Photo from Malia Johnson
It has been less than a year since Shawn Ching left his job as anchor for Hawaii News Now, choosing to focus on a career in law. Though the former UH football player doesn’t have any immediate plans to return to TV, don’t rule it out completely just yet.
“You know, I never say never,” he says.
During his time with Hawaii News Now, the station received a national Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association. The award recognized the team’s coverage of the devastating tsunami in Japan, led by Ching and co-anchor Stephanie Lum.
“It felt great at the time,” he says. “Truth be told, it’s the really hard work of the people behind the scenes who actually make it all happen.”
Though he admits to missing the people he worked with and even the opportunity to cover breaking stories, Ching, who appeared on MidWeek‘s Jan. 14, 1998, cover, is enjoying his career as a lawyer.
“Broadcast journalism will always be in my blood because I did it for so long,” he says. “Since I left Hawaii News Now last year, I have been asked to consider various positions in television, but I am now completely focused on my law practice at this time.”
Prior to leaving Hawaii News Now, Ching had been practicing law off and on since graduating from University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law in 2003. After finding himself busy balancing a law career with weeknight anchor duties, he made the decision to pursue those interests full time.
With past experience in labor law working with unions, he ultimately made the decision to become a personal injury attorney after routinely receiving related cases.
“It’s been a very enriching experience for me personally because I really enjoy working with people and my clients one-on-one,” he says.
Ching owns his own practice, the Law Office of Shawn Ching, and leases his office space from high-profile attorney Michael Jay Green.
The close proximity to Green allows him to frequently collaborate and co-counsel with him, an experience Ching says has been valuable.
“I’m just so fortunate to be able to work with one of the best trial attorneys in the state,” he says.
“My law practice is all-consuming for the most part, and I’m enjoying myself.”