Law programs for high school students are designed to introduce you to the system through varied activities like mock trials, case analysis, legal research, and courtroom simulations. Some programs will place you in real legal environments like courthouses, government offices, or nonprofit organizations, while others focus on academic exploration through seminars and guided discussions. Many programs also include mentorship from attorneys, judges, law students, or policy professionals, who explain how legal reasoning is applied in real situations. Through these experiences, you will develop practical skills such as critical reading, public speaking, argumentation, and analytical writing.
Why should you choose a program in North Carolina?
North Carolina offers a strong mix of government institutions, courts, universities, and legal organizations that actively engage high school students through educational programs. Many of these opportunities connect directly to the state’s legal infrastructure, allowing you to observe legislative processes, participate in mock government sessions, or volunteer in peer-led court systems. Universities across the state also host pre-college programs that introduce you to legal reasoning, constitutional debates, and the ethical responsibilities lawyers navigate in practice.
Here are 15 law programs for high school students in North Carolina that allow you to explore legal systems, build analytical and advocacy skills, and engage with the field through meaningful learning experiences.
You can also check out these guides on Law Research Programs and Law Programs in Chicago.
15 Law Programs for High School Students in North Carolina
1. Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office: High School Law Career Exploration Program
Location: Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office, Charlotte, NC
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Once a week from November – May
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students who are interested in law and are ages 14-20
In this program, you’ll unpack the prosecutor’s role at each stage and learn about how charges are evaluated, evidence is assessed, and what factors shape case strategy. Sessions are designed to feel interactive, with legal professionals walking you through real courtroom logic. You’ll build practical advocacy skills by working through case scenarios that require organized reasoning, clear speaking, and attention to procedural details. The program also helps you understand the human side of the system by examining how victims, defendants, and communities are affected by legal outcomes. A standout feature is the chance to apply what you learn in a culminating courtroom-style simulation that mirrors real trial structure.
2. North Carolina Governor’s Page Program
Location: Albemarle Building, Raleigh, NC
Stipend: $200/week
Dates: Multiple 4-day sessions throughout the year
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students or recent high school graduates in good academic standing
The North Carolina Governor’s Page Program places you inside state government in a way that makes “civics” feel concrete and operational. You’ll learn how state priorities become action through meetings, coordination between departments, and the behind-the-scenes work that supports public leadership. As a participant, you will engage with how policy conversations, public service, and professional communication work in real time. You’ll also develop workplace skills such as writing professionally, managing tasks with deadlines, and functioning in a fast-moving office environment. A unique element is the program’s focus on building a service project concept tied to statewide needs and values.
3. Mayor’s Youth Employment Program (MYEP)
Location: Various locations across Charlotte, with virtual options
Stipend: At least $13/hour
Dates: June 22 – July 31
Application Deadline: February 18
Eligibility: High school students (16+) who attend a CMS high school or live within the City of Charlotte; Must have a Social Security Number and pass a drug and background screening
MYEP is a paid pathway into professional workplaces where you can build real skills while exploring career directions that connect to law, public service, or community advocacy. You’ll be placed with an employer and learn what it takes to perform reliably: showing up, communicating clearly, and producing work that meets expectations. Depending on your placement, you may support administrative projects, assist with community programs, or contribute to operations that interact with the public. You’ll also get guidance around career readiness, which can help you translate job responsibilities into stronger resumes and future applications. The program is designed to help you build professionalism through consistent work habits.
4. Wake Forest Summer Immersion Program: Law Institute
Location: Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
Cost: $3,500 + $60 non-refundable application fee; Limited need-based scholarship funding available
Dates: June 14 – 19; July 19 – 24
Application Deadline: Rolling basis starting in November
Eligibility: Current 9th-12th grade students
This pre-college institute is designed to help you practice how lawyers think: breaking down complex fact patterns, evaluating competing arguments, and making decisions under constraints. You’ll engage in multiple areas of law so you can compare what “fits,” whether you’re drawn to courtroom advocacy, negotiation, or the policy side of legal work. A major highlight is the emphasis on active participation through exercises that mirror real legal problem-solving. You’ll sharpen analytical skills by discussing case studies in teams and defending interpretations with evidence from the materials. The institute also provides mentorship touchpoints with law students and early-career legal professionals.
5. North Carolina Central University School of Law: Legal Eagle Law Camp
Location: NCCU School of Law, Durham, NC
Cost: $225
Dates: June 16 – 20
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Rising 8th-10th graders
With a capacity of 32 students, the Legal Eagle Law Camp is built for students who want an early, hands-on introduction to how law is studied and practiced. You’ll explore how courts function and why legal outcomes depend on reasoning, procedure, and persuasive communication. You’ll also get a chance to practice legal research in a law library setting, which helps you learn how legal information is actually found and used. You’ll build advocacy skills through small-group activities focused on speaking clearly, organizing arguments, and responding to counterpoints. Interactive team challenges keep the program skills-driven, so you’re consistently doing something, whether that’s arguing, researching, or preparing.
6. UNC Summer Civics Institutes
Location: UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Cost/Stipend: Free; $250 stipend offered
Dates: July 12 – 16
Application Deadline: March 30
Eligibility: North Carolina residents in grades 9-12 enrolled in any public, private, or homeschool
At the UNC Summer Civics Institute, you’ll work in a seminar-style environment that prioritizes close reading, careful listening, and structured disagreement, which are all skills that translate directly to legal analysis and argumentation. The core learning comes from engaging with primary texts, which pushes you to interpret ideas from the source instead of relying on summaries. Discussions are typically rigorous and student-driven, so you’ll practice speaking precisely and responding thoughtfully when challenged. One of the most distinctive elements is training in civil discourse; you’ll learn to navigate controversy without shutting down or escalating.
7. NC YMCA Youth & Government
Location: Local YMCA; Conference in Raleigh, NC
Cost: $685
Dates: August – February; Conference: February 12 – 15
Application Deadline: Not specified; Opens in September
Eligibility: High school students participating through a school/YMCA delegation
YMCA Youth & Government is built around learning law and policy through structured participation rather than observation. You’ll join a delegation and work through the kinds of roles that mirror real institutions, such as legislative debate, judicial-style reasoning, and leadership responsibilities that require preparation. The conference setting pushes you to perform under formal rules, which is great preparation for mock trials, debates, or student leadership roles that demand composure. You’ll also learn how persuasion works in a system, how ideas become proposals, how alliances form, and how decisions are made under time limits.
8. Capital Area Teen Court: Youth Volunteer Program
Location: Wake County Courthouse, Raleigh, NC
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Year-round volunteering
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Middle or high school students ages 12-18
Teen Court gives you direct exposure to restorative justice in action, where the focus is accountability and growth rather than punishment alone. You’ll learn courtroom norms such as professional behavior, respectful communication, and how hearings are conducted. What makes this stand out is the variety of roles you can take on, helping you understand the legal process from multiple angles instead of a single perspective. As you gain experience, you can move into more responsibility-heavy roles that require preparation and confident speaking. You’ll also develop judgment skills by listening carefully, weighing context, and working collaboratively to decide fair outcomes within the program’s framework. The youth attorney role, in particular, builds real advocacy habits like organizing points, questioning effectively, and responding under pressure.
9. Youth for Innocence Summer Internship
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: June 16 – August 10
Application Deadline: Rolling acceptance
Eligibility: All high school students
This internship is built for students who want a serious, research-heavy look at how wrongful conviction work is done beyond headlines. You’ll learn how post-conviction advocacy operates by handling detailed case materials and identifying what information matters most in long investigations. The work strengthens precision skills like organizing complex files, tracking details across documents, and summarizing information in a way that supports legal teams and investigators. Educational sessions help you connect your tasks to the larger legal process, including how evidence issues and procedural problems can shape outcomes. You’ll also see how advocacy organizations communicate with the public by contributing to informational materials that explain cases and systemic issues.
10. Mecklenburg County Teen Court Volunteer
Location: Mecklenburg County Courthouse, Charlotte, NC
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Training occurs multiple times per year; Volunteers serve Teen Court nights across the year
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students in grades 8-12
While mainly for first-time juvenile offenders, the Mecklenburg County Teen Court Volunteer also accepts volunteer participants, where you’ll serve as jurors, clerks, bailiffs, jury foremen, and attorneys. This way, you’ll get to build a broader understanding of how cases are handled and will even receive training in courtroom roles, civil procedures, and advocacy. Training will help you develop courtroom readiness: speaking clearly, following procedure, and working respectfully with peers and adult supervisors. The environment also builds leadership because you’re expected to show up prepared and contribute to a process that affects real outcomes for participants.
11. Pasquines Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Ongoing (internships available for indefinite periods)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students
Pasquines is a strong option if you’re interested in how law and policy shape real communities, especially in places that are often under-covered in mainstream reporting. As a participant, you’ll work on how to research a topic deeply, verify claims, and explain policy impacts clearly for a public audience. The internship’s newsroom-style structure helps you build professional writing habits like drafting, revising, responding to edits, and strengthening arguments with evidence. The focus is on U.S. territories, so you’ll also develop a more nuanced understanding of federal policy, representation, and governance issues. Collaboration is a core part of the experience, as you’re working with editors and peers to refine your work and meet publication standards.
12. Duke Pre-College
Location: Duke University, Durham, NC
Cost: Residential: $6,050; Financial aid offered
Dates: June 13 – 24; June 28 – July 9; July 13 – 24
Application Deadline: Rolling until full; Apply early
Eligibility: Current high school students (14+) who have a 3.0+ GPA
Duke Pre-College offers an academically rigorous environment where you can explore law through specialized courses that combine theory with applied learning. You’ll engage with topics such as criminal law, legal advocacy, and the intersection of law with politics or psychology, allowing them to compare different legal pathways. Coursework emphasizes critical thinking through case studies, simulations, and structured debates that mirror real legal reasoning. You’ll also work on projects that require independent research and collaboration. Guest speakers and industry professionals provide additional context, connecting classroom concepts to real-world legal practice. Beyond academics, leadership workshops and group activities help build communication and teamwork skills in a college-like setting.
13. University of Notre Dame – Law: Thinking Like a Lawyer
Location: Online
Cost: $1,795; Financial aid offered
Dates: Multiple 2-week or 4-week sessions throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students ages 13+
This course is designed to teach you the mental framework lawyers use to analyze problems. You’ll practice structured reasoning across multiple legal areas, which will help you see how different fields use similar logic with different constraints. One of the most useful elements is learning a repeatable method for analysis, so your arguments become clearer and more organized over time. The course content encourages comparison, providing insight into how legal systems interpret rights, how institutions enforce rules, and why outcomes can vary even with similar facts. You’ll also learn how compliance and regulation show up in unexpected contexts, which can broaden how you define “law careers.” The capstone-style work pushes you to apply concepts rather than just recognize them.
14. Central Piedmont Community College – The Law Launchpad: A Journey to Justice
Location: Central Piedmont Community College – Merancas, Huntersville, NC
Cost: $325
Dates: August 3 – 6
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students in grades 10-12
The Law Launchpad: A Journey to Justice program introduces you to the legal field through a structured, interactive experience that emphasizes both career exploration and practical understanding. As a participant, you’ll engage in guided discussions and activities that break down how different areas of law function, from courtroom processes to advisory roles. Through collaborative exercises, you’ll practice communication and analytical thinking while exploring how legal arguments are built and presented. The program also focuses on helping you understand how to prepare for a legal career, including academic planning and college application strategies. You’ll gain insight into how different legal settings operate, such as private firms, public service, and advocacy organizations.
15. World Scholars Academy Law Internship
Location: Online
Cost: $2,395
Dates: Every Saturday or Sunday for 4 weeks
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: High school students ages 15-18
This online program is designed to represent a small-group research lab for law, with a strong emphasis on academic investigation and disciplined writing. As an intern, you will dive into how legal scholars frame questions, evaluate evidence, and build arguments that can hold up under critique. The mentor-guided format is a major differentiator, as feedback is built into the ongoing process. You’ll practice working with academic literature, extracting the most relevant claims, and positioning your analysis in a way that’s coherent and original. Workshops typically focus on structure and citation habits, helping you write more like a researcher. A key takeaway is producing a polished research paper that demonstrates your ability to sustain an argument across multiple sections. Once you’ve completed the program, you will receive an official certificate of completion.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image source: Central Piedmont Community College