In the new 2012 edition of “The Best 167 Law Schools,” the Richardson Law School at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa was ranked first in the nation for having the “Best Environment for Minority Students.” The Princeton Review book also rated Hawai‘i’s law school as 4th in the United States in the “Most Diverse Faculty” category.

Dean Avi Soifer noted that the law school is named in honor of Hawai‘i’s legendary Chief Justice and prides itself on attracting a very diverse student body and faculty.

Soifer, who has led the Law School for the past eight years, added, “The entire Law School community celebrates diversity without forgetting our specific origins, and we help develop cultural fluency that is sure to be invaluable within an increasingly diverse world.”

These outstanding ratings by the Princeton Review are just the latest in several top rankings the UH Law School has earned in the last two months. In September, the Law School was named one of the “60 Best Value Law Schools” for 2011 by PreLaw Magazine. And it was 16th in National Jurist Magazine’s ranking of the top 20 law schools that offer exceptional clinical training opportunities.

Princeton Review’s law school ratings are based on opinions collected from more than 18,000 law students in what the Review considers the best ABA-accredited law programs in the United States.

In the Princeton Review survey, Richardson students had many positive things to say regarding their school. One noted that it’s “the kind of school where the dean is seen in the halls every day and says hello to you by name.” Another pointed out that Richardson is a magnet for impressive visiting and adjunct faculty in addition to the top-notch professors already onboard, noting: “Professors from top law schools are always looking for an excuse to spend a semester or a year in paradise…During my 1L year I had two visiting professors from Georgetown and one from Duke, in addition to the excellent professors tenured at UH.”

In releasing this year’s choices of top law schools, Princeton Review Senior VP-Publisher Robert Franek also had good things to say about the UH program, noting: “We recommend the William S. Richardson School of Law to readers of our book and users of our website as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn a law school degree.”

The Princeton Review’s 80-question survey asked law school students about themselves, their career plans, and their schools’ academics, student body, and campus life. The review does not rank the law schools on a single hierarchical list from 1 to 167, nor does it name one law school as best overall. The Princeton Review’s surveys were primarily conducted online, during the 2010-11, 2009-10, and 2008-09 academic years.

The new Random House / Princeton Review publication went on sale last Tuesday, priced at $22.99, and includes two-page profiles of each school with write-ups on their academics, student life, and admissions, as well as ratings for their academics, selectivity, and career placement services.