(from the Richardson School of Law page)

Recognizing the enormous importance of the Pacific Rim to Hawai'i and the U.S., the School of Law is strongly committed to its program in Pacific-Asian Legal Studies (PALS). Many law faculty members specialize or have strong research interests in Asian or Pacific law, and the law school now offers a broad range of courses relating to Asian and Pacific law on a regular basis, supplemented by short-term and specialized courses taught by visitors. Recent courses include Law and Society in China, Chinese Business Law, Asian Comparative Labor Law, Korean Law, Japanese Law and Pacific Islands Legal Systems. For more specialized work, students may also arrange directed reading courses with individual faculty members.

The School of Law encourages its students to pursue study and work in Asia and the Pacific. Also available are Externship opportunities for which PALS certificate credit may be given. Within the last few years, law school students have studied in China, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand and Japan. Students have also completed externships in Pacific Island jurisdictions, including the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Samoa and Guam. The PALS program is supported by the University of Hawai'i's excellent area centers for Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Southeast Asian and Hawaiian studies. Law students may enroll in graduate courses in these areas and receive up to three credits toward the JD degree. If admitted to both schools, students may also pursue a four-year dual degree program and be awarded a master of arts in Asian Studies as well as the JD degree.

The law school engages in active faculty exchange programs with the Faculties of Law at Hiroshima University and Meijo University in Japan. The University has entered into exchange agreements with Peking University in Beijing, the University of the Philippines and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and law students are eligible to participate in the exchanges provided under those agreements. The law school also maintains a broad network of less formal contacts throughout Asia and the Pacific and enjoys a steady stream of international visitors, including judges, law professors and attorneys. Law student activity is coordinated by the Pacific-Asian Legal Studies Organization (PALSO) and the Pacific Islands Legal Studies Association (PILSA). During the last year, student groups have sponsored public forums, lunch talks and informal gatherings. Students have recently established the Asian-Pacific Law & Policy Journal, the first fully functional web-based American legal journal dedicated to East Asia, Polynesia and Australia. Law students are also encouraged to participate in the University's area studies activities.

In 1996, the law school awarded its first PALS certificates. The PALS certificate program allows participating students to earn a certificate through the completion of courses from a list of international and Pacific-Asian law electives approved by the PALS faculty. The certificate requires successful completion of 14 credits, the foundation for which is International Law and Pacific Island Legal Systems or Asian Comparative Law. The certificate also requires students to write an article or seminar paper on an approved PALS topic. Students are free to focus on Pacific Islands and Hawaiian legal issues as well as Asian and international business-related topics.