Hawaiʻi’s Largest Law Firm Donates $150,000 to UH Law School

CARLSMITH BALL ESTABLISHES FACULTY SCHOLAR FUND

"Our gift was inspired by the UH William S. Richardson School of Law’s tremendous contribution to Hawaiʻi and the Asia-Pacific legal community. We are pleased to support the Law School’s efforts to continue its tradition of faculty excellence in teaching and research."

Carlsmith Ball LLP, the state’s oldest and largest Hawaiʻi-based law firm, joined the Centennial Campaign with a gift of $150,000 to the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa to establish the school’s first Law Faculty Scholar position. Carlsmith Ball LLP is a leading law firm in the Pacific Region, and has a total of eight offices located in Saipan, Guam, Honolulu, Kapolei, Maui, Kona, Hilo and Los Angeles. For 150 years they have assisted clients in achieving their objectives, and with this gift, they are helping the law school achieve theirs.

"Carlsmith is a benefactor of UH’s distinguished law school program by employing graduates who come to our firm with the values, skills and knowledge to serve clients and the Asia-Pacific community with honor," said Kobayashi, a 1981 graduate of the Law School.

The Carlsmith Ball Faculty Scholar fund offers financial support for faculty research and scholarship for professors at the William S. Richardson Law School, which is highly ranked in many areas within legal education and is the only American Bar Association-accredited Law School in the Pacific-Asia region.

"Our faculty is a diverse, dedicated, and remarkably skilled group of teachers who are recognized nationally and internationally for their legal expertise and scholarship," said Aviam Soifer, dean of the William S. Richardson School of Law. "Excellence in research and scholarship is vital to the Law School’s ability to serve current and future law students and the entire community. We are particularly grateful to Carlsmith Ball for its leadership, partnership and investment in Hawaiʻi’s Law School."

Left to Right: Joanne Lo Grimes, Managing Partner; Karl Kobayashi, Chair; and Terri Ann Motosue, Managing Partner of Carlsmith Ball, present check for $150,000 to Avi Soifer, Dean of the William S. Richardson School of Law, to establish the school’s first Faculty Scholar.
Photo by Wilson Lau.