Anyone applying to Hawaii?

[futurejd20]

Any thoughts/opinions about this school? It's ranking is pretty impressive and I personally woudn't mind living in Hawaii forever.

[futurejd20]

Can someone explain this?

Average starting salary: $44,500

http://www.princetonreview.com/law/research/profiles/career.asp?listing=1035770&LTID=5

That just seems very strange....

[be10dwn]

maybe most grads go into public sector?  I don't know just throwing something against the wall here.

[chicago]

Can someone explain this?

Average starting salary: $44,500

http://www.princetonreview.com/law/research/profiles/career.asp?listing=1035770&LTID=5

That just seems very strange....

only 30% of Hawaii grads go to work for law firms, which is the lowest % I've seen. Also, a lot of grads get low-paying judicial clerkships right after graduation (around 30%).

[EmoryDude]

maybe most grads go into public sector?  I don't know just throwing something against the wall here.

In fact this guess appears to be right on. Looking at the Princeton Review website indicates that the most popular places to work after law school are the state judiciary, the prosecuting attorney's office, and as a public defender. All public sector, low paying jobs.

[casino]

hawaii is beautiful, and honolulu is a supercool city.  but, hawaii is so damn far away, even by plane.

casino

[futurejd20]

oh, ok. so it's reasonable to think i can obtain a mid-law position around the 70 k range after graduation, right? i don't want to waste my time and money, like anyone else...

[UMHBmom]

I'm from Hawaii. Do you want the good news or the bad news, first? I always atart with the good news, so...

Good: Hawaii is as great as you hear it is. The weather is gorgeous, the people are nice, the surfing and bodyboarding can't be beat.Who can hate a state that has created an entire cuisine from Spam and you can buy sushi at Seven-Eleven?

Bad: UH Law isn't even well regarded in HAWAII. A mid-range 70K job will barely keep you in a 2-bedroom apt., much less buy a house (a 3-br, 2BA, 20 year-old home on a postage stamp lot with no garage will run you $300,000). Heck, if you got one of the gov't jobs, you'd still qualify for food stamps! Even with those numbers, they're more likely to hire a lawyer from a better school in another state over a UH grad. All merchandise is also more costly over there because everything except pineapple and poi is imported. There's also a quaint Christmas tradition where the dockworkers go on strike for a month. The stores run out of toilet paper and rice (and Spam! Can't forget Spam!) and you WILL NOT GET whatever this year's hottest toy is, no matter how many tantrums your kids throw.

Bottom line: if you can get in on full scholarship and not carry any debt, and if BigLaw is not one of your goals (there is no BigLaw there), and if you'll be content making a very modest living working predominantly lesser crimes or family and estate law, then you'll be fine there. You won't starve or anything. The upside is that you WILL be in Hawaii. Hawaiian shirts and slacks are courtroom attire, the people there are very low-key/low-stress, and entertainment is free if you're an outdoor-type person. The schools are bad, but the trade-off in terms of how kids behave there vs. how they are here almost makes it worth it. If you're a guy, well... a lot of the women really do look like Baywatch. If you're a woman, find a good man to take over with you.

[mfitz]

I've heard they don't like to accept out of state students.

[chicago]

I'm from Hawaii. Do you want the good news or the bad news, first? I always atart with the good news, so...

Good: Hawaii is as great as you hear it is. The weather is gorgeous, the people are nice, the surfing and bodyboarding can't be beat.Who can hate a state that has created an entire cuisine from Spam and you can buy sushi at Seven-Eleven?

Bad: UH Law isn't even well regarded in HAWAII. A mid-range 70K job will barely keep you in a 2-bedroom apt., much less buy a house (a 3-br, 2BA, 20 year-old home on a postage stamp lot with no garage will run you $300,000). Heck, if you got one of the gov't jobs, you'd still qualify for food stamps! Even with those numbers, they're more likely to hire a lawyer from a better school in another state over a UH grad. All merchandise is also more costly over there because everything except pineapple and poi is imported. There's also a quaint Christmas tradition where the dockworkers go on strike for a month. The stores run out of toilet paper and rice (and Spam! Can't forget Spam!) and you WILL NOT GET whatever this year's hottest toy is, no matter how many tantrums your kids throw.

Bottom line: if you can get in on full scholarship and not carry any debt, and if BigLaw is not one of your goals (there is no BigLaw there), and if you'll be content making a very modest living working predominantly lesser crimes or family and estate law, then you'll be fine there. You won't starve or anything. The upside is that you WILL be in Hawaii. Hawaiian shirts and slacks are courtroom attire, the people there are very low-key/low-stress, and entertainment is free if you're an outdoor-type person. The schools are bad, but the trade-off in terms of how kids behave there vs. how they are here almost makes it worth it. If you're a guy, well... a lot of the women really do look like Baywatch. If you're a woman, find a good man to take over with you.

This was a very helpful post, thanks. I was considering applying, but now I won't.