If you are thinking about studying law, political science, or public policy in the future, exploring law during high school can help you understand how the legal system works. Law programs give you an introduction to topics such as constitutional law, criminal justice, and legal reasoning while helping you see how legal decisions affect society.
Why Should You Choose a Law Program in South Carolina?
South Carolina has universities, legal institutes, and organizations that host programs designed to introduce high school students to the field of law. These programs often include lectures, discussions about legal cases, and activities such as mock trials that allow you to experience how legal arguments are presented.
Choosing a program within South Carolina can also reduce the need for travel and housing expenses if you are studying locally. At the same time, these experiences can strengthen your academic profile and show colleges that you explored your interest in law beyond school classes.
With that in mind, here are 15 law programs for high school students in South Carolina! If you want experience beyond structured programs, you can also look at law internships or law research opportunities for high school students. These offer another way to build early exposure to the field.
15 Law Programs for High School Students in South Carolina
1. SC Bar’s High School Mock Trial
Location: Regional competitions at courthouses statewide; State Championship location TBD; National Championship in Des Moines, Iowa
Cost: $225 registration fee
Program Dates: Regionals: February 28 | State Championship: March 13–March 14 | National Championship: May 7–May 9
Application Deadline: Typically in October
Eligibility: High school students across South Carolina; public schools, private schools, and homeschool groups welcome; teams of 6–16 students per school, sponsored by a teacher volunteer
The SC Bar High School Mock Trial program lets you experience how a real courtroom case unfolds. You work through a fictional civil or criminal case and take on roles as either an attorney or a witness. You prepare opening statements, question witnesses, present evidence, and deliver closing arguments while following the same rules used in actual courtrooms. Competitions take place in real courthouses across South Carolina. Judges and attorneys evaluate your arguments, evidence use, and courtroom procedure. Through the process, you learn how legal reasoning, trial strategy, and courtroom advocacy work in practice.
2. We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution
Location: Statewide competitive hearings across South Carolina; National Finals in Washington, D.C.
Cost: Free
Program Dates: Historically late January
Application Deadline: Not publicly listed
Eligibility: High school students across South Carolina; middle school participation is also available
We the People focus on understanding the Constitution and how constitutional law shapes government decisions. You study major constitutional ideas such as the separation of powers, the Bill of Rights, and how courts interpret the Constitution. The program ends with simulated congressional hearings where you present legal arguments before a panel of judges. During these hearings, you answer questions and defend your interpretation of constitutional issues. Preparing for the hearings requires you to study historical documents, court decisions, and legal principles.
3. SC YMCA Youth in Government’s Model Legislature & Court Conference
Location: South Carolina State House, South Carolina Supreme Court, Columbia Convention Center, and other downtown Columbia venues
Cost: Approximately $520 per delegate
Program Dates: Four-day conference in November
Application Deadline: Not specified; students participate through their school or community group
Eligibility: High school students across South Carolina
The YMCA Youth in Government conference simulates how state government operates, including the legislative and judicial branches. If you join the law tracks, you participate in mock trials or moot court competitions judged by legal professionals. In mock trials, you work through a case using courtroom procedures and evidentiary rules. In moot court, you prepare legal arguments about a constitutional question and present them before student justices. Throughout the conference, you see how laws are written, debated, interpreted, and enforced. The experience connects legislative work with the legal system that applies those laws.
4. Furman University’s Top Mock
Location: Furman University campus, Greenville, SC
Cost: $2,300
Program Dates: June 20 – June 27
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students who have competed in mock trial tournaments, particularly Empire Tournaments, Gladiator Tournaments, State Championships, or the National Championship
The Top Mock at Furman University is designed for students who already have mock trial experience and want deeper training in courtroom advocacy. You study a case file in detail and develop legal strategies for presenting it in court. Instruction focuses on evidence rules, witness examination, and building persuasive arguments. Coaches include litigators and trial professionals who guide you through how lawyers prepare cases. You practice both attorney roles and witness roles to understand how testimony shapes legal outcomes. The week ends with a courtroom simulation where you argue the case before judges.
5. ALA Palmetto Girls State
Location: Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC
Cost: Not specified in the provided materials
Program Dates: June 7 – June 13
Application Deadline: Applications available in February
Eligibility: Female rising seniors in high school; selected through a school-based process sponsored by local ALA units; delegates are chosen based on leadership skills and community involvement
Palmetto Girls State is a government simulation program where you take part in building and running a model state government. You campaign for office, write legislation, and participate in the legislative and executive processes. Through these activities, you see how laws are created and how public officials make policy decisions. The program also includes discussions with legal professionals and government leaders about civic responsibility. By working through elections, debates, and policymaking, you understand how the legal framework of government functions.
6. SC Bar Law Related Education’s Street Law
Location: Statewide, delivered through South Carolina schools
Cost: Not specified
Program Dates: Typically run as a one-semester or full-year school elective
Application Deadline: Not applicable
Eligibility: High school students across South Carolina; delivered as a social studies elective or as part of, or in place of, a government course
Street Law is designed to show you how the legal system intersects with everyday life. The course works through situations you are actually likely to encounter, from contracts and consumer protection to criminal procedure and individual rights. Lessons usually revolve around practical scenarios, debates, and case simulations that ask you to think through what the law allows and how legal rules apply in real situations. The structure encourages discussion and argument, which means you spend time interpreting legal principles rather than simply memorizing them.
7. SC Bar Law Related Education’s Project Citizen
Location: Statewide, delivered through South Carolina schools
Cost: Free
Program Dates: School year program; state competition in spring; national finals in spring
Application Deadline: Not applicable; delivered through schools; contact SC Bar LRE for participation information
Eligibility: High school students across South Carolina
Project Citizen focuses on how public policy and law emerge from real community problems rather than theoretical debates. You begin by identifying a public issue that affects your community and then work through the legal and policy framework surrounding it. Research becomes the backbone of the process as you examine existing laws, analyze how they are implemented, and evaluate whether they solve the problem effectively. From there, you develop a policy proposal supported by legal reasoning and evidence. The work is compiled into a portfolio that explains both the issue and your proposed solution. At the final stage, you present that proposal before a panel of civic leaders or legal professionals.
8. Palmetto Boys State’s The American Legion
Location: Anderson University, Anderson, SC
Cost: Not specified
Program Dates: June 7 – June 13
Application Deadline: Not applicable
Eligibility: Male high school students between their junior and senior years; selected by local American Legion posts
Palmetto Boys State places you inside a simulated government environment where you participate in the process of drafting laws and running public institutions. During the week, you campaign for office, participate in elections, and debate legislation while operating within a structured model of state government. Within that larger system, the program offers specialized tracks that explore areas such as criminal justice and law. These tracks introduce you to how courts function, how legal disputes are resolved, and how the law interacts with legislative decision-making.
9. Clemson University Summer Scholars’ Crime Scene Investigation
Location: Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Cost: $1,400 tuition
Program Dates: Not specified
Application Deadline: Not specified; registration deposit secures spot upon enrollment approval
Eligibility: Rising 9th–12th-grade high school students; students who turn 18 before or during a session are ineligible; course-specific grade requirements set by instructors
The Crime Scene Investigation course at Clemson University explores the relationship between forensic science and the legal system. You work through the process investigators follow when documenting a crime scene and analyzing evidence that may later appear in court. Activities introduce techniques such as fingerprint analysis, DNA identification, and the interpretation of physical evidence. What makes the course particularly interesting from a legal perspective is how each step connects to courtroom procedure. Evidence must be documented carefully because it may later become part of testimony or a legal argument.
10. Clemson University’s LEAD Scholars Program
Location: Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Cost: Not specified
Program Dates: July
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students; selected from Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) participants
The LEAD Scholars Program at Clemson approaches law from the perspective of ethics and decision-making. The curriculum examines how leaders evaluate complex situations where legal obligations, professional standards, and ethical principles intersect. Workshops introduce frameworks such as the Rotary Four-Way Test and Clemson’s STAR decision model, both of which encourage careful reasoning before reaching conclusions. Discussions often revolve around real scenarios where the right answer is not immediately obvious, forcing you to analyze consequences, responsibilities, and legal boundaries.
11. JTB Scholar Prep
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Program Dates: Year-round, self-paced through JTB University
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students, grades 9–12
JTB Scholar Prep provides an introduction to the legal profession by walking you through how different areas of law actually operate. The program brings in professionals who discuss how their daily work unfolds in fields such as corporate law, litigation, and public policy. Sessions often explore the kinds of reasoning lawyers use when evaluating cases or advising clients. You also examine the educational path required for law school and the skills that make legal analysis possible, such as argument construction, close reading, and persuasive writing.
12. JTB ConnectED
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Program Dates: August 3 – August 6
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students, grades 9–12
JTB ConnectED is structured as a short virtual program that blends legal exploration with broader professional skill-building. Over several days, you work through sessions that emphasize reading comprehension, argument development, and public speaking, all of which are central to legal practice. Attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals lead discussions about their career paths and the kinds of cases they handle. The program also examines how lawyers approach complex problems, weighing facts, legal precedent, and ethical considerations before forming an argument.
13. Law: From Interview to Argument
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,895
Program Dates: 2-week and 4-week sessions
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Ages 13 and up
This Northwestern course follows the life cycle of a legal case from the moment a client walks into a lawyer’s office to the moment an argument is presented in court. You start by analyzing a client interview, identifying the legal questions that emerge from the situation. From there, the focus shifts to research, where you explore statutes and previous cases to understand how courts have addressed similar issues. Writing becomes central as you draft a legal memorandum and then shape that analysis into a formal brief. The final stage involves presenting your reasoning in an oral argument.
14. Constitutional Law: We the People
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,595
Program Dates: Multi-length courses available throughout the year
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Ages 13 and up
William & Mary’s constitutional law course explores the debates that shaped the U.S. Constitution and the legal questions that continue to surround it today. Early sessions focus on the historical context of the document and the competing ideas that influenced its drafting and ratification. From there, attention shifts to the courts and how judges interpret constitutional language in modern cases. Discussions examine major questions such as the limits of federal authority, the balance between national and state power, and the protection of individual rights.
15. International Law: Protecting the World’s Interests
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,895
Program Dates: 1-week intensive, 2-week, and 4-week sessions available throughout the year
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Ages 13 and up
This Georgetown course examines how law operates beyond national borders, where treaties, international organizations, and diplomatic agreements shape the rules countries follow. You explore how international law is created and how legal authority extends across territory, oceans, and airspace. Case studies bring the material to life by examining real global events, including conflicts and diplomatic crises that raised difficult legal questions. The course also considers institutions such as the United Nations and alliances like NATO, explaining how they influence international legal frameworks. In the final simulation, you act as a legal advisor, evaluating whether a proposed use of force complies with international law and explaining the reasoning behind your decision.
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 selective virtual research program enables you to conduct advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choice. 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: Furman University