Our Mission
Consistently ranked among the best part time law programs in the country, the Evening Part Time Program at the William S. Richardson School of Law was created in 2008 to perpetuate and expand Chief Justice Richardson’s vision of providing the people of Hawaiʻi with access to excellent legal education.
The Evening Part Time Program is designed to provide an avenue to legal education for students:
- Working full-time
- Caring for children or other family members
- With diverse professional and educational experience
Joining the Evening Part Time Program
The process, requirements, and criteria for admission are the same for both the Evening Part Time and Full Time Day Programs. Please visit the Admissions page for more information about admission to Richardson. If you are interested in learning more about the Evening Part Time Program you can attend an Evening Part Time Information Session or arrange a Law School visit.
Required Curriculum
It takes 89 credits to earn a Juris Doctor at Richardson in either the Evening Part Time or Full Time Day Program. Students in the Evening Part Time Program can take a maximum of 11-12 credits per semester, which typically translates to three to four courses per semester.
All courses required for graduation, as well as courses tested on the bar exam and those required to complete the Law School’s certificate programs are regularly offered after 5:30 pm. The required courses taken by Fulltime Day Program students during their first year are spread out over two years for Evening Part Time Program students. The chart below shows the courses
students can expect to take during their first two years in the Evening Part Time Program, depending on the year they enter the program.
Required Doctrinal Course Sequence
A TRACK
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B TRACK
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Fall Semester
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Fall Semester
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Spring Semester
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Spring Semester
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*All Evening Part Time Program students complete the required legal research and writing
course (Legal Research, Lawyering Fundamentals I & II) during their first year at Richardson.
In their second year, students have the option to take elective courses in addition the required
doctrinal courses.
Scheduling Flexibility
A majority of students in the Evening Part Time Program complete their Juris Doctor in four years, however students have considerable flexibility to tailor their Law School journey depending on the demands and opportunities they encounter outside Law School. Students can accelerate their progress toward graduation by:
- Attending summer school
- Taking January-Term courses
- Transitioning to the Full Time Day Program (Only after completion of the first two years of the Evening Part Time Program)
Evening Part Time Program students also have the option to take fewer classes each semester, provided they complete their degree within seven years.
