Kapiʻolani CC celebrates 50 years of paralegal education in Hawaiʻi
Kapiʻolani Community College
Legal Education Program Director Kimberly Koide Iwao (left) and Bob LeClair (middle)
Bob LeClair and former chancellor Joyce Tsunoda receiving the Secretary of Education Award
Massie Trial reenactment
Kapiʻolani CC leadership, faculty, Advisory Committee member and friends of the Legal Education Prog
Kapiʻolani Community College is celebrating 50 years of paralegal education in Hawaiʻi, honoring a legacy of service, access, and leadership as the state’s only American Bar Association (ABA) approved paralegal program.
Founded in 1975, the program has produced generations of legal professionals who now serve in law firms, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations across the state. Its impact reaches deep into Hawaiʻi communities. Paralegal program graduates have supported access to legal services through organizations such as Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, Hawaiʻi Innocence Project, the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office, and the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Attorney General.
“For 50 years, our paralegal graduates have been working in the places where the community needs them the most,” said Dr. Kimberly Koide Iwao, Kapiʻolani CC Paralegal Program Chair. “Under the supervision of licensed attorneys, our students have helped clients navigate legal challenges ranging from housing disputes, to family matters, to wrongful conviction reviews.”
A legacy grounded in vision
The program traces its origins to Robert J. “Bob” LeClair, Esq., a Harvard Law School graduate and Legal Aid Society attorney who helped secure leadership funding to establish Hawaiʻi’s first Legal Assistant Program at Kapiʻolani Community College. Under his leadership, the program quickly became recognized as a national model for paralegal education. For more than three decades, LeClair shaped the program into one defined by academic rigor and community service.
In 2007, Dr. Susan Jaworowski, J.D., Ph.D., became program chair and initiated major advancements to modernize curriculum and delivery. She incorporated technology into paralegal training by introducing online and hybrid instruction.
“Dr. Jaworowski ensured that our paralegal students remained at the forefront of a changing legal landscape,” said Kapiʻolani CC Dean of Business, Legal, Technology, Culinary, and Hospitality Laure Burke. “Her leadership connected tradition with transformation and ensured that Hawaiʻi’s only ABA-approved program continued to set the bar for excellence.”
Preparing students for the future of law
Today, under Dr. Iwao’s leadership, Kapiʻolani CC is again breaking new ground. In 2024, the program became one of the first in the nation to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) certification for paralegal students, in partnership with Wickard.ai.
“The program also continues to evolve—integrating technology and artificial intelligence to ensure our students are ready for the legal challenges of tomorrow,” said Iwao.
Internships and community engagement remain central, giving students both real-world training while providing critical staffing support to Hawaiʻi’s legal services and justice system. Students regularly participate in pro bono work as part of their internships, and a developing partnership with the Hawaiʻi Judiciary will expand opportunities for placements within the courts.
“Kapiʻolani CC’s paralegal program has strengthened Hawaiʻi’s legal community and expanded pathways for students to make meaningful contributions to justice and society,” said Kapiʻolani CC chancellor Misaki Takabayashi. “As an American Bar Association-approved program, we have been consistently commended by ABA reviewers for our rigor and the exceptional engagement of our students. Hawaiʻi’s legal system relies on skilled legal support professionals, and our graduates are prepared to serve with integrity and commitment.”
50th anniversary.jpg (full caption) Legal Education Program Director Dr. Kimberly Koide Iwao, Esq. (left) and Bob LeClair, Esq. (middle) receiving recognition of the 50th anniversary of the program from the Council of the City and County of Honolulu.