10 Summer Law Programs for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
Middle schoolers interested in the law can consider pursuing summer programs to gain exposure. These programs are available in various formats and may cover a range of legal fields. You can take this opportunity to expand your knowledge and gain crucial legal skills.
Through these programs, you may meet and interact with professionals as well as like-minded peers, who become part of your network. The programs also tend to be rigorous and challenging to prepare you for advanced courses in law. Here are 10 summer law programs you can check out.
10 Summer Law Programs for Middle School Students
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: 8 weeks, varies by cohort
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8
Research can be a solid option to learn about law. For that, you can opt for Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program where you are paired with PhD mentors from prestigious universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and Princeton. These mentors are specialists in law and related fields. In this research program, you will learn to read and interpret academic literature, build research questions, and create outputs such as a high school-level research paper or case study, thereby building crucial research skills. You can build communication skills through feedback and writing coaching sessions. Students looking to publish their research in academic journals can opt for the Junior Research and Publication Program.
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Approximately 24 students
Dates: July 23 to 31
Application Deadline: March 2
Eligibility: Students entering 8th, 9th, or 10th grade next fall
SYI is a free program that introduces you to the legal system. You will learn about law-related careers and receive resources that help you in terms of education. In the program, you analyze cases, debate legal issues, and present oral arguments. As a result, you build leadership, communication, and collaboration skills. You also meet legal professionals and law student mentors who provide insights into the profession.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates:
Spring cohort: 25 hours over 10 weeks, weekends
Summer cohort: 25 hours over 2 weeks, weekdays
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8
Participating in Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers program provides interdisciplinary knowledge of law and technology. The program teaches you the basics of AI and machine learning through classes on Python, data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. You complete the theoretical component and apply what you learned to a practical project. Here, your project must provide a technological solution for a real-world challenge in law. Past students have built a machine-learning model to classify music genres and a machine-learning algorithm to provide a custom list of educational resources based on selected specifications.
Location: Duke University, Durham, NC
Cost: $3,905 commuter or $6,050 residential
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 13 to 24, session 1
Application Deadline: To be announced
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8 with a 3.0 or higher GPA, at least 11 years old, and who have completed one year of middle school
Duke University offers a range of programs to middle and high schoolers. You encounter a challenging curriculum, work in teams, and participate in hands-on activities. In the Politics, Law, and Advocacy track, you study public policy and law as well as civic engagement. The experiential learning involves debates, case studies, and role-playing activities. This program teaches you how people advocate for change. For the capstone project, you create a persuasive advocacy campaign on a real issue.
Location: American University, Washington, DC
Cost: $3,095 residential or $2,695 commuter
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 16 to 21, June 26 to July 21, or July 5 to 10
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Students at least 11 years old and enrolled in grades 6 to 8
Over 6 days at NSLC, you will learn about the role of policy and law in world affairs. You learn how a bill is proposed and passed in Congress, the division of powers between state governments and the central government, the role of the Supreme Court, and much more. You step into the role of a legislator and attorney as you explore various legal dimensions. Hands-on activities include public speaking, debate, and civic decision-making. Working in teams, you also examine legislations and current events.
Location: Chicago, IL
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 24 – 25, tentative
Application Deadline: To be announced
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8
This summer law program introduces middle schoolers to professions in the legal field. The camp enables you to build legal and professional skills. You also interact and network with judges, lawyers, and other leaders. This is an interactive program involving hands-on activities. The camp invites students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds to increase representation in the field.
Location: Online
Cost: $1,895 for enrichment or $3,995 for college credit
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Multi-length courses available throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students aged 13 years and above
This program by Georgetown University immerses you into questions regarding law and justice. You analyze case studies to understand how professionals counsel clients, investigate facts, build arguments, and advocate in the courtroom. You can expect to build foundational knowledge of the law and constitutional rights. The program teaches you questioning and cross-examination techniques as well as the importance of evidence. You end the program with a final capstone project wherein you demonstrate what you have learned. You receive a certificate of completion at the end of the program.
Location: Online
Cost: $2,995
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 6 students per class
Dates: July 20 – 31
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Students aged 12–14
This 2-week course covers the basics in the law, politics, and government. You discover careers in law and government. Each day engages with a different topic related to the legal and public policy fields. The last class ends with a mock trial debate. At the end of the course, you receive a letter of recommendation and certificate of completion.
Location: Online
Cost: $1,595
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Multi-length courses available throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students aged 13 years and above
Middle schoolers interested in constitutional law can opt for this program. You study how lawyers and judges refer to the constitution to support their cases. You also examine how the constitution is interpreted. Classes are led by constitutional scholars and law professors. In the final capstone project, you demonstrate what you learned. This program is an opportunity for you to explore future academics and a career in law.
Location: In person or online
Cost/Stipend: To be announced
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 16–18 students
Dates: To be announced
Application Deadline: To be announced
Eligibility: Students in grades 7–11 who meet CTY-level verbal scores
This program takes a historical approach to legal studies. You analyze landmark cases decided in US legal history. This course provides insights into the evolution of law in light of changing social conditions. The program helps you develop critical analysis and persuasive communications skills. You participate in debates, simulations, group projects, and individual research.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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