I would like to take the time to let you know about our efforts to recruit more Native Hawaiians into law school, in particular the William S. Richardson School of Law. In this e-mail we will briefly describe our program, explain why we seek to recruit Native Hawaiians into law school, share with you some of the successes of Native Hawaiians at the William S. Richardson School of Law, and encourage you to either apply to our program or forward this e-mail to Hawaiians you know are interested in pursuing a law degree providing you with our website address and important upcoming dates.OUR PROGRAMIn 2006, we began offering Law School Admission Test (LSAT) preparation classes to Native Hawaiians. The LSAT is a necessary component in the law school admissions process and an area in the admissions process where Native Hawaiians seem to have difficulty. Our LSAT Preparation program for Native Hawaiians is recognized as impacting the number of Native Hawaiians admitted into the Richardson School of Law for the 2007-08 admissions period. Program participants consistently say they recommend our program to other Native Hawaiians.THE NEED FOR MORE NATIVE HAWAIIAN ATTORNEYSBy increasing the number of Native Hawaiian law students and attorneys, we can eventually expect an increase in the number of Native Hawaiian prosecutors, public defenders, judges, law clerks, private practice attorneys, corporate law attorneys, law and policy makers, state agency & department heads, business leaders, etc. in Hawai'i. Increasing the number of legally educated Native Hawaiians in Hawai'i provides more opportunities for positive social change affecting the Native Hawaiian community and the larger Hawai'i community.NATIVE HAWAIIAN LAW STUDENT SUCCESSESNative Hawaiian law students have been making significant strides at the William S. Richardson School of Law. This 2007-08 academic year, one of two of the Chief Editors of the school's Law Review (a prestigious academic law journal) is a Native Hawaiian. One of next year's Chief Editors is a Native Hawaiian also. Three Native Hawaiians won national awards in two out of three categories at this year's Native American Moot Court Competition (First Place in the Best Brief Category and Second and Third Place in the Best Advocates (overall) category). A Native Hawaiian placed Third in the regional Jessup International law competition. Native Hawaiian law students are contributing to the forthcoming second issue of the Native Hawaiian Rights Handbook and also serve as research assistants to the Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law. While in school, a number of Hawaiian law students have assisted the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation with several legal issues. Another Native Hawaiian who will graduate this May was recently hired by the firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati (a firm that represents Google and Apple among other high profile clients). Lastly, Native Hawaiian students, since last year, have started graduating with specialized certificates in Native Hawaiian Law.REACHING NATIVE HAWAIIANSWith all this in mind, we hope that you will help us recruit Native Hawaiians by forwarding this e-mail to other Native Hawaiians interested in and eligible to pursue a law school education. More information about our program is available at our website, www2.hawaii.edu/~ahahui. At our website, interested Native Hawaiians may download the application for our program. Applications are due by April 18, 2008. We seek to prepare students for the October 4, 2008 LSAT in anticipation for entry into the 2009 academic school year. Thank you for your help.
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