Contact Us

For more information about this program, contact David M. Forman at (808) 956-5298, Richard Wallsgrove at (808) 956-9620 or by email.

Environmental Law

Overview

Recognizing the challenges that Hawai‘i and the world face in maintaining an environmentally sustainable economy, the William S. Richardson School of Law has developed a vibrant and diverse Environmental Law Program (ELP). Since its inception in 1988, the ELP has been a leading specialty program at the Law School, and Richardson Law School is ranked among the top 25 schools in the nation for studying environmental law. In training future environmental lawyers, the ELP contributes to the advancement of environmental law doctrine and scholarship, and practice locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. For more detailed information visit the ELP website.

Education, Research, and Scholarship

The ELP offers a significant number of exciting and varied courses in environmental law and related fields. The cornerstone of the program, the Certificate in Environmental Law, recognizes the strong student interest in this area, the expertise of our faculty, and the diverse job opportunities in this dynamic field of law. In addition to coursework, opportunities for students to develop their real-world legal skills include our environmental law moot court teams, a wide variety of environmental law externships, pro bono projects, the Environmental Law Clinic, and summer jobs. The ELP’s core and adjunct faculty, students, alumni, and friends publish scholarship, deliver papers, and issue reports on a diverse range of Hawai’i’s environmental law, land use, Indigenous peoples, and other related law issues.

Excellence in Environmental Law

The ELP is nationally recognized and has over 280 graduates with certificates in environmental law; graduates are contributing to environmental law and policy in Hawai‘i and throughout the world. ELP students have worked for private law firms both in Hawai‘i and on the mainland, Hawai‘i government offices (such as the Office of the Attorney General and the Legislature), public interest law firms and organizations (ranging from Earthjustice to the Pacific Legal Foundation), federal agencies (including the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard), Native Hawaiian interests (from the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation to an indigenous resource management organization on the mainland), and at all levels of the judiciary.

“The Environmental Law Program is a gem in our community. The talented faculty, staff, students, and alumni enrich our entire school and set a high bar for excellence.”

Camille A. Nelson, Dean and Professor of Law

Scholarship & Legal Resources

The Environmental Law Program’s core and adjunct faculty, students, alumni, and friends publish scholarship, deliver papers, and issue reports on a diverse range of Hawai’i’s environmental law, land use, indigenous peoples, and other related law issues.

The Environmental Law Clinic is a non-litigation, live-client clinic that provides direct legal services to rural and underserved communities in Hawai’i that focuses on environmental issues. Over the course of the semester, students work with clients to develop and implement legal strategies on actual legal issues relating to Hawaiʻi’s natural and cultural resources with an emphasis on community involvement.

The ELP proudly sponsors events that feature experts who speak on a variety of topics that relate to their work in the environment and natural resource fields. The ELP hopes to organize colloquia that touch on a variety of pertinent topics to inform students, faculty, and the wider community in order to facilitate informed discussion and conversation.

ELP supports student involvement in a variety of extracurricular activities, from attending conferences to presenting and publishing scholarship. In many cases, travel grants are available to subsidize the cost of travel. Students are encouraged to contact an ELP director to discuss potential opportunities for travel grants.

The ELP is proud to sponsor two different student moot court teams — one that addresses national pollution control issues and the other that concerns international environmental disputes — that participate every year in mock appellate arguments held on the U.S. mainland against other top law schools. Both teams have outstanding records of success in the prestigious competitions that test their advocacy skills on complex law issues before seasoned judges and allow them to match their wits against other talented law students from the U.S. and around the world.

Certificates & Requirements

Environmental Law Certificate

Environmental Law certificate candidates must fulfill course and procedural requirements before being awarded a Certificate upon graduation. The students are advised to consult with the ELP director and faculty during their 2L and 3L years to ensure they are on track to complete the certificate requirements. Certificate candidates need to submit the completed certificate form to the ELP director no later than 30 days before graduation. HOKU, the Law School’s class database, may be used to search for environmental law course information.