Aʻo Aku Aʻo Mai Initiative

Established in 2011, the Aʻo Aku Aʻo Mai Initiative is a partnership between the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law. Given our strong partnership and success, the Initiative’s focus has expanded to assist OHA beneficiaries in rural communities through free trainings, the distribution of legal primers, and direct legal assistance on a range of topics.

Ka Huli Ao’s Native Hawaiian Rights Clinic is one of the flagship programs that facilitates the practice of aʻo aku, aʻo mai: reciprocal learning. As one of many clinical courses offered by the William S. Richardson School of Law, the Native Hawaiian Rights Clinic is a live-client, non-litigation course through which second and third year law students hone their skills by analyzing legal issues, developing and implementing case strategy, collaborating with clients and experts, conducting factual and legal research, and writing persuasively.  This course is particularly designed to serve Kānaka Maoli and Neighbor Island communities in particular. Given these efforts, clinicians also benefit from in-person site visits in order or intimately understand the clients, their ʻāina, and each respective issue.