preLaw - Back to School 2007 - (Page 40) specialties ENVIRONMENTAL Whale saver A Hawaii grad finds excitement in environmental protection BY URSULA FURI-PERRY W hen Koalani Kaulukukui was hired in her current position as associate attorney at Earthjustice, she knew she’d beaten long odds. It had been about six years since the last opening at the non-profit public interest law firm’s Honolulu office. And this 2006 University of Hawaii School of Law grad is taking her position very seriously — she recently filed suit against the Navy for its continued use of sonar, which some reports indicate is killing whales along the Hawaiian coastline. “They’ve really thrown me right in there from the very first day,” said Kaulukukui, who drafts legal documents, conducts case investigations, Though saving whales and trees doesn’t pay much, Hawaiian native Koalani Kaulukukui reviews appropriate federal and state reports and represents the says nature is what inspires her to do her job well. firm at community meetings. Before she even graduated and worked with several government orga- went on a popular hike for whale watching from law school, Kaulukukui held an externship at Earthjustice, majored nizations, including the Environmental the weekend before filing the Navy sonar in environmental studies as an undergrad Protection Agency and the National Park suit. She also relishes her past involvement in getting a military landfill cleaned up and studied environmental law in law Service. school, held a Congressional internship “Generally, I had a lot of experiences in just 100 feet from the shoreline, in an the environmental field,” said Kaulukukui, area where her father grew up, and finds it who believes those experiences ultimately rewarding to “read an environmental story that shocks or upsets me, and then be able helped her land the job. EDITOR’S NOTE: This year, we are profiling Working on environmental policy issues to do something about it.” attorneys in 14 of the most popular practice As for the job’s greatest challenges, at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs right specialties through our four issues. This issue out of law school, Kaulukukui got a call “Unfortunately, the whales and the trees includes information on environmental, public interest and criminal law. from Earthjustice regarding the opening, don’t pay much,” Kaulukukui joked. Lisa Abrams, author of “The Official Guide Plus, she admits she’s had to grow a encouraging her to apply for the position. to Legal Specialties: An Insider’s Guide to Every “I’ve always been interested in environ- thick skin, particularly when dealing with Major Practice Area,” says the sooner you start mental issues,” she said. “I realized that opposing counsel and others who aren’t so to think about specialization, the sooner you can establish contacts. in order to make a difference, I’d need sympathetic to her cause. Abrams, who serves as director of career “When the other side doesn’t have to make the laws work [or else] change services at the University of Chicago Law a strong case, they’ll resort to personal them.” School, says she encourages students to talk to as many attorneys as they can about what a Kaulukukui, who grew up in Hawaii, attacks or outright lies,” Kaulukukui said. typical day is like in their job. said she enjoys nature and finds it an She once had to endure having opposing inspiration for doing her job well. She counsel question her age and ability. 40 preLaw photo by rae huo
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