionals and students across the U.S. who cannot attend in-person classes. Delivered via the school's online course delivery system.
• Advanced JD (AJD) Program Accelerated two-year Juris Doctor program for qualified foreign lawyers that does not require the LSAT. Enables international law graduates to earn a U.S. JD on a compressed timeline.
• In-Person LLM Program Master of Laws program delivered in person for both foreign law graduates and U.S. JD holders seeking specialized advanced legal study. Tuition revenue generated from both domestic and international students.
• Online LLM Program Flexible online Master of Laws program for international and domestic students seeking advanced legal credentials with customizable specializations.
• The Docket Free AI-powered platform launched by the law school providing a one-stop shop for the legal academy's calls for papers, using generative AI text processing to manage and distribute academic CFPs to legal scholars.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• East-West CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides affordable dormitory-style housing for graduate and international students at UH Mānoa, located 5-minute walk from the Law School. Priority given to EWC and Fulbright scholars and participants of the EWC Student Affiliate Program.
• Pace University School of LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts the annual National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition where Richardson's Environmental Law Moot Court Team competes.
• Stetson University College of LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts the annual Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition covering issues in international environmental law.
• Hispanic National Bar AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsors the Uvaldo Herrera Moot Court Competition focused on civil rights issues at national scale.
• International Trademark AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition on trademark and unfair competition law issues.
• International Institute of Space LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition simulating space-based disputes before the International Court of Justice.
• Harvard Law SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrank Boas, a Harvard Law School graduate (1954), established scholarships and visiting professor programs connecting Harvard with Richardson Law through international programs.
• Shidler College of BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint JD/MBA program offering students dual degrees in law and business administration. Shidler has AACSB accreditation and nationally ranked international business program.
• Thompson School of Social Work & Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint JD/MSW dual degree program addressing intersections of law and social work. MSW program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law: ABA-accredited law school hosting the annual National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition where Richardson's team consistently places. Comparable through the direct moot-court partnership and shared environmental-law emphasis.

Direct peers

• Lewis & Clark Law School: Public-service oriented ABA-accredited law school with a top-ranked environmental law program. Highly comparable given shared specialization in environmental law and similar institution scale.
• Vermont Law and Graduate School: Specialty-focused law school with the nation's premier environmental law program. Comparable in its environmental-law specialization and mission-driven positioning, though operates as a private institution.
• CUNY School of Law: Public ABA-accredited law school in New York with a public-interest and social-justice mission. Comparable in scale, public-university governance, and experiential-learning emphasis — and a prior affiliation of Richardson's Director of Experiential Learning.
• University of Oregon School of Law: A public ABA-accredited law school of comparable scale with strong environmental and natural resources law programs. Comparable in mission, governance structure, and curricular emphasis on environmental and public-interest law.
• University of Montana Alexander Blewett III School of Law: Small public ABA-accredited law school with environmental and natural-resources law focus. Comparable in size, rural setting, and public-university status, and another prior affiliation of Richardson's experiential learning leadership.

Broad incumbents

• University of California College of the Law, San Francisco: Public ABA-accredited law school with strong environmental and public-interest programs. Comparable in governance structure and social-justice orientation, though larger and located in a major legal market.
• University of Washington School of Law: Larger public ABA-accredited law school in the Pacific Northwest with broader curricular offerings. Comparable as a public flagship-region law school, though larger in scale and research output.
• Georgetown University Law Center: Top-tier ABA-accredited law school offering multiple JD/LLM modalities including online and international programs. Comparable as a competitor for online JD/LLM applicants, though at a much larger scale and brand position.

Others

• University of Hawai'i at Mānoa (other academic units): Parent campus hosting Richardson's dual-degree partners (Shidler College of Business for JD/MBA, Thompson School for JD/MSW). Relevant for understanding the institutional and cross-program context in which Richardson operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UHMLawSchool
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@uhmlaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/UHMLawSchool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/uhmlawschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/uhmlaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about William S. Richardson School of Law