In 1982, the school was named in honor of William S. Richardson, chief justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court from 1966 to1982. Richardson was a man of part-Hawaiian descent who lived a life of distinguished public service. He had been one of the first and most determined supporters for establishing a law school in the state of Hawaii. Richardson passed away on June 21, 2010.
The American Bar Association granted preliminary accreditation in 1974 and full accreditation in 1982. The William S. Richardson School of Law has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1989.
The mission statement of the William S. Richardson School of Law stresses the goal of excellent legal education, emphasizing scholarship, public service, ethical responsibility and social and economic justice. The school assumes a responsibility to take a leadership role in environmental law, Pacific-Asian legal studies and Native Hawaiian law.
U.S. News and World Report's annual rankings have repeatedly named the William S. Richardson School of Law as one of the top 100 law schools. The magazine's published rating for 2010-11 is 72nd of 184 law schools. The part-time JD program is rated 28th out of 84 part-time programs. The Princeton Review rates the school as the best environment for minority students and the second most frequent pick by older students. The September 2009 edition of National Jurist ranks the William S. Richardson School of Law as the 24th best value law school for the money.
Information concerning admission procedures can be obtained from the law school. The acceptance rate into the JD program for 2010 was 21.3 percent, representing 250 acceptances out of 1,176 applicants. The actual enrollment rate for 2010 was 45.2 percent of those accepted, or 113 out of 250. Full-time JD program tuition rates for 2012 are $8,364 for residents per semester, and $15,936 for non-residents per semester.
There are 300 students and 34 full-time faculty at the school, which results in a faculty/student ratio of 1:9.23. In 2010, 75 percent of the graduates of William S. Richardson School of Law passed the Hawaii State Bar exam on the first attempt.