William S. Richardson School of Law

Ke Kula Biweekly Newsletter

May 2008

Faculty Scholarship, Awards and Accomplishments

Denise Antolini, recently accepted an offer to publish a major article, “National Park Law in the U.S. in the prestigious William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review. (one of the top environmental law journals). The article is titled: "National Park Law in the U.S." There were several law reviews offering to publish the piece.

Alison Conner was recently appointed to the Executive Committee of the Center for Chinese Studies. On May 22-23, she will participate in the 5th Asian Law Institute (ASLI) Conference, which will be held at the National University of Singapore. Her article, "Don't Change Your Husband: Divorce in Early Chinese Movies" will appear in the summer 2008 issue of the University of Connecticut Law Journal.

The Winter 2007 issue of the University of Hawaii Law Review features an article co-written by David Callies: David L. Callies & Calvert G. Chipchase, Water Regulation, Land Use and the Envrionment, 30 U. Hawaii L. Rev. 49 (2007). Professor Callies also chaired and participated as panelist in 4 programs dealing with the theme "Paying for Growth" and honored his late Chicago law partner Richard Babcock at the annual conference of the American Planning Association in Las Vegas April 26-May 1. The meeting is well attended by about 4,000 land use professionals from around the country.

Mark Levin was invited to speak at the annual Shio Sato Conference on Japanese Law in March. This year the conference focused on comparative family law. The following week he attended the SALT conference on Teaching for Social Justice, and spoke on how social justice issues are one of the central themes of his comparative law teaching. He also published Nishimatsu Construction Co. v. Song Jixiao et al.; Kō Hanako et al. v. Japan, American Journal of International Law. His comment examines Japanese Supreme Court cases concerning WWII forced labor and sexual slavery in January. His recent Wajin's Whiteness paper was published in Japanese in Horitsu Jiho, Japan's leading academic journal. Later in the Spring he presented a paper on Japanese legal history at a Festschrift Conference honoring Professor John Owen Haley at Washington University in St. Louis in “Continuities of Legal Consciousness: Professor John Haley’s Writings on Twelve Hundred Years of Japanese Legal History.”

Calvin Pang is set to give a series of talks about legal education in Nagoya, Japan in June. Two are entitled, "The Aki Mukai Surrogacy Case - Peering through Test Tubes from Legal Laboratories of American States," and "The Carnegie Report - Assessing and Treating the Health of American Legal Education." Calvin recently returned from Tucson, Arizona, where he discussed, “Reflecting on Improvisation: Jumping, Soaring, Contemplating the Crashes,” at the AALS Conference on Clinical Legal Education.

Jill Ramsfield conducted a seminar, "The FEC Lawyer as Writer: Getting It Right and Getting It Written," at the Federal Election Commission in Washington, D.C.in March and plans a busy July facilitating the fifth annual Writers' Workshop for legal writing professors, this year in Indianapolis and speaking at the Legal Writing Institute in Indianapolis on "The Student Initiative: Learning by Design."

Randy Roth's book "Broken Trust" was listed in the recent issue of UH's Malamalama magazine as one of the 100 contributions from the University of Hawaii in the last 100 years. In the category of "Greater good", his publication shares the honor with the Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law. Randy also traveled to law schools across the nation this spring, visiting classes and discussing the fiduciary duties of trustees and professional responsibility obligations of attorneys.

Jon Van Dyke will participate in a panel at the City and County of Honolulu's Hawaii Book and Music Festival at City Hall on May 17, and promoting his book "Who Owns the Crown Lands". Later, on June 7, Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Kahala will hold his book signing at noon. Earlier in April, he spoke at the 21st annual US Pacific Command International Military Operations and Law Conference (MILOPS) in Singapore, on the tension between navigational freedom and environmental protection in April, and following in May, was in residence at INHA University in Incheon, Korea, as a member of their Global Ocean Faculty.

Eric Yamamoto recently received word that he was selected to receive the national 2008 American Courage Award. The American Courage Award goes to an individual, company, or organization that has shown extraordinary courage or commitment to the cause of civil rights. This may include a corporate leader who has taken an important stand, an activist who overcame extraordinary challenges, an artist with a unique vision, or a journalist breaking an important story. Yamamoto is the first scholar-lawyer to receive the award. He will travel to Wash. DC in October to address the National Press Club and receive his award.

Faculty Community Service

The Law School faculty instituted an End of School Year initiative called the Faculty Community Service Project as a way to build collegiality and community. To finish this 2008 school year, the faculty will volunteer at two community projects on Friday, May 16, 2008. The first project, led by Calvin Pang, will be to serve lunch to the homeless at the River of Life Mission in Chinatown. The second project, led by Denise Antolini, will be to weed the Diamond Head Native Plant Peace Garden. The service project is affectionately referred to as "The Weed and Feed Project."

Student Organization Highlights

The Hawaii Women's Lawyers' incoming student representatives for the 2008-2009 academic year are Jacquelyn Tryon, 3L, and Jamila Jarmon, 2L, succeeding Michelle Walker, 3L, Priscila Benitez, 3L, and Donna Davis-Hackley,2L.

Congratulations to The Law School, that won the Spring 2008 Lawyers League Basketball championship on April 24th by beating the Henderson team, 34-31. Members of the championship team included: Mana Moriarity (captain),2L, Sam August,1L, Doug Cole,1L, Matt Evans,3L, Steve Idemoto, 3L, Shannon Mears,1L, Jason Say,1L, Jesse Smith, 1L, Titiimaea Taase, 3L, Ka'anoi Walk, 3L, and Ian Young, 3L. The league is planning to organize another season beginning in late summer or early Fall. Additional teams are welcome, or individual players may be able to join an existing team -- at least three rosters included women this Spring. Please contact David Forman ('93)() or Will Tanaka ().

Advocates for Public Interest Law (APIL) is pleased to announce its new officers: Anne Jordan, 1L, President; Mary Treanor, 1L, Vice-President; Sinclair Salas-Ferguson, 1L, Secretary; Jennifer Allen, 1L, Treasurer.

Please join in congratulating our 2008-2009 `Ahahui o Hawai`i Alaka`i: Soon to be 2Ls Noah Gibson, Lahela Hite, Malama Minn and Ka`upena Soon.

Student Scholarship, Awards and Accomplishments

Graduation is finally here for 91 of our law student 'ohana! The William S. Richardson School of Law will hold its commencement on Monday, May 19, 2008, at the Andrews Amphitheater beginning at 5pm, following a Graduation Champagne Toast in the Law School Courtyard for graduates and their families at 4pm. The Commencement Speaker is Professor Mari Matsuda ('80), the 3L speaker is Joshua Walsh, the faculty speaker is Prof. Jon Van Dyke, and the LL.M speaker is Brice Dumas. Alumni Kahikino N. Dettweiler ('05) will perform his chant "'Oli Aloha No William Shaw Richardson."

University of Hawaii Law Review Volume 30, No. 1 Winter 2007 recently issued and features the following article: David L. Callies & Calvert G. Chipchase, Water Regulation, Land Use and the Envrionment, 30 U. Hawaii L. Rev. 49 (2007); and student comments: Comment, Medical Malpractice in Hawai'i: Tort Crisis or Crisis of Medical Errors?, 30 U.Hawaii L. Rev. 167 (2007) by Steven K. Idemoto, 3L; Comment, Prostitution: Protected in Paradise?, 30 U. Hawaii L. Rev 193 (2007) by Marissa H.I. Luning, 3L; Comment, An Analysis of Hawaii's Tradition of "Local" Ethnic Humor, U. Hawaii L. Rev. 219 (2007) by Karen Okada, 3L; and Comment, "Officially" What? The Legal Rights and Implications of 'Olelo Hawai'i, U. Hawaii L. Rev. 243 (2007) by Ka'ano'i Walk, 3L.

The Environmental Law Society is pleased to announce Leslie Cole Brooks, 1L, as the recipient of the $1500 summer grant opportunity. Leslie will be working with an attorney at NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) this summer. ELS co-directors Anthony Herndon & Kate Bryant-Greenwood extend their thanks to all of the ELS officers and members who helped raise funds with coffee sales and to the students and faculty who purchased ELS coffee and made generous donations to the grant fund.

Evan Silberstein 2L and Amanda Coe 3L, were selected as finalists in a national Legal Research & Advocacy Contest sponsored by the National Center for Nonsmokers' Rights. With this award, Evan and Amanda have won $1,000 travel grants to present their innovative ideas at the Fifth World Conference on Nonsmokers’ Rights at the George Washington University Law School, in Washington, DC this summer and to compete for a grand prize award of $5,000. Evan will present the “Smoking Management and Rehabilitation Treatment Act of 2008 (SMART)” and Amanda will present her proposal for an education program focused on the accessibility of smoking cessation prescriptions for the elderly entitled "Not Too Old to Kick the Habit: The Rights of the Elderly to Become Non-Smokers."

Congratulations to Seth Buckley,1L ,winner of the first Pacific-Asian Legal Studies Organization summer abroad grant. With this award support, Seth will be studying at La Trobe University, in Melbourne Australia, taking courses in the university's Global Business Law LL.M. Program. These courses focus on international corporate law and are taught by visiting professors from throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Mahalo to the PALSO members for their hard work in fundraising to make this grant possible, and especially to the board members for their careful efforts in carrying out the grant application process.

Lehua Scholar Chasid Sapolu, 1L, was awarded the 2008 Patsy T. Mink Fellowship at the Patsy Mink Tribute and Award ceremony in April.

Deja Marie Ostrowski, 1L, and Lehua Scholar Christopher M. Delaunay, 1L, were selected as the recipients for the 2008 Samuel L. Cohen International Human Rights Summer 2008 Fellowship.

Kevin Hallstrom, 2L, celebrates a new baby boy, Bennett, 6 lbs, 7 oz. 21 inches. Douglas Frederick, 3L, celebrates his second child's birth, baby girl Mirai, to join her big brother Nico.

Program Highlights

The Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law was listed in the recent issue of UH's Malamalama magazine as one of the 100 contributions from the University of Hawaii in the last 100 years. In the category of "Greater good," the Center shares the honor with Randy Roth's book "Broken Trust."

Institute of Asian-Pacific Business Law (IAPBL) hosted at the Law School "The Shareholder Empowerment Debate: Lessons from News Corp’s Exodus to Delaware" by Jennifer Hill Professor of Law, Sydney Law School on May 13, 2008.

The LL.M Program will graduate 11 LL.Ms at this year's commencement exercises on May 19, 2008 at 5pm at the Andrews Amphitheater. As an added celebration, Rai St. Chu and the HSBA International Law Section Congratulates the 2008 Graduates of the LL.M Program for Foreign Lawyers William S. Richardson School of Law and Welcome them as Honorary Members of the Section on Friday, May 16, 2008, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. at the Law Offices of Jeffrey Lau, 707 Richards Street, Suite 600, Honolulu, HI 96813. A graduation lunch will be held the next day at the Law School.

Alumni Highlights

The Annual Alumni Golf Tournament is on deck on May 20, 2008 at 11am at the Prince Golf Club. Better late than never to sign up and support law school scholarships. Contact Shawn Benton at for more info.

Chris Kempner (2003), now living in New York, had a baby girl, Samara Marie Takemoto, on January 25, 2008.

Hu Che (2003) will shortly be awarded his PhD in economics from the UH. Hu started in economics, moved to law and then went back to finish his degree in economics. He is now teaching at the Chinese University of Politics and Law in Beijing.

William Keoni Schulz ('00) and Elijah Yip ('99) both were named partners effective January 1, 2008, at Cades Schutte LLP. Amanda Jones ('07) and Keri Ann K. Shigemura ('07) have joined the firm as associates.

Nang Tran (2001) opened a new restaurant called "Cream Pot." Nang explains, "Food has always been one of my passions so doing this allows me to explore my artistic interests." He describes his restaurant as French shabby chic, cozy, french farm country, specializing in mainly breakfast and brunch, crossing over both French and Japanese.