UH Law School receives top honors for distinguished achievement in environmental law and policy

American Bar Association will present the award at the ABA's annual meeting in August

The ABA‘s Standing Committee on Environmental Law and Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources has announced that the Environmental Law Program (ELP) of the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is the 2006 recipient of the American Bar Association Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy.

The ABA citation said:

"Since 1988, the ELP has provided leadership in development of sound environmental law and policy for Hawaiʻi through classroom and clinical education as well as through serious encouragement of and support to its student body. Its nationally and internationally recognized faculty have contributed tremendously to the thoughtful management and regulation of the natural resources that make Hawaiʻi unique.

"Among its broad range of accomplishments, the Community Outreach and Education component has improved access to justice, student service opportunities, and student grants to support scholarship and conference participation. Other programs and accomplishments have included environmental justice programs helping communities to effectively participate in legal processes; an environmental law web site offering access to all environmental laws, statutes, regulations and state and federal cases affecting Hawaiʻi; videos to help communities and individuals participate more effectively in government processes; a colloquium series hosting national and international scholars; a Student Paper Series and Student Scholarship Online Series providing a forum for student work to international audiences; and extensive career mentoring of students.

Law School Dean Avi Soifer commented: "We are extremely pleased that our marvelous Environmental Law Program is beginning to receive the recognition it deserves with this prestigious national award. The award results from the extraordinary leadership and dedication of Professor Casey Jarman, the founding director, and Associate Professor and current director Denise Antolini, who have together created a unique oasis in legal education that has broad appeal to faculty, students and alumni."

Associate Professor of Law Denise Antolini, Director of the ELP, will accept the award at the ABA annual meeting in Honolulu in the first week of August.

"Since its founding nearly twenty years ago, our Environmental Law Program has become a dynamic and diverse academic center at the Law School. We seek to serve Hawaiʻi‘s communities by training excellent new lawyers who will appreciate and protect our islands‘ unique environment, whether in the corporate world, or as legislators, public interest advocates or government attorneys," Antolini said.

"Since 1991, more than 100 students have graduated with their specialty Certificate in Environmental Law to form a new generation of leaders contributing to the vibrancy of the bar in Honolulu and nationally. This ABA award is a wonderful tribute to our dedicated students, outstanding faculty and distinguished alumni."

The award was established in 2000 by the ABA Standing Committee on Environmental Law with co-sponsorship by the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, to recognize individuals, organizations and programs that have distinguished themselves in environmental law and policy, and have demonstrated significant leadership in improving the substance, process or understanding of environmental protection.

The American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership association in the world, with some 400,000 members, and serves as the national voice of the legal profession.