TJSL Student to Intern with the Hawaii Attorney General
May 14, 2013
By Maysa Eissa, Esq., Associate Director of Career Services
Jennifer Pua Uyehara (1L) will join the Department of the Attorney General in Honolulu, Hawaii as a legal intern this summer. The Hawaii Attorney General’s Office, acting as the chief legal and law enforcement office for the State of Hawaii, is comprised of about 180 attorneys and more than 500 professional and support personnel. In addition to representing the state in both criminal and civil matters, investigating violations of state laws and advising government officials, this office also administers the State’s Child Support Enforcement Program and implements crime prevention programs. This summer, Uyehara will work primarily with the Education Division, where she will help represent the State at administrative hearings.
Uyehara knew that she was destined for a legal career since the age of six. Growing up in Hawaii, Uyehara attended University of Hawaii. While earning her undergraduate degree in Political Science, as well as a Paralegal Certificate, Uyehara worked for six years at King Nakamura & Chun-Hoon, a law firm specializing in labor and employment law. She began as a temporary worker and worked her way up to serve as the paralegal for both of the firm’s partners. Uyehara was also very active within her community. Inspired by the human rights work of her law firm partner, Mr. Lowell Chun-Hoon, Uyehara began to outreach and educate the local surrounding communities on human trafficking issues. She won Miss Congeniality in the Miss Hawaii Preliminary Pageant and volunteered extensively with Families in the Fire, a nonprofit organization assisting families coping with drug abuse issues. Currently, she mentors current Miss America pageant contestants and is an active member of both the Women’s Law Association as well as the Public Interest Law Foundation.
“I always knew that I wanted to be a lawyer, and working with my mentors over the years has inspired me to continue to follow this path,” said Uyehara. “I really look forward to returning to Hawaii this summer to not only give back to my community but to represent our law school and to let Hawaii know what our school is made of. I know I want to work for the government and I am hoping to find a way to be able to have a thriving legal career in both Hawaii as well as in California. I am also really looking forward to creating lasting mentorship relationships with the attorneys I meet there and to gain first-hand experience in representing the State of Hawaii.”
To learn more about the State of Hawaii’s Department of the Attorney General’s Office, visit www.ag.hawaii.gov.