40 Law Programs for High School Students [2027]
Updated: Oct 23
TL;DR
You’ll find 40 ways to try law before college here, spanning university and law school courses, paid internships with bar associations, courts and prosecutors’ offices, mock trial intensives, and self-paced online courses. Costs run from free to around $12,800, and twelve of these cost nothing at all, with nine of those paying you a wage or a stipend. Eleven are limited to students in one city, district, or state, so check the eligibility line before anything else. Most entries accept students in grades 9 to 12, and deadlines cluster between January and April for a summer that starts in June. If you want to finish with a piece of written work rather than a certificate, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs you with a PhD mentor to produce an independent research paper on law-adjacent topics like policy and political theory.
If you are curious about law, the best way to find out whether it fits is to try it: argue a mock case, sit in a courtroom, or spend a summer inside a law office. The programs below cover university and law school courses, paid internships with bar associations and courts, mock trial intensives, and flexible online options, with costs ranging from free to several thousand dollars.
Each entry lists the location, cost, selectivity, dates, deadline, and eligibility, followed by a short description and a note on who the program suits best.
Law courses, mock trial, or a legal internship: which one fits you?
The 40 programs here fall into four formats, and the right one depends on whether you want to study law, argue a case, or sit inside a working legal office. Start with eligibility, since eleven of them are limited to students in one city, district, or state.
Format | Choose this if | What it involves | Worth knowing |
University and law school courses | You want to know what legal study feels like | One to three weeks on subjects like constitutional law and civil liberties | Ends with a certificate, a transcript, or occasionally college credit. Miami’s Summer Scholars law track awards six college credits in three weeks, the largest on this list |
Mock trial | The courtroom is the part that interests you | Case theory, the Federal Rules of Evidence, and direct and cross-examination, with most ending in a full trial on the final day | Connects to a competitive pathway, since state champion teams advance to the National High School Mock Trial Championship, held in Des Moines from May 7 to 9, 2026 |
Internships and court programs | You want to watch legal work rather than study it | Placements inside law firms, bar associations, prosecutors’ offices and courthouses | Most are paid, and most are tied to a single city. Deadlines land earlier than the course deadlines, usually between January and April |
Online courses | You cannot travel, or you want to study during the school year | Self-paced university courses, plus a few options taught as live classes | $1,595 to $3,995, starting year-round, with rolling applications and no transcript required |
What should you do in high school if you want to be a lawyer?
There is no required path, and nothing you do now locks you in or out. No single route prepares you for legal education, which makes high school less about building a credential and more about finding out whether law actually suits you.
Build the skills the profession names: The ABA’s pre-law guidance names these skills for law students: critical reading, writing, oral communication and listening, research, and task organization. Debate, a writing-heavy elective, and student journalism all build them without costing anything.
Get exposure before you commit to it: Sit in on a public court session, talk to a lawyer about what the job is actually like, and look for programs that build this in. Northwestern’s IN FOCUS seminars include a trip to federal court, and NSLC’s site visits have included the U.S. Supreme Court.
Treat the calendar as the real constraint: Deadlines cluster between January and April for a summer that starts in June. Rhodes closes early decision on February 15, Northwestern’s scholarship deadline fell on February 16, and UTEP’s was March 2.
Keep the argument, not just the certificate: Write down the cases you argued and the position you took. A specific memory of changing your mind about a case is more usable in an essay than a line on an activities list.
Are there free law programs for high school students?
Yes. Twelve of the 40 programs here cost nothing, and nine of those pay you a wage or a stipend rather than charging tuition.
Local outreach and internship programs: Columbia Law School’s High School Law Institute runs free on Saturdays through the school year for New York City students, who can return for up to three years, moving from constitutional and criminal law into moot court and then a specialized seminar. UTEP’s High School Law Camp runs two weeks at no cost, with lunch and snacks provided Monday through Thursday.
Stipended programs exist: Atlanta’s Summer Law Internship Program gives interns a $2,000 stipend, the Harris County Attorney’s Office pays $15 an hour, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office pays minimum wage, and Penn’s Summer Mentorship Program adds daily lunch and a SEPTA pass on top of its stipend.
Free usually means local: Almost every no-cost program on this list limits eligibility to one city, district, or state, so read the eligibility line before the cost line.
Aid is available: Penn Carey Law’s Pre-College Academy offers full scholarships covering program fees, housing and meals, and Stephen F. Austin has a scholarship for families earning under $50,000.
Do law programs help with your college application?
They help, though less on their own than students expect. A one-week summer course is common enough in a selective applicant pool that it rarely separates you by itself. What carries weight is what the program lets you sustain or produce after it ends.
A longer commitment shows direction: Programs you can return to read differently from a single summer. Columbia’s High School Law Institute runs across three years, and Legal Outreach’s Summer Law Institute is the entry point to a four-year program that continues through high school.
Selectivity helps applications: Atlanta’s Summer Law Internship Program selected 36 students in 2026, and several of the internships here run essay and interview rounds. An admissions reader can treat that as an outcome rather than a sign-up.
Look at the program output: A paper, a case brief or a research project gives a reader something to evaluate rather than a date range to take on trust. Our admissions report analyzed 492 students from the Lumiere Research Scholar Program and found they were almost four times more likely than the general applicant pool to be admitted to a top university, with over 97% using their research project somewhere in their application.
Mentors can help college recommendation letters: Attorneys, mentors, and instructors who worked with you closely can write in specifics. A week-long course rarely produces that relationship, while a placement or a long project often does.
How we picked these law programs
We checked every program against four criteria, then verified each entry against the program’s own page rather than a third-party listing.
Who teaches it: Whether you learn from law faculty, practicing attorneys and law students, or from general instructors delivering a law-themed curriculum.
What you do: Programs where you argue a case, work a placement, or produce written legal analysis ranked above lecture-and-certificate formats.
Cost stated in full: The published price, any application fee, and what aid is actually available, so the real number is visible before you apply.
Who can apply: Residency, grade, and GPA restrictions listed upfront, since many of these programs are closed to students outside a particular city or state.
Section | Top programs | Cost | Best for |
University and law school programs | Georgetown University Law Academy, Harvard Summer School Pre-College (Legal Studies), Columbia Law School High School Law Institute, Penn Carey Law Pre-College Academy, University of Miami Summer Scholars | Free to $12,800 (Columbia Law’s HSLI is free; Columbia Pre-College tops out around $12,800) | Students who want to try legal study on a campus, from free local courses to Ivy League programs, with credit available at Miami |
Law internships and court programs | Atlanta Bar Association Summer Law Internship Program, Houston Bar Association Summer Legal Internship Program, Dallas Bar Association SLIP, Manhattan DA High School Internship Program, Massachusetts Judicial Youth Corps | Free (most pay a wage or stipend, e.g. $2,000 in Atlanta, $15 an hour at the Harris County Attorney’s Office) | Students who want to watch legal work happen inside a law office, courthouse, or prosecutor’s office, usually tied to one city |
Mock trial and trial advocacy programs | Stanford Law Intensive Law & Trial (Envision), UCLA Mock Trial Institute, Rhodes College Mock Trial Academy, USF Mock Trial Summer Camps, NSLC Law & Advocacy | $650 to $5,999 (Legal Outreach SLI is low or no cost) | Students who care most about the courtroom side of law: building a case, examining witnesses, and arguing a full trial |
Online law programs | Lumiere Research Scholar Program, Georgetown Pre-College Online, Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes (Legal Studies), Northwestern Pre-College Online, William & Mary Pre-College Online, | $1,595 to $3,995 | Students who can’t travel, or want to study law during the school year, with self-paced and live options |
University and Law School Programs
University and law school programs are the most direct way to try out legal study before college. They range from free local camps to Ivy League courses, and most run for one to three weeks in the summer.
Location: Washington, D.C. (Georgetown University campus; residential or commuter)
Cost/Stipend: $3,725 residential (tuition and meals) or $3,095 commuter, based on 2026 pricing
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No published acceptance rate; admission is application-based
Dates: One-week sessions in late June and July; 2026 sessions ran June 21 to 27, July 12 to 18, and July 26 to August 1
Application deadline: Rolling; 2027 offerings and applications open November 16
Eligibility: High school students
Georgetown's Law Academy packs a week of legal study into a schedule that runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. You debate juvenile versus adult punishment, victim and prisoner rights, constitutional interpretation and landmark Supreme Court cases, then serve as a lawyer in a mock criminal trial. You leave with a Certificate of Participation and a clear sense of whether law school-style thinking suits you.
Who it's best for: Students who want a short, intense week of legal debate in Washington, D.C. without committing a whole summer.
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts (residential, on the Harvard campus)
Cost/Stipend: About $6,100 plus a $75 application fee, based on the 2026 session price
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; no published acceptance rate, and classes are capped at roughly 12 to 18 students
Dates: Two weeks; 2027 sessions run June 21 to July 2, July 12 to 23 and July 26 to August 6
Application deadline: Usually in early February
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors, typically ages 16 to 18
In Harvard's two-week Pre-College Program you take one non-credit course for about three hours a day, and Legal Studies is one of the subject areas on offer. Expect two to four hours of homework each night, small discussion-based classes and presentations on your own research. You finish with a written evaluation from your instructor and a Harvard transcript marked requirements met or not met.
Who it's best for: Rising juniors and seniors who want a rigorous, discussion-heavy law course and a taste of residential college life.
Location: New York City (residential or commuter) or online
Cost/Stipend: Roughly $1,000 for a one-week online course up to about $12,800 for the three-week residential program, based on 2026 pricing
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No published acceptance rate; admission is application-based and specialized programs are more competitive
Dates: Summer sessions of one to three weeks; 2026 in-person sessions ran June 29 to July 17 and July 21 to August 7, with one-week and online options; weekend online courses run in the fall and spring
Application deadline: Usually in the spring, with rolling review while seats remain
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9 to 12
Columbia's pre-college catalog has a full Law and Conflict Resolution subject area, so you can choose a law course that matches your interests and schedule. Constitutional Law has you read Supreme Court decisions and argue in moot courts, while Exploring Careers in Law covers the path to law school and practices legal writing and research. Because courses run in person, online and on weekends during the school year, it is one of the most flexible options here.
Who it's best for: Students who want an Ivy League law course and the freedom to pick in-person, online or weekend formats.
Location: New York City (Columbia Law School, on Saturdays)
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; roughly 120 high school students take part each year, based on past reporting
Dates: Yearlong, on Saturdays in the fall and spring semesters; students can return for up to three years
Application deadline: Usually in late summer, before the fall semester begins; the 2026-2027 cohort is already closed
Eligibility: Talented, motivated New York City high school students; no prior legal coursework needed
HSLI is a free, student-run program where teams of Columbia Law students teach New York City high schoolers on Saturdays throughout the school year. First-year students take Constitutional Law and Criminal Law, second-year students join a Moot Court program, and third-year students take a specialized seminar. Classes are discussion-driven and include short homework assignments, so it works like a real course rather than a lecture series.
Who it's best for: NYC students who want a free, multi-year law course and can commit their Saturdays during the school year.
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (University of Pennsylvania; residential or commuter)
Cost/Stipend: About $9,900 residential or $6,300 commuter, based on 2026 pricing; full scholarships covering program fees, housing and meals are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; the 2026 academy filled
Dates: Three weeks in July; 2026 ran July 12 to 31 for residential students and July 13 to 31 for commuters
Application deadline: Usually late January for scholarship applicants; the 2026 scholarship deadline was January 31, with decisions by February 20
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9 to 12
Run by Penn Carey Law with Summer Discovery, the Pre-College Academy gives you three weeks of an accelerated, 1L-style curriculum modeled on the first year of law school. You work through core legal subjects and skills the way law students do, inside Penn's law school. Full scholarships are open to both Philadelphia students and students from elsewhere in the U.S., which is uncommon for a program at this price.
Who it's best for: Students who want the closest thing to a real first-year law school experience and are willing to apply early for aid.
Location: New York City (NYU campus, in person; optional housing)
Cost/Stipend: $2,579 tuition plus a $50 application fee, with optional housing and dining for $684 (2026 pricing); no financial aid is offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open to qualified applicants; admission is based on an essay and transcript
Dates: One-week sessions from late June through early August; 2027 dates are announced late in the year
Application deadline: Usually rolling in the spring until sessions fill
Eligibility: High school students who have completed grades 9, 10 or 11
NYU's Pre-Law Bootcamp is a one-week career-exploration course that covers what it takes to become an attorney, basic substantive law and how trials work. Lectures, speaker panels and discussions about courthouses, public interest organizations and government agencies give you a realistic view of legal careers. You receive an NYU transcript with your grade, though the course carries no college credit.
Who it's best for: Students who want a short, practical overview of legal careers in New York City during the summer.
Location: Evanston, Illinois (Northwestern campus; residential or commuter)
Cost/Stipend: $5,235 residential or $3,625 commuter, including the program fee (2026 pricing); limited tuition scholarships for rising seniors
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No published acceptance rate; admission is application-based
Dates: Two-week seminars in three summer sessions; 2026 sessions ran June 21 to July 3, July 5 to 17 and July 19 to 31
Application deadline: Usually in March; the 2026 scholarship deadline was February 16
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors
Northwestern offers three different law seminars, one per session, each taught by Northwestern Pritzker law faculty. You can learn trial skills from a former federal prosecutor, build a defense from arrest to acquittal with the director of the law school's trial advocacy center, or practice legal reasoning and moot court in Think Like a Lawyer. Each seminar includes a trip to federal court, and you earn a Northwestern transcript and certificate.
Who it's best for: Students who know which side of the courtroom interests them and want a seminar built around it.
Location: Atlanta, Georgia (Emory campus; residential or commuter)
Cost/Stipend: Roughly $4,100 commuter to $5,800 residential for a two-week course, based on Emory's published 2026 fee schedule; financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open to qualified applicants; a minimum 3.0 GPA is required
Dates: Two-week sessions in June and July; 2026 sessions ran June 14 to 27, June 28 to July 11 and July 12 to 25
Application deadline: Usually May 1
Eligibility: Current 10th or 11th graders, age 15 or older
Emory's two-week, non-credit Pre-College Program offers law courses such as Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties and Law Unlocked, taught by Emory faculty. You take one course per session, with daily homework and a satisfactory or unsatisfactory grade rather than a letter grade. Residential students also join campus activities and excursions around Atlanta.
Who it's best for: 10th and 11th graders in the Southeast who want a two-week law course with a full residential college experience.
Location: Coral Gables, Florida (University of Miami campus)
Cost/Stipend: More than $7,000, based on recent program listings; scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; a minimum 3.0 GPA is required
Dates: Three weeks; 2027 runs June 26 to July 16
Application deadline: Usually March 1, with an early action deadline of December 31
Eligibility: Students completing grades 10 or 11
Miami's Summer Scholars program lets you earn six college credits in three weeks through a two-course law track taught by the School of Law. Courtroom 101 builds mock trial skills, from direct and cross-examination to objections and closing arguments, while Introduction to the Legal Profession covers lawyers' duties and the ABA's rules of professional conduct. A separate Business, Law and Society track focuses on landmark cases and how legislation shapes business.
Who it's best for: Rising juniors and seniors who want real college credit in law, not just a certificate.
Location: Nashville, Tennessee (Vanderbilt campus, residential)
Cost/Stipend: $2,850 for rising 9th and 10th graders or $2,950 for rising 11th and 12th graders (2027 pricing)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; designed for academically advanced students
Dates: One-week sessions from mid-June to late July; 2027 dates start June 13 for rising juniors and seniors and June 20 for rising freshmen and sophomores
Application deadline: Usually in January, with rolling admission while seats remain
Eligibility: Academically advanced rising 9th to 12th graders
Vanderbilt's Programs for Talented Youth runs one-week residential courses, and recent law options include How to Win a Jury Trial, taught by a practicing trial lawyer, and Inventing the Future, which pairs neuroscience with patent law and a mock litigation case. An Introduction to Legal Studies course covers topics from the first year of law school. The 2027 course list is announced late in the year.
Who it's best for: High-achieving students who want a short, advanced law course with a residential cohort of similarly driven peers.
Location: Amherst, Massachusetts (UMass campus; residential or commuter)
Cost/Stipend: $4,119 residential or $2,337 commuter (2026 pricing)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment with rolling admissions
Dates: Two weeks; the 2026 course ran June 28 to July 11
Application deadline: Rolling; apply early to secure a spot
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors; no prerequisites
This two-week course introduces legal studies as an interdisciplinary field, looking at how law actually works on the ground rather than only what statutes say. You discuss whether law and morality are the same, how the American system compares with others and how law has both reduced and created inequality. Field trips around Western Massachusetts let you see the law in practice, and you earn two college credits.
Who it's best for: Students who are more curious about how law shapes society than about becoming a trial lawyer.
Location: Stony Brook, New York (residential or commuter)
Cost/Stipend: About $2,250 plus an application fee, based on recent pricing; a discount applies for early applicants
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open to qualified applicants
Dates: One-week sessions; 2027 sessions run June 27 to July 2, July 4 to 9, July 11 to 16 and July 18 to 23
Application deadline: Applications open in January
Eligibility: High school students, typically ages 15 to 17
Stony Brook's one-week Pre-Law course has recently offered two tracks: a Mock Trial Skills Seminar covering torts, negligence and contracts, and a Constitutional Law course built around landmark Supreme Court cases. You can live on campus or commute, and residential students get evening programming and meals. Attendees who later enroll at Stony Brook qualify for a small undergraduate scholarship.
Who it's best for: Long Island and New York students who want an affordable one-week introduction to law.
Location: El Paso, Texas (University of Texas at El Paso)
Cost/Stipend: Free, including lunch and snacks Monday through Thursday
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; El Paso-area students receive priority
Dates: Two weeks in late June and early July; the 2026 camp ran June 22 to July 3
Application deadline: Usually early March; the 2026 deadline was March 2
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors, plus recent graduates
The High School Law Camp is run by UTEP's Law School Preparation Institute (LSPI), which works to prepare students for law school, and this camp extends that work to high schoolers. It is completely free, lunch included, which makes it one of the most accessible university-based law programs in Texas. It is designed with El Paso students in mind, so local applicants get priority.
Who it's best for: El Paso-area students who want a free, university-run introduction to law close to home.
Location: Nacogdoches, Texas (residential, on the SFA campus)
Cost/Stipend: $850 plus a $25 fee, including meals and housing; a scholarship is available for families earning under $50,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; the 2026 academy reached capacity
Dates: One week in June; the 2026 academy ran June 13 to 19
Application deadline: Registration usually opens in January; the 2026 scholarship deadline was March 15
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors and seniors
SFA's Pre-Law Academy is a one-week residential program that keeps you busy with mock trials, a crime scene simulation and mock negotiations. Applicants submit a recommendation letter and a 250-word essay. At under $900 with housing and meals included, it is one of the more affordable residential law programs on this list.
Who it's best for: Texas students looking for a hands-on, low-cost residential week of legal simulations.
Law Internships and Court Programs
Internships are where you stop reading about law and start watching it happen. Most of the programs below are run by bar associations, prosecutors' offices and courts, many of them pay, and nearly all of them are tied to a specific city, so check the eligibility line first.
Location: Houston, Texas (in person at host law firms and agencies)
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate; interns are paid for their work
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; eleven Houston firms and agencies hosted interns in 2026, which caps the number of spots
Dates: About eight weeks in the summer; the 2026 cycle ran from a June 18 orientation to an August 3 closing
Application deadline: Usually in the spring; students apply through Communities In Schools of Houston staff at their school
Eligibility: Academically strong students at Communities In Schools of Houston partner high schools
This program places Houston teens in paid, eight-week summer internships at local law firms and legal agencies. It is run by the Houston Bar Association with Communities In Schools of Houston, so it is built for students at CIS partner schools who might not otherwise have a lawyer in their network. Alongside the day-to-day work, interns take part in enrichment sessions and are paired with mentors from the legal community.
Who it's best for: Students at a Communities In Schools of Houston campus who want a paid first job inside a real law office.
Location: Houston, Texas (Harris County Attorney's Office, 1019 Congress)
Cost/Stipend: Free; participants earn $15 an hour and lunch is provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohorts are kept under 40 students
Dates: Two weeks in July; the 2026 academy ran July 13 to 24
Application deadline: Usually early to late March; the 2026 priority deadline was March 2 and the final deadline March 23, with decisions from April 13
Eligibility: Harris County high school students entering grades 10 to 12
The Summer Legal Academy gives Harris County students a two-week look at how a large government law office actually runs. You spend the academy inside the County Attorney's Office, learning from attorneys who handle the county's civil legal work, and you are paid $15 an hour for your time. Applying takes some effort, with a recommendation letter, a writing sample, a personal statement and a 250-word essay.
Who it's best for: Harris County teens who want a short, paid introduction to public-sector law before committing a whole summer.
Location: Dallas, Texas (in person at Dallas law firms and legal offices)
Cost/Stipend: Free; a paid internship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; applicants need an 85 or higher average and no more than 10 absences, and finalists interview over Zoom in April
Dates: Four or eight weeks in the summer; in 2026, Session 1 ran June 8 to July 3 and Session 2 ran July 6 to 31
Application deadline: Usually in the spring; the 2026 deadline was extended to April 1
Eligibility: Dallas ISD juniors only
SLIP matches Dallas ISD juniors with paid summer internships in the city's legal community, either for four weeks or for the full eight. You submit a short essay, a cover letter, a resume, a reference and your transcript, so the process doubles as practice for real job applications. Because it is open only to Dallas ISD juniors, the applicant pool is local and the program is designed around students who may be first in their families to explore law.
Who it's best for: Dallas ISD juniors with solid grades and attendance who want a paid legal internship close to home.
Location: Atlanta, Georgia (in person at Atlanta law firms, courts and agencies)
Cost/Stipend: Free; interns receive a $2,000 stipend for the summer
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 36 students were selected in 2026 for roughly 35 spots
Dates: About six weeks of work plus orientations, from late May to mid-July; the 2026 program ran May 27 to July 17
Application deadline: Usually in March; 2026 applications went out by February 6 and were due March 19, with in-person interviews in mid-April
Eligibility: Georgia high school juniors and seniors (the classes of 2026 and 2027 for the 2026 cycle)
Atlanta's SLIP is now in its 34th year of placing Georgia high schoolers in legal jobs. Interns work in Atlanta law offices and meet weekly as a group for training and progress checks, so the summer feels like a cohort rather than a solo placement. The application includes a 750-word essay on a Supreme Court case, which tells you how seriously the program takes legal writing.
Who it's best for: Georgia juniors and seniors who can commit to a full six-week summer and want a stipend for it.
Location: New York City (in person at NYC law firms, corporate legal departments and agencies)
Cost/Stipend: Free; interns are paid by their host employers
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; selection includes an interview round in late January
Dates: Six to eight weeks in the summer, with spring workshops beforehand; the 2025 cycle kicked off June 18 and closed August 28
Application deadline: Usually early January; applications typically open in late November
Eligibility: New York City public high school students
TMSLIP is one of the New York City Bar's student pipeline programs, placing public high school students in paid summer jobs with NYC legal employers. The program runs from March to August, so you get virtual workshops in the spring to prepare before your placement starts. It is a strong option if you want to see big-city legal practice from the inside while getting paid for it.
Who it's best for: NYC public school students who can commit to a spring of prep workshops before a full summer placement.
Location: New York City (in person at the Manhattan DA's Office, Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
Cost/Stipend: Free; interns are paid minimum wage
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; applicants submit a one-page resume and a 300-word essay on criminal justice
Dates: Five weeks in the summer; the 2026 program ran June 29 to July 31
Application deadline: Usually in late winter; the office also holds a virtual information session in February
Eligibility: Manhattan residents who are current high school juniors or seniors
HSIP puts Manhattan teens inside one of the busiest prosecutors' offices in the country for five paid weeks. Interns support staff in the office and attend workshops and a mock trial program that walks through how criminal cases are built and argued. The residency rule is strict, so this one is only for students who live in Manhattan.
Who it's best for: Manhattan juniors and seniors curious about criminal law and the prosecutor's side of the courtroom.
Location: Boston, Springfield and Worcester, Massachusetts (in courthouses)
Cost/Stipend: Free; a paid summer internship, including paid Friday education sessions
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; chosen by application, teacher recommendations and interviews (the 2026 Boston cohort graduated 25 students)
Dates: Six weeks in July and August; Worcester's 2026 program ran July 6 to August 14
Application deadline: Usually early spring, varying by city; Worcester's 2026 deadline was April 10
Eligibility: Boston residents attending Boston Public Schools, or students attending high school in Springfield or Worcester
The Judicial Youth Corps places students in paid summer jobs inside Massachusetts courthouses, working in courthouse offices in three cities. Fridays are reserved for paid educational sessions, which include mock trials, job shadowing and field trips that explain how the state court system works. It is a rare chance to see the judicial branch from the inside rather than from the lawyer's table.
Who it's best for: Boston, Springfield or Worcester students who are curious about how courts run day to day, not just how cases are argued.
Location: California (in person; the internship page does not list an office address)
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid; academic credit is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; there is no published acceptance rate, and interns are reviewed individually
Dates: A minimum of 10 weeks; most high school interns join over the summer
Application deadline: Usually rolling, with summer interns applying in the spring
Eligibility: High school, college and law students
California Innocence Advocates works to free people who were wrongly convicted, and its internship explicitly accepts high school interns alongside college and law students. It is an unpaid, ten-week minimum commitment, which makes it a serious placement rather than a summer camp. The organization also hosts a summer clinic run with California Western School of Law.
Who it's best for: Mature students drawn to criminal justice reform who can commit at least 10 weeks without pay.
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (University of Pennsylvania campus)
Cost/Stipend: Free; participants receive a stipend on completion, daily lunch and a SEPTA transit pass
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; applicants need at least a 3.0 GPA, a transcript and a 250-word essay
Dates: Four weeks in July; the 2026 program ran July 6 to 31
Application deadline: Usually in March; 2027 applications open in January 2027
Eligibility: Philadelphia public, Catholic, private or charter high school students currently in 9th or 10th grade
Penn's Summer Mentorship Program pairs Philadelphia students with one of five Penn professional schools, and the Penn Carey Law track places you in a four-week internship at the law school. The program pays a stipend and covers lunch and transit, so cost is not a barrier. Because it is open to 9th and 10th graders, it is one of the earliest serious law experiences on this list.
Who it's best for: Philadelphia 9th and 10th graders who want an early, fully funded taste of law school.
Location: Remote; you can work from anywhere in the world
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on program type; full financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall and winter; the virtual internship usually runs eight weeks
Application deadline: Deadlines vary by cohort, usually January for spring, May for summer, September for fall and November for winter
Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates and gap year students who can work 10 to 20 hours a week for 8 to 12 weeks
Ladder Internships is a selective startup internship program for ambitious high school students. You work with a high-growth startup on a real-world project, and the startups span industries from tech and AI to consulting, journalism, marketing and health tech, with many raising over a million dollars. You work closely with your manager at the startup and present your work to the company at the end of the internship.
Who it's best for: Students who want real professional work experience on a team, and who can commit 10 to 20 hours a week from anywhere.
Mock Trial and Trial Advocacy Programs
Mock trial programs teach the courtroom side of law: building a case, examining witnesses and arguing in front of a judge. They are usually short and intensive, and most end with a full trial on the final day.
Location: Stanford, California (residential, on the Stanford campus)
Cost/Stipend: Starting at $5,999, covering housing, on-site meals, activities, site visits and two college credits; scholarships and payment plans are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Most students are nominated by educators or come through academic partnerships; others can contact admissions directly
Dates: Ten days in the summer; 2026 sessions ran June 24 to July 3, July 6 to 15 and July 17 to 26
Application deadline: Usually rolling through the spring; installment plans run from October to April
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 12
Over ten days on the Stanford campus, you prepare a case from theory to verdict and finish with a full mock trial in a real courtroom. Stanford Law School professors lecture on topics such as negligence, legal ethics and appellate argument, and a Stanford Law admissions panel explains what law schools look for. The program is endorsed by the American Mock Trial Association, and you can earn two college credits through George Mason University.
Who it's best for: Students who want a polished, residential trial-advocacy experience with Stanford Law faculty and can afford the price.
Location: Los Angeles, California (residential at UCLA)
Cost/Stipend: About $2,100 for the residential program, based on recent pricing; housing is included
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Session A is capped at about 100 students
Dates: One week in the summer; 2026 sessions ran June 21 to 27 and July 5 to 11
Application deadline: Usually in late spring
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9 to 12; no prior mock trial experience needed
UCLA's Mock Trial Institute is run by the UCLA Anderson-based team behind one of the most successful college mock trial programs in the country. You work in small groups with current collegiate mock trial competitors as counselors, learning the Federal Rules of Evidence, building a case theory and drafting direct and cross-examinations. The week ends with a full simulated criminal trial.
Who it's best for: Students on any mock trial experience level who want to train with college champions in a short, focused week.
Location: Memphis, Tennessee (residential, on the Rhodes campus)
Cost/Stipend: $2,400, with a $200 early-bird discount; financial assistance is available by request
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; no published acceptance rate
Dates: One week in late June; the 2026 academy ran June 21 to 29
Application deadline: Early decision February 15; regular decision April 1, then rolling
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors; mock trial experience is not required
Rhodes College has the most national championship tournament appearances of any collegiate mock trial program, with 38 in a row, and its academy is taught by that team's coaches and members. Mornings cover advocacy theory, confrontation rights and the Federal Rules of Evidence, and afternoons go to drafting openings, closings, directs and crosses. You perform a full trial on the last day and earn one course credit.
Who it's best for: Juniors and seniors who want serious trial training from a championship program at a moderate price.
Location: Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida (USF campuses; final trial at Stetson Law)
Cost/Stipend: About $650 to $700 for the day camp, based on recent pricing; a residential add-on costs $1,395
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Sessions are capped at 30 to 32 students
Dates: One week in June or July; the 2026 Mock Trial Intensive held its final trial on July 11
Application deadline: Registration usually opens February 1
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 to 12; rising freshmen may join the Cybercrime camp with director approval
USF runs two mock trial camps for high schoolers. Mock Trial: Cybercrime and Law pairs courtroom skills with digital evidence and cyber law, while the Judy Genshaft Honors College Mock Trial Intensive is led by an award-winning mock trial coach. Both build toward a trial argued in Stetson Law School courtrooms.
Who it's best for: Florida students who want an affordable week of mock trial with a final round in a real law school courtroom.
Location: DeLand, Florida (overnight camp on the Stetson campus)
Cost/Stipend: $1,000 with a $500 non-refundable registration fee; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Small; each session is capped at 15 students
Dates: Usually one-week sessions in June and July
Application deadline: Usually rolling until sessions fill
Eligibility: High school students; no mock trial experience necessary
Stetson's pre-law camps are taught by a retired lawyer and the university's undergraduate mock trial team, with classes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and evening work. Mock Trial 1 covers civil procedure and Mock Trial 2 covers criminal procedure, including discovery, pre-trial motions, the Federal Evidence Code and every stage of trial. You argue in front of actual trial judges and have dinner with attorneys and pre-law students.
Who it's best for: Students who want a small-group, intensive mock trial week and are fine with a long, structured day.
Location: Washington, D.C. (Georgetown University) or Ann Arbor, Michigan (University of Michigan), residential
Cost/Stipend: $4,395 at Georgetown or $4,195 at Michigan (2026 pricing); NSLC awards more than $500,000 in scholarships each year
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment on a rolling basis
Dates: Nine days in the summer; 2026 Georgetown sessions ran from mid-June through late July, and Michigan sessions in July
Application deadline: Rolling; 2027 dates are announced in the fall
Eligibility: High school students ages 14 to 18 who have completed at least one year of high school
NSLC's Law & Advocacy program is a nine-day residential course built around courtroom skills: jury selection, opening and closing statements, rules of evidence, and direct and cross-examination. Site visits have included the U.S. Supreme Court, the DEA and the Maryland Supreme Court. You can also add optional online college credit through American University.
Who it's best for: Students who want a residential law program with site visits in D.C. or Michigan and open, rolling admission.
Location: New York City (hosted at seven NYC law schools, including Columbia, NYU and Fordham)
Cost/Stipend: Low or no cost; nearly all students receive need-based scholarships, and students earn a stipend on completion
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Up to 30 students per law school site; applications are reviewed on a rolling basis
Dates: Five weeks, from the first week of July to the first week of August, Monday to Friday
Application deadline: Rolling during 8th grade; seats are offered on a rolling basis, so earlier applicants have better odds
Eligibility: NYC students from Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens who are finishing 8th grade, in the summer before high school
SLI is the entry point to Legal Outreach's four-year College Bound program, and it starts the summer before 9th grade. Law students teach criminal law topics such as stop and frisk, search and seizure, evidence and bail, and you meet practicing attorneys every day. The summer ends with a mock trial competition judged by real judges.
Who it's best for: NYC students finishing 8th grade who want a five-week head start and a path into a four-year high school law program.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Online Law Programs
Online programs are the most flexible way to try law, especially if you cannot travel or want to study during the school year. Most of the courses below are self-paced with mentor support, while a few run live classes.
Location: Remote; you can participate from anywhere in the world
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on program type; full financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Varies by cohort; summer, fall, winter and spring cohorts, with options from 12 weeks to one year
Application deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Currently enrolled high school students who demonstrate a high level of academic achievement
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. You are paired with a PhD mentor to work one-on-one on an independent research project, and by the end of the 12-week program you will have developed your own research paper. Subjects span psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations and more.
Who it's best for: Students who want to write an independent, mentored research paper rather than take a structured course.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on program type; financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; most accepted students are 10th or 11th graders
Dates: Spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, and the summer cohort runs 10 weeks from June to September
Application deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for the spring, summer and fall cohorts
Eligibility: High school students in good academic standing, with a GPA above 3.67 out of 4.0; a few tracks have prerequisites
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs in subjects such as political theory, data science, and machine learning, and it is one of the few programs that lets you choose between quantitative and qualitative research. You are paired with a professor or PhD scholar who mentors you as you develop a 20-page research paper you can submit to journals. Each student also receives a letter of recommendation and detailed project feedback.
Who it's best for: Students with strong grades who want to research a law-adjacent topic, such as political theory, in depth.
Location: Online, self-paced
Cost/Stipend: $1,895 for an enrichment course or $3,995 for a college credit course; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; no transcripts or recommendations are required
Dates: Year-round; enrichment courses last one, two or four weeks, and credit courses run six, eight or 12 weeks
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
Georgetown's online program offers Law: Analyze, Argue, and Advocate Like a Lawyer as either an enrichment course or a three-credit college course, plus an International Law course. Lessons are video lectures by Georgetown faculty, a mentor supports you through the assignments, and every course ends with a capstone project. The credit option comes with a Georgetown transcript.
Who it's best for: Students who want a flexible online law course and the option to earn real college credit.
Location: Online, self-paced
Cost/Stipend: $1,795; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Year-round, in sessions of several lengths; 20 to 30 hours of work
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
Rice's online law course is built around how law can make society more just, with mentor support throughout. The capstone asks you to act as a legal task force and propose solutions to problems in areas such as education, labor or property law. You earn a Certificate of Completion from Rice.
Who it's best for: Students interested in law as a tool for social change who prefer to work at their own pace.
36. Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes, Legal Studies: Critical Thinking for Courtroom Success
Location: Online, live classes
Cost/Stipend: About $3,200, based on 2026 tuition; need-based financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; classes are small and admission is by application
Dates: Two weeks in the summer; 2026 sessions ran in mid-June and mid-July
Application deadline: Usually in March
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 11
This live online course draws on lessons from Stanford's law, business and education experts to sharpen how you analyze facts, weigh evidence and anticipate the other side's arguments. Daily classes include debates, role-play and group work, and the course ends with a mock trial where you act as an attorney or witness. It is not for credit, but the live format makes it feel closer to a real seminar than most online options.
Who it's best for: Students who learn best in live discussion and want a structured two-week online course over the summer.
Location: Online, self-paced
Cost/Stipend: $1,895; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; no transcripts or recommendations are required
Dates: Year-round, in two- or four-week sessions; the next start date is November 8, 2026
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
This course follows a hypothetical client from the first interview to an oral argument at a court of appeals. Along the way you research statutes and case law, write a legal memo and a persuasive brief, and hear from a judge and lawyers in several fields. It was designed by Northwestern Law professor Maurine Berens, a former public defender.
Who it's best for: Students who want to practice the actual workflow of a lawyer, from client meeting to courtroom, on their own schedule.
Location: Online, self-paced
Cost/Stipend: $1,795; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; no transcripts or recommendations are required
Dates: Year-round, in two- or four-week sessions; the next start date is November 8, 2026
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
Notre Dame's course teaches the IRAC method that lawyers use to apply rules to facts, then applies it across several areas of law. You compare the U.S. and South African bills of rights, study international law and the United Nations, and explore intellectual property and sports law. The capstone has you analyze the constitutionality of a police search in a drug possession case.
Who it's best for: Students who want a broad tour of different areas of law before choosing a direction.
Location: Online, self-paced
Cost/Stipend: $1,595; need-based scholarships and a 25% multi-course discount are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; no transcripts or recommendations are required
Dates: Year-round, in sessions of several lengths; 20 to 30 hours of work
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
This course focuses on constitutional law: how the Constitution was argued and ratified, how judges interpret it and where state and federal power collide. In the final project you play a Supreme Court justice, analyze a religious liberty case and its precedents, and explain your ruling. It was designed by William & Mary government professor Christine Nemacheck, who studies the federal courts.
Who it's best for: Students fascinated by the Supreme Court and constitutional debates rather than trial work.
Location: Online, live classes
Cost/Stipend: $2,995
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Small; classes are capped at five students
Dates: Two weeks, with ten live two-hour classes on weekdays; the next listed session runs July 19 to 30, 2027
Application deadline: Rolling until classes fill
Eligibility: Students ages 15 to 18
World Lawyers Academy is a live online course with no more than five students, taught by an Oxford law doctoral candidate. Ten classes cover legal ethics, legal history, criminal, constitutional, commercial and international law, human rights, and law and economics, and the last class is a team mock trial. You also get recordings of every session and a recommendation letter from your instructor if you participate fully.
Who it's best for: Students who want very small live classes and a broad, international view of law.
Frequently asked questions: law programs for high school students
What law classes can you take in high school?
Most high schools don’t offer law as a subject, so the closest options are AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP U.S. History, and any debate or speech elective. Some districts offer a law or criminal justice elective, and dual enrollment at a local community college occasionally includes an introductory law course. That gap is why most of the programs on this list exist, since they teach constitutional law, evidence, and legal writing at a level your timetable probably doesn’t cover. If your school offers none of these, a writing-heavy English or history class builds the same underlying skills.
Can you do a law program online as a high school student?
Yes, and nine of the programs here run fully online. Self-paced university courses from Georgetown, Rice, Northwestern, Notre Dame, and William & Mary start year-round, cost between $1,595 and $3,995, and take 20 to 30 hours of work. If you want something remote that ends in a piece of written work rather than a certificate, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs you with a PhD mentor to produce an independent research paper.
Can high school students earn college credit from a law program?
Yes, though most programs give you a certificate instead. The University of Miami’s Summer Scholars law track awards six college credits over three weeks, the largest on this list, and UMass Amherst’s Law in Society course awards two. Georgetown’s online program offers a three-credit version of its law course for $3,995, against $1,895 for the non-credit version.
What grade do you need to be in to join a law program?
Most programs here accept students in grades 9 to 12, with a handful restricted to rising juniors and seniors. Harvard’s Pre-College Program and the Atlanta Bar Association’s internship are limited to older students, while Penn’s Summer Mentorship Program is open only to Philadelphia 9th and 10th graders. Legal Outreach’s Summer Law Institute starts earliest of all, in the summer between 8th and 9th grade. If you’re a freshman or sophomore, the online courses and the open-enrollment university programs are the widest doors available to you.
Do you need experience to join a mock trial program?
No, and most of the mock trial programs here say so directly. UCLA’s Mock Trial Institute, Rhodes College’s Mock Trial Academy, and Stetson’s Young Scholars camps all accept students with no prior mock trial background. You’ll usually spend the first days on case theory and the Federal Rules of Evidence before you argue anything, so beginners and experienced competitors start from roughly the same place.
What is the most prestigious law program for high school students?
There is no official ranking, and no single law program carries the weight a national science competition does in STEM. The most competitive options here are the paid internships with a fixed number of spots, including Atlanta’s program, which selected 36 students in 2026, and the Dallas Bar Association’s, which requires an 85 average, strong attendance and an interview round. Among courses, Penn Carey Law’s Pre-College Academy and the Stanford Law collaboration are the best known, though both cost several thousand dollars.
Stephen Turban is the co-founder of Lumiere Education and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics before beginning a PhD at Harvard Business School. A former McKinsey & Company consultant and former researcher, his research has been covered by the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, BBC News, Freakonomics Radio, and the Washington Post. In his articles for Forbes, he writes on what students and professionals can learn from high school research, high school passion projects, critical thinking, and mentorship. At Lumiere, he leads a selective research program where students work one-on-one with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper. Connect with him on LinkedIn.