UH law school announces new online, part-time JD flex program

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law announced the launch of a new part-time, online JD (juris doctorate) program for students seeking a legal education. The Hawaiʻi Online JD Flex program perpetuates UH law school’s dedication to diversity by providing access to a top-tier law school for students from different locations and backgrounds through an innovative 100% online format. The program begins fall 2023, and applications are being accepted until June 1.

Ideal for working professionals unable to relocate or leave their current jobs, the Hawaiʻi Online JD Flex program’s part-time, online format allows students to earn their degrees in as few as four years by following a synchronous and asynchronous educational environment. Students in this online JD program will earn the same law degree as traditional students, and they will be qualified to take the bar exam in every state except New York, which has yet to adopt ABA standards for distance education.

“The Hawaiʻi Online JD Flex Program is the evolution of our Evening Part-Time Program,” said Camille Nelson, dean of the UH law school. “This ABA-accredited program recognizes our global connectedness and more flexibly supports prospective law students in obtaining a Richardson law degree without having to relocate, leave their families or cease their employment elsewhere. This next-generation part-time program broadens access to legal education, promotes greater diversity in the bar and bench, and expands educational opportunities in the state and region while remaining committed to the culture and community that make the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law a special place unlike any other. In this way, the Hawaiʻi Online JD Flex Program will ‘meet our students where they are.’ We also expect that the Hawaiʻi Online JD Flex Program will enhance the provision of legal services in many communities outside of Oʻahu, including rural and remote locations in Hawaiʻi, the Pacific Islands and beyond.”

The Hawaiʻi Online JD Flex is one of the few ABA-accredited, part-time, 100% online JD programs at a nationally ranked law school in the United States. In this flexible learning format, students will attend virtual classes via live and pre-recorded video lectures, participate in vigorous discussion in traditional Socratic classroom settings, as well as attend seminars and informal small group discussions, complete reading and writing assignments and have access to 24-7 technical support. 

Graduates of the Hawaiʻi Online JD Flex program will become Richardson lawyers—driven legal professionals, who operate with dignity, respect and gracious civility. They will obtain the tools to evaluate legal issues through a social justice lens and the skills for effective, ethical and responsible participation as members of the legal profession. Students will graduate prepared to become leaders in business, government and the community, committed to making a better society for Hawaiʻi and beyond.

The UH law school’s Hawaiʻi Online JD Flex program’s technology learning platform will be provided by BARBRI Global, headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Applications for the Hawaiʻi Online JD Flex program are now being accepted through the June 1, 2023 final application deadline. Prospective students may visit online or email onlinejd@hawaii.edu for more information.

About the William S. Richardson School of Law

University of Hawaiʻi’s William S. Richardson School of Law is a public, land-grant, research university in Mānoa, a neighborhood in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi and has been accredited by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association since 1982. The school has a collaborative, multicultural community and prepares students for excellence in the practice of law and related careers that advance justice and the rule of law. Dedicated to developing highly qualified, ethical professionals through excellence in teaching, scholarship, and public service, Richardson embraces Hawaiʻi’s diversity and values and recognizes a special responsibility to our state and the Pacific region. The school leads in environmental law, Native Hawaiian law, and Pacific-Asian legal studies.