The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s William S. Richardson School of Law recently honored its 2025 graduates in a commencement ceremony bathed in the spirit of ohana and service. As the graduates gathered last Sunday at Andrews Amphitheater, their accomplishments and commitment to the law were recognized before family, peers, and an assembly of Hawaiʻi’s legal luminaries. According to a press release from the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary, the ceremony celebrated the academic achievements of 102 individuals poised for legal careers.
Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Associate Justice Lisa M. Ginoza, herself a product of the Richardson Law, addressed the 94 Juris Doctor and eight Master of Laws recipients with words of encouragement and an appeal to their sense of duty. “You have earned this day of celebration,” Ginoza said, calling out both the celebratory milestones and the hurdles that wait on their professional horizons. She emphasized the nobility of the profession, which “is about helping others, and about pursuing fairness and justice,” as detailed by the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary.
The list of esteemed attendees included Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Associate Justices Sabrina S. McKenna and Todd W. Eddins, as well as Associate Judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals Sonja M.P. McCullen, each having also traced their academic lineage back to the Richardson Law School. This collection of legal professionals stood as testament of the institution’s legacy, a tacit promise of possibilities available to the newest members of their ranks…