How to Become a Paralegal in Hawaii: 5 Steps
To become a paralegal in Hawaii, you don’t need a license or certification: no Hawaii law or court rule requires one. Most employers still expect formal training, usually an associate degree or a post-bachelor’s certificate. Kapiʻolani Community College runs the only ABA-approved paralegal program based in Hawaii, as of November 2026.
Because the state sets no standard, your training is what employers judge you on. The five steps here cover the program to choose, how to get experience before your first job, which national credentials exist, and where Hawaii paralegals work.
- Complete a Paralegal Program in Hawaii
- Get Paralegal Work Experience in Hawaii
- Consider Voluntary National Certification
- Find Paralegal Jobs in Hawaii
- Join Hawaii’s Paralegal Community
Do You Need a License to Be a Paralegal in Hawaii?
No. Hawaii has no licensing, registration, or certification requirement for paralegals, as of November 2026. You don’t need the state’s permission to work under the title. What Hawaii does regulate is separate from licensing: the lawyer who supervises your work, and what anyone without a law license may do.
Two rules set the limits. Under Rule 5.3 of the Hawaiʻi Rules of Professional Conduct, the lawyer who supervises you must make reasonable efforts to keep your conduct in line with the lawyer’s own professional duties. And Hawaii Revised Statutes § 605-14 makes it unlawful for anyone who isn’t licensed to practice law. Section 605-17 calls a violation a misdemeanor, though the statute’s official notes cite a 1985 Hawaiʻi Supreme Court decision, State v. Gilbert, holding that a first offense was only a violation (a lesser, non-criminal offense) under the version of the law in force then. Neither rule is a paralegal license. In practice, they mean you can draft, research, and organize a case under a lawyer’s supervision, but you can’t give legal advice or represent clients on your own.
Hawaii has looked at licensing paralegals and passed on it. In a December 23, 2016 letter, the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court said it wasn’t inclined to pursue a proposed Licensed Paralegal Practitioner program, according to the Judiciary’s report to the 2017 Legislature. The Hawaiʻi Access to Justice Commission still keeps a standing Committee on Paralegals and Other Nonlawyers, which met several times in 2025, per its 2025 annual report. Confirm with the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary if you see news of a new proposal.
Complete a Paralegal Program in Hawaii
Hawaii doesn’t require paralegal education, but without it, finding a paralegal job here is very hard. Most law firms and agencies hire graduates of a paralegal degree or certificate program.
Paralegal Programs in Hawaii
The American Bar Association approves paralegal programs that meet its guidelines. It doesn’t license paralegals, and approval isn’t required to work in Hawaii. It still matters if you plan to become nationally certified, because NALA’s Certified Paralegal exam counts graduation from a paralegal program, such as an ABA-approved one, toward eligibility.
Kapiʻolani Community College in Honolulu has held ABA approval continuously since 1978. UH News called it the state’s only ABA-approved paralegal program in November 2025. Both of its paralegal credentials fall under that approval, and both are offered on campus or online with evening and live online classes:
| Program | Who It’s For | Length | Internship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associate in Science, Paralegal | Students without a college degree | 60 to 62 credits, about two years full time | Required: 120 hours (LAW 293P) |
| Certificate of Achievement, Paralegal | Students who already hold a bachelor’s degree in any field | 27 credits of paralegal courses, no general education | Required: 120 hours (LAW 293P) |
Kapiʻolani also offers a Legal Secretary Certificate of Competence, which the college notes is not an ABA-approved option. If you finish the associate degree and want a bachelor’s later, the program has an articulation agreement with the University of Hawaiʻi West Oʻahu that admits A.S. graduates as juniors in its Public Administration program, per the Kapiʻolani library’s paralegal guide. Check credit totals and admission dates with the program before you apply, since they can change from one catalog year to the next. If you’re weighing law school instead, the path is longer: here’s how to become a lawyer in Hawaii.
Outside Kapiʻolani, your options are online programs based in other states. Before you enroll, check whether a program is ABA-approved in the ABA’s directory and whether it includes an internship.
Get Paralegal Work Experience in Hawaii
Kapiʻolani’s internship gives you your first law-office experience: LAW 293P places you in a law firm or legal office for 120 hours, with help from the instructor in finding a placement. Not every ABA-approved program requires one. If yours doesn’t, volunteer work at a legal aid organization is the usual way to build a resume.
These Hawaii organizations take volunteers or serve as starting points:
- Volunteer Legal Services Hawaiʻi: accepts paralegal students as volunteers and interns year-round. Send a resume to [email protected].
- Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi: lists clerical aides and paralegals among its volunteer roles.
- Hawaii Disability Rights Center
- Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation
- Hawaii State Bar Association legal assistance directory: a list of the state’s legal service providers to contact.
- legalnavigatorhawaii.org
The Hawaii State Bar Association’s own volunteer programs, such as its Legal Line, are staffed by licensed attorneys, so Volunteer Legal Services Hawaiʻi and the Legal Aid Society are the better fits for a paralegal student.
Consider Voluntary National Certification
Hawaii doesn’t require certification, and no Hawaii body issues one. Some paralegals earn a national credential anyway to stand out when they apply. Keep the two terms straight: a paralegal certificate is a school credential, like Kapiʻolani’s Certificate of Achievement. Certification is a credential from a national association, earned by exam or by meeting its education and experience standards.
Four national credentials are available, as of November 2026. Each is voluntary and issued by a national association, not by Hawaii, and none comes automatically with a program diploma: you must meet that association’s own education and experience requirements before you can sit for its exam or apply.
| Credential | Issued By | Who It’s For | How You Earn It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Paralegal (CP) | NALA | Program graduates, bachelor’s holders, and experienced paralegals who meet one of NALA’s eligibility routes | A Knowledge Exam (120 multiple-choice questions) and a written Skills Exam. Application fee: $325 for members, $375 for non-members |
| CORE Registered Paralegal (CRP) | NFPA | Entry-level and early-career paralegals | The Paralegal CORE Competency Exam (PCCE): 125 multiple-choice questions in 2.5 hours. Fee: $300 for members, $325 for non-members |
| Registered Paralegal (RP) | NFPA | Experienced paralegals who meet stricter eligibility rules | The Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE): 200 multiple-choice questions in 4 hours. Fee: $325 for members, $350 for non-members |
| American Alliance Certified Paralegal (AACP) | AAPI | Working paralegals with at least five years of substantive paralegal experience and qualifying education, such as a bachelor’s degree in any field | No exam. You qualify on education and experience, must be employed as a paralegal when you apply and be an AAPI member, and renew every 3 years with 18 hours of continuing education, 3 of them in ethics |
NFPA’s exams are given at Prometric test centers or by remote proctoring. NALA’s Knowledge Exam can also be taken remotely, and testing-center fees are extra. The fees in the table are the national associations’ own charges, not Hawaii fees: Hawaii charges nothing because it issues no paralegal credential. Fees and eligibility rules change, so confirm them on each association’s site before you register.
Find Paralegal Jobs in Hawaii
Most of Hawaii’s paralegal jobs are in Honolulu. The Urban Honolulu metro area had about 880 of the state’s 1,170 paralegal and legal assistant jobs in May 2025, according to the BLS. Employers that have hired paralegals in Hawaii include:
- The State of Hawaii, which hires paralegals under the Legal Assistant II and III job class. Openings are posted on the state’s jobs site, and the Department of the Attorney General recruits legal assistants on a continuous basis.
- The Hawaiʻi State Judiciary
- County governments, such as the County of Hawaiʻi and the County of Maui
- The University of Hawaiʻi and Kaiser Permanente in Honolulu
- Honolulu law firms, including Case Lombardi & Pettit and Marr Jones & Wang LLLP
- Nonprofit legal service providers, such as the Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi
If you’re searching for paralegal jobs in Honolulu, the state and Judiciary job boards are the place to start, since government employers post every opening publicly. For law firm roles, the Hawaii Paralegal Association’s network in step 5 is often the faster route.
Join Hawaii’s Paralegal Community
Once you’re working, a professional association helps with continuing education, job leads, and contacts across Hawaii’s small legal community.
- Hawaii Paralegal Association: founded in 1978 and based in Honolulu. Membership categories are Voting (working Hawaii paralegals), Associate, Student, and Sustaining. HPA also holds a seat on the Hawaiʻi Access to Justice Commission.
- Hawaii State Bar Association: membership is for licensed attorneys, but the HSBA runs continuing education programs, including sessions on supervising paralegals, that are useful to follow.
Paralegal Salary and Job Outlook in Hawaii
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, paralegals and legal assistants in Hawaii earned a median annual salary of $62,840 as of May 2025. That’s almost the same as the national median of $62,890. In the Kahului-Wailuku area on Maui, the median annual wage for paralegals and legal assistants was $67,480 as of May 2025, according to the BLS.
| Area | Employment | Median Annual Wage | 90th Percentile Wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii (statewide) | 1,170 | $62,840 | $85,440 |
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | 100 | $67,480 | $81,840 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | 880 | $62,840 | $86,250 |
Don’t expect a growing market. Projections Central estimates a -2.4% change in employment for paralegals and legal assistants in Hawaii between 2024 and 2034, with an average of 120 openings per year. Hawaii’s own labor market figures are published by the Hawaii Workforce Infonet. Those openings come mostly from people retiring or changing careers.
The national picture is similar. BLS projects little or no change in employment of paralegals and legal assistants from 2025 to 2035, but about 40,800 openings each year as workers retire or change careers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to be a paralegal in Hawaii?
No. Hawaii has no paralegal license, registration, or certification requirement, as of November 2026. Two separate rules still apply to your work: Hawaii’s Rule 5.3 makes your supervising lawyer responsible for overseeing you, and Hawaii Revised Statutes § 605-14 bars anyone who isn’t licensed from practicing law. Neither one is a license you apply for.
How much do paralegals make in Hawaii?
Paralegals and legal assistants in Hawaii earned a median annual salary of $62,840 as of May 2025, according to the BLS. The top 10% earned $85,440 or more. In the Kahului-Wailuku area, the median was $67,480.
How long does it take to become a paralegal in Hawaii?
Kapiʻolani Community College’s Associate in Science in Paralegal runs 60 to 62 credits, about two years of full-time study. If you already hold a bachelor’s degree, the Certificate of Achievement covers only the paralegal courses, so it takes less time. Both include a 120-hour internship.
Is a paralegal certificate the same as paralegal certification?
No. A paralegal certificate is a school credential, such as Kapiʻolani’s Certificate of Achievement. Certification comes from a national association, such as NALA’s Certified Paralegal or NFPA’s Registered Paralegal, and you earn it by exam or by meeting the association’s standards. Neither is required in Hawaii.
Can a paralegal give legal advice in Hawaii?
No. Giving legal advice or representing clients is the practice of law, which Hawaii limits to licensed attorneys. A paralegal can research, draft documents, and manage cases, but only under an attorney’s supervision.
- No license required: Hawaii sets no education, licensing, or certification rule for paralegals, as of November 2026, but you must work under a lawyer’s supervision.
- One ABA-approved program in the state: Kapiʻolani Community College offers an Associate in Science and a post-bachelor’s Certificate of Achievement, both with a 120-hour internship.
- Certification is optional: NALA’s CP, NFPA’s CRP and RP, and AAPI’s AACP are national credentials you can add to stand out.
- Pay tracks the national median: Hawaii paralegals earned a median of $62,840 in May 2025, against $62,890 nationally.
- Flat job market: Projections Central estimates a -2.4% change in Hawaii paralegal employment from 2024 to 2034, with about 120 openings a year.
2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Paralegals and Legal Assistants. Job growth projections (2024-2034) are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, Projections Central. Figures reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed November 2026. National job outlook figures (2025-2035) are from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
With only one paralegal program based in the islands, many Hawaii students also look at online programs they can finish while working. When you compare the programs on this page, check whether each is ABA-approved and whether it includes an internship you can complete in Hawaii.
