University of Hawaii 3L/Visit Coordinator taking questions Forum

[liannel]

I am a 3L at the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law. I am interested in Family Law and I will be graduating in May 2012.

Please feel free to ask me questions!

Here are some FAQs from prospective students that I have answered:

1. In your first year of law school what was the approximate percentage allocation of daily activities of a general day for you?
As a 1L, I would typically spend an average of 3-5 hours in class, 5-6 hours reading for class, and 1-2 hours on extra-curricular activities such as student organizations.
2. Looking back what is the one thing you wish you had known prior to starting law school?
Looking back, I wish that someone had told me to take advantage of as many programs, organizations, guest speakers, and law school activities as possible. The time flies by so fast and there are so many activities. It is hard to juggle school work and extra-curricular things, but time management is very important. Law school is a much more fulfilling experience when it is supplemented by some of the many organizations and programs there are.
3. How would you describe the competitive atmosphere of the UH law program?
I would say that compared to a typical mainland law school, our law school is not as competitive because students and teachers join together in a collaborative atmosphere with the goal of learning. People don't hide books or rip out pages of text books. Students share notes and outlines and help each other out when answering questions in class. The school is competitive in terms of academic rankings and getting jobs, but the person-to-person interaction is very positive and "ohana"-like.
4. What was your experience when it came to your fellow classmates? Were they willing to help and pull together as a group to better understand the law or were they more interested in getting the better class rank?
My experience with my classmates was wonderful. During 1L year, we bonded so much through the difficult courseload and getting used to law school. We often planned BBQs and get-togethers outside of school to relax, and we still do. There is definitely a mind-set of pulling together as a group to learn and make things work. Even though classes are graded on a curve, people would still help each other out by studying or sharing outlines. When we had research assignments, we would work together and compare cases before writing memos. The professors are also very available and helpful in answering questions. In my experience, even those students at the top who are #1, #2, etc. are very humble about their grades and don't go around boasting. Everyone sort of tries their best and whoever turns out on top turns out on top. In Hawaii, people get jobs for who they know and how they present themselves, not just class rank. So class rank is not something that is on our minds all the time.
5. Based upon your experience what was the biggest difference that you noticed in each year of the law program as compared to the preceding year?
The law program faculty and staff have definitely been trying to provide more ways for students to connect with attorneys through networking activities. We have on campus interviews, mock interviews, launch a lawyer (networking activity which pairs you up with an attorney based on similar interests), etc. They also have seminars with slide shows on workplace etiquette, building your resume, and how to conduct job searches. There is also a database called "Symplicity" which shows upcoming interviews or job postings for law students here or elsewhere in the world. You can upload your documents to Symplicity such as your resume, cover letter, transcript, etc. and apply to jobs online all in one place. It makes it much easier than contacting firms directly and emailing them documents separately. This effort by the law school has gotten more and more refined by the year.
6. Based upon your experience how would you describe the professors in the law program?
The professors at the law school are experts in their field. I have never doubted any professor's knowledge of the subject matter. Professors are very approachable, available, and willing to help. They are competent and well-published. Professors often come to student activities such as our Advocates for Public Interest Law auction, where some of them auctioned off their time. Students could bid for a lunch with the deans or a BBQ at Professor Callies' house or a north shore snorkeling adventure with Professor Antolini. Professor Yamamoto (1L Civil Procedure) comes to our Ete Bowl every year (women's flag football game). Professors love their students and their goal is definitely to produce quality attorneys and quality people when we leave this law school.
7. Do the professors at the university offer office hours and are they willing to go up and beyond to meet with a student outside of their office hours if that student demonstrates the desire to learn and understand the material?
Every professor I have had has expressed that they love when students come and see them during office hours. Law students, as intellectual and knowledge-hungry as they are, take advantage of the openness of our professors and they often go in to chat frequently to discuss the subject matter more in-depth. Don't let the class sizes fool you. Professors get to know many students very closely through visits during office hours. I have had experiences when I would come to a certain professor just to talk about life in general and I shed a tear or two. They are all very available and open to office-hour time.
8. In your experience, how do the professors at the university work with students when a family crisis or emergency arises?
Our law school is very understanding when it comes to family crisis or emergency. They handle every case individually. If you need to miss class, there is an online form to fill out. Professors are very understanding when it comes to family emergency or crisis.
9. Do you feel that the university has adequate resources to help a student succeed and graduate from the university?
I definitely think that our school does a good job in providing opportunities for job placement. The local firms have a close relationship with the law school and they trust that we produce quality attorneys. As I mentioned earlier, the law school provides many activities to prepare us for post-law school jobs, internships and externships during the summer, how to apply for jobs and how to write a cover letter or resume. Even with the bad job market, I am confident that I will find a job after law school. We also have on-campus interviews twice per year, which are very convenient.
10. What extra-curricular activities are offered at the university and what would you recommend a law student participate in?
We have so many wonderful extra-curricular activities to offer! I'm not sure if I can list them all, but here are some: Advocates for Public Interest Law, Pacific Asian Legal Studies Organization, Ete (Women's Flag Football), Environmental Law Society, The Hui (Native Hawaiian Rights), Filipino Law Students, Christian Legal Society, Animal Legal Defense Club, Self Defense Club, Law and Business Organization, Lambda Law (LGBT), etc. We also have many moot court teams such as the Environmental Law Moot Court team and the Jessup International Law Moot Court Team. Our teams travel to competitions in the mainland to compete against other schools. Two of our students on the Native American Moot Court Team placed first in New York City last year.
I, personally, love Ete. Ete is a 31 year tradition. During the Ete bowl, the Etes (law students) play the Bruzers (WSRSL graduates) who may be attorneys or judges. As a male, you can be involved in Ete by becoming one of our coaches! We practice once a week and most of us don't know how to play football, so we need all the help we can get. It is a great way for 1Ls to network with 2Ls and 3Ls in the first semester. I think Ete brings the whole law school together. There is also a boys game at Kakaako Park where the 1Ls play the 2Ls and 3Ls and we all BBQ. It's a lot of fun!
11. It is my understanding that at most law schools the grade for the class is solely based upon the final exam. Is this your experience at the law school?
For the majority of classes, 100% of your grade will be your exam grade. This is true for your 1L year except for Legal Practice, which is a year long legal research and writing class. The grade for that class is composed of different writing and research assignments given throughout the year. After your 1L year, some classes do require papers instead of finals, or a series of papers instead of one final at the end. It definitely depends on which courses you choose to take. However, for the most part, expect that your final will be 100% of your grade. This makes it important to keep up with with case reading and outlining along the way.

[kahechsof]

I am a 3L at the University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law. I am interested in Family Law and I will be graduating in May 2012.

Please feel free to ask me questions!

Did you live in Hawaii before law school?

[liannel]

I am a 3L at the University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law. I am interested in Family Law and I will be graduating in May 2012.

Please feel free to ask me questions!

Did you live in Hawaii before law school?

Yes, I was born and raised in Hawaii. However, I went to NYU for undergrad and also lived in LA before returning to Hawaii before law school.

[kahechsof]

I am a 3L at the University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law. I am interested in Family Law and I will be graduating in May 2012.

Please feel free to ask me questions!

Did you live in Hawaii before law school?

Yes, I was born and raised in Hawaii. However, I went to NYU for undergrad and also lived in LA before returning to Hawaii before law school.

Do you plan to practice in hawaii?
What did you do 1L summer?
What did you do 2L summer?
Do you know where you'll be next year, or what you would like to do?
What are your long term career plans?

[liannel]

I am a 3L at the University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law. I am interested in Family Law and I will be graduating in May 2012.

Please feel free to ask me questions!

Did you live in Hawaii before law school?

Yes, I was born and raised in Hawaii. However, I went to NYU for undergrad and also lived in LA before returning to Hawaii before law school.

Do you plan to practice in hawaii?
What did you do 1L summer?
What did you do 2L summer?
Do you know where you'll be next year, or what you would like to do?
What are your long term career plans?

Yes, I plan to practice in Hawaii.
In my 1L summer, I worked at the Domestic Violence Action Center under a grant from one of our law school's organizations: Advocates for Public Interest Law. We have a pro bono requirement at the law school (60 hours) so a lot of students choose to do their pro-bono requirements at that time since it may be hard to find a paying job in your 1L summer.
In my 2L summer, I worked for a family law attorney, paid. It was a great learning experience. I got to do cases from beginning to end and she gave me a lot of responsibility. A lot of students intern or work as summer associates during their 2L summers
I don't know where I will be next year. I'm planning on applying for jobs a bit later, since I won't be working until after I take the bar.
I would eventually like to be working as a family law attorney (divorce)...not sure where. I might end up solo or in a firm. All I know is that I can't wait to start taking my own clients!

[kahechsof]

Nice! Good luck!