If you’re a high school student interested in pursuing a career in law, you can benefit from completing a summer program in the field. Besides providing you with practical experience, a law program helps you develop skills in communication, legal writing, building compelling arguments and more. Most law programs include a mock trial component, which simulates the experience of arguing a case and seeing it through from research to judgement.
Ultimately, you will get a pretty realistic taste of a career in law. You will also get the opportunity to learn from attorneys and judges, helping you build a professional network.
1. Manhattan District Attorney’s High School Internship Program
Location: New York, NY
Stipend: Minimum wage
Deadline: March 12
Program Dates: June 30 – August 1
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors or seniors who live in Manhattan and can attend the entirety of the program
Students interested in criminal law may benefit from this internship at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. Through this 5-week internship, you can expect to learn about the criminal justice system. Attending workshops and programs, participating in mock trials, and learning about professionalism in an office, among other activities, will help you gain exposure to a career in law. The program also offers a stipend in line with minimum wage to interns.
2. The Nelson Fellowship Program
Location: John J. Moakley U.S. District Courthouse in Boston, MA
Stipend: Educational stipend available
Deadline: To be announced
Program Dates: July 7 – August 15
Eligibility: High school students from Boston and Worcester with demonstrable leadership potential and academic ability. Rising juniors are preferred.
This program accepts 10 – 12 students as Nelson Fellows to intern at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Over six weeks, you will take courses in civil rights, writing, current social issues and public speaking. You will also get the opportunity to intern in the judge’s chambers. Furthermore, as a Nelson Fellow, you will meet community leaders, attend college tours, and visit organizations that help with college applications.
Toward the end of the session, you will get professional guidance to prepare for a mock trial that takes place before a Federal Judge. In addition to a stipend, travel expenses to and from the fellowship are covered by the program.
3. Law Links Internship
Location: Baltimore, MD
Stipend: $15/hour
Deadline: April 5 (tentative. Any changes will be updated on the website)
Program Dates: June 23 – August 8 (tentative. Any changes will be updated on the website)
Eligibility: Students in their sophomore or junior year at a Baltimore City public high school and living in Baltimore City. You must be available to work full-time during the program and willing to wear the professional attire provided as part of the program.
In this 7-week internship, Baltimore City high school students can work with law firms and law-related organizations. Working full-time as an intern will give you an insight into careers in the legal field.
Furthermore, you will participate in the Law & Leadership Institute. This is a 50-hour seminar that begins with a 2.5-day orientation and is held every Wednesday morning. Since formal clothes are a common requirement for law-related internships, this program also provides the attire.
4. Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship Program
Location: New York City, NY
Stipend: $16/hour – $22/hour
Deadline: January 13
Program Dates: June 18 – August 28
Eligibility: Students attending a New York City public high school and who are at least 16 years old by June 1, 2025
The TMSLIP provides summer employment and professional development opportunities in the legal field to high school students. The legal employers involved in the program include law firms, corporations, nonprofits and government organizations.
The internship is full-time and runs for about 6 – 8 weeks. The work is typically administrative, and you will assist paralegals and support staff. Although you will not work directly with an attorney supervisor, you will gain legal experience through development programs.
5. Dallas Bar Association Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP)
Location: Dallas, TX
Stipend: Paid
Deadline: April 3, 2025 (tentative based on the previous year’s program)
Program Dates: Session 1 (June 9 – July 4), Session 2 (July 7 – August 1), Full Session (June 9 – August 1, 2025)
Eligibility: High school juniors studying in the Dallas Independent School District who have an academic average of 85 or above, no more than 10 absences and are interested in studying law
This SLIP places interns with law firms and corporate legal departments in the Dallas area. Allowing flexibility of schedule, you can work part-time or full-time for about 4 – 8 weeks.
You are expected to convey your interests in a particular aspect of law in your application, based on which you will be placed with an employer. As part of the program, you must attend all orientations, educational events, the end-of-program reception and complete the summer internship learning curriculum.
6. Judicial Youth Corps Program
Location: Boston, Springfield and Worcester, MA
Stipend: Paid positions
Deadline: To be announced
Program Dates: Six weeks from July to August
Eligibility: High school students living in Boston or attending high school in Worcester or Springfield depending on the position you apply for
If you are interested in learning about the Massachusetts court system and the rule of law, you could explore this program. Mentored by judges, lawyers, clerks, probation officers, and other court personnel, you will participate in a mock trial, take field trips, attend group discussions and other programming.
You will also attend educational sessions on Fridays. The internships are held in courts in Boston, Springfield and Worcester. The program aims to teach you about legal concepts and principles.
7. Summer Law Institute (SLI)
Location: Various law schools in New York
Stipend: Available
Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis
Program Dates: First week of July to first week of August
Eligibility: Rising ninth-grade students from Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens. Students from Staten Island may also apply.
This SLI program is hosted by 7 law schools in New York, namely, Brooklyn Law School (Brooklyn), Cardozo School of Law (Manhattan), Columbia Law School (Manhattan), CUNY School of Law (Queens), Fordham University School of Law (Manhattan), NYU School of Law (Manhattan) and St. John’s University Law School (Queens). Students will spend 5 weeks in the summer learning about the legal field.
You will study criminal justice, interact with lawyers, visit legal institutions, and develop skills to participate in a mock trial presided over by judges. Upon the completion of the program, you will be eligible to apply for the 4-year College Bound program.
8. Suit Up for the Future High School Summer Legal Institute and Intern Program
Location: Louisiana State Bar Association, New Orleans, LA
Stipend: $250
Deadline: May 13 (tentative, based on the previous year)
Program Dates: June 10 – 28 (tentative, based on the previous year)
Eligibility: Rising 11th or 12th graders or students beginning their first year of college in Fall 2025.
As an intern in this 3-week program, you will be taught using the Socratic method and learn about law school courses, such as criminal law and legal research and writing. You will also receive a mock trial problem that you will use to develop your legal writing assignment and oral argument, both of which will be part of your final presentation to a panel of judges. Additionally, you will also hear from guest speakers and learn about creating competitive resumes, preparing for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), professionalism, ethics, and workplace etiquette and attire.
The program also involves shadowing an attorney where you will tour a law firm, and join the attorney on outings. You will also receive support on the oral argument and supporting legal memorandum you develop. The final component of the program will take you on tours to visit two area law schools, the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Court museum, and federal court buildings.
9. Summer Legal Academy (SLA)
Location: The Harris County Attorney’s Office, Houston, TX
Stipend: $15/hour
Deadline: The priority deadline is March 1, and the final deadline is March 23
Program Dates: July 14 – 25
Eligibility: High schools in Harris County who are entering grades 10 – 12. First-generation college students, students from a low-income background and/or members of groups underrepresented in the legal profession will be given priority.
A 2-week readiness program, the SLA is designed to prepare you for a career in law. Alongside hearing from attorneys and community leaders, you will learn about the process of applying to law school, what to expect as a law student and the different areas of law.
This is a classroom-style program. Over the 2 weeks, you will participate in mock law school lectures taught by law professors, read case studies, practice LSAT logic games and sit in panel discussions. All these components will give you the tools needed for law school and a career in the field.
10. University of Pennsylvania’s Provost Summer Mentorship Program
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Stipend: Available
Deadline: To be announced
Program Dates: July 7 – August 1
Eligibility: 9th or 10th-grade students who are enrolled in a Philadelphia high school and have a minimum GPA of 3.0
UPenn offers a college preparatory program for high school students to learn from one of five schools, including the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. During the program, you will experience what attending law school is like, explore careers in law, and understand the role of law in contemporary society.
Additional programming includes support with test prep, financial literacy courses, life skills, college application process assistance/information and other services.
One bonus option! While the program below isn’t paid, it does offer 100% financial aid!
Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP) – Law/Policy Track
Location: Virtual
Application Date: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for the Spring, Summer, and Fall cohorts.
Program Dates: The spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, while the summer cohort runs 10 weeks (June – September).
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here.
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as international relations, political theory and philosophy, psychology and law and many more! Horizon also offers you the choice to engage in either quantitative or qualitative research.
As part of the law/policy track, you can expect to consider questions of social law and the collective process of government in making laws. You can explore the nature of liberty and freedom in society and the foundation they provide to create laws and study the interconnection between neuroscience and law. You can also choose to investigate various intersectionalities and perspectives in making policies for immigration, social welfare, international relations and more.
The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student and detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects.
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