William S. Richardson School of Law - William S. Richardson

William S. Richardson

A former Hawaiʻi State Supreme Court Chief Justice, William S. Richardson, the school's patriarch, was known for his fierce advocacy of Hawai'ian culture, departing from western legal tradition to shape the state's emerging canon of law to reflect its own unique customs via numerous landmark decisions. He declared, for example, that "the western concept of exclusivity is not universally applicable in Hawai'i." Under his guidance, the Court held that Hawai'ian culture vested the state's right in its natural environment favoring wide public access, reflecting native customary rights. In case after case, the Court held that the state's interest prohibits the development of its sensitive natural areas, particularly along coastlines and beaches; and that the public has a right to access.

The establishment of the Law School in 1973, was widely considered Richardson's crowning career achievement. For many years, he had pressed the Hawai'i Legislature for its creation, arguing that the state would benefit by providing a legal education for its residents that enveloped its cultural customs—because they had the greatest stake in constructing the state's legal traditions going forward as such. At his retirement, the Law School was named in his honor.