Summer Programs and Institutes

National Summer Institutes

University of California Davis School of Law

The King Hall Outreach Program (KHOP) helps college students from underrepresented communities prepare for the law school admissions process. In addition to providing mentoring and pre-law advising during the school year, the program hosts eligible college juniors and seniors for a series of weekend summer sessions in which students gain valuable knowledge about the law school admission process, learn writing, analytical, and logical reasoning skills, develop study techniques for taking the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), and explore career paths available to law school graduates.

Apply to the King Hall Outreach Program

Charles Hamilton Houston Law School Preparatory Institute

This seven-week summer program held at Georgetown University Law Center aims to prepare students of color with the skills necessary to succeed in law school. The curriculum introduces students to American jurisprudence, federal and state court systems, critical legal vocabulary, the civil litigation process, and case analysis methods. Students gain a preliminary understanding of Legal Research & Writing and are taught by notable attorneys and leaders in the legal field.

Apply to the Charles Hamilton Houston Law School Preparatory Institute

Council on Legal Education Opportunity

CLEO is committed to diversifying the legal profession by expanding legal education opportunities to minority, low-income and disadvantaged groups. CLEO provides training and workshops to college students who are interested in attending law school and pursuing a career in the legal profession. Offerings include weekend, 4-week, and 6-week programs for students of different college years.

Apply to CLEO

Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars

PLUS programs are targeted, but not restricted, to college students from racial and ethnic minority groups underrepresented in the legal profession. These four-week programs provide an intense focus on the skills required to succeed in law school, the law school admission process, and legal career opportunities. The programs are designed for students in the first two years of college, and preference will be given to students who have signed up for DiscoverLaw.org.

Apply to PLUS

The Summer for Undergraduates Program

The Summer for Undergraduates Program brings to campus undergraduate students from throughout the country for a month-long immersion into legal study. The largest and oldest of its kind, the primary goal of the program is to acquaint students with the study of law and to assist them in acquiring skills that will benefit their undergraduate and future law school studies.

Apply for the Florida State College of Law Summer for Undergraduates Program

UHLC Pre-Law Pipeline Program

Six-week residential program held at the University of Houston Law Center, with internship locations within the Houston metro area and environs. The program is specifically designed to provide resources to undergraduate students who are first generation, low income, or members of groups underrepresented in the legal profession who are interested in pursuing a career in law.

Apply to UHLC Pre-Law Pipeline Program

IIT Chicago-Kent Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars Program

The IIT Chicago-Kent Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars program (“PLUS”) is a three-week summer institute which will: (1) introduce participants to law school and the legal profession; (2) provide participants with substantive skills to strengthen their preparation for law school; and (3) educate and prepare participants for the law school application and admission process. The program is primarily directed at undergraduate college students from disadvantaged groups that are underrepresented in the legal profession.

Apply to the IIT Chicago-Kent PLUS program

LAWbound

An initiative of the Latino Justice PRLDEF Education Division, LAWbound provides targeted services that address some of the most common barriers to admission to law school, and helps students effectively navigate the law school admissions process. The program is offered in the summer (August) as well as in the winter (January).

Apply to LAWbound

PLSI–Pre-Law Summer Institute

PLSI is an intensive two-month program which prepares American Indian and Alaska Native individuals for the rigors of law school by essentially replicating the first semester of law school. The course load consists of three substantive law courses, including Indian Law, Torts, and one other core curriculum subject which varies from year to year. Participants also will be enrolled in an advocacy/legal writing course in which they will prepare a complete appellate moot court case including the writing of a legal memorandum and brief, and presenting an oral argument at the end of the two months.

Apply to PLSI–Pre-Law Summer Institute for American Indians and Alaska Natives

St. John’s University School of Law

The Prep Program aims to encourage students from underrepresented backgrounds − often the first members of their family to attend college − to apply to law school and pursue the study and practice of law. Participants attend a nine-week summer program during which they take law school courses taught by St. John’s faculty, engage in internships with judges and lawyers in a variety of practice settings and receive ample guidance on the law school admissions process. Students who successfully complete the program for sophomores can apply to participate in the program for juniors the following summer, when they take a comprehensively designed LSAT prep course, attend motivational workshops and work with a legal writing professor to write their personal statements.

Apply to the St. John’s University School of Law Prep Program for College Students

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity

SEO Career is a summer internship and professional development program targeting talented Black, Hispanic, and Native American undergrads and pre-law school candidates.

Apply to the SEO Career program

University of Texas at San Antonio Institute for Law and Public Affairs

The Summer Law School Preparation Academy (SLSPA) offers an enhanced pre-law curriculum, supplemented by guest speakers and practical experiences, in support of the Institute for Law and Public Affairs’ goal of increasing the number of Texas students who gain admission to and excel in law school. The SLSPA is open to undergraduate students attending any accredited college or university.

Apply to the Summer Law School Preparation Academy

TRIALS

Trials is a five-week fully subsidized residential summer study program for students of modest means whose backgrounds are currently underrepresented at the nation’s top law schools. The program is a partnership of NYU School of Law, Harvard Law School, and the Advantage Testing Foundation. The location alternates between Boston and New York City from year to year.

Apply to Training and Recruitment Initiative for Admission to Leading Law Schools

Cornell University

This intensive, six-week program taught in New York City features a four-credit course, “Introduction to the American Legal System,” taught using the Socratic method used at most U.S. law schools. The program also may include an internship placement at a law firm or in the legal department of a corporation, government agency, or nonprofit organization. The program is designed for undergraduates who have completed their sophomore year or higher by the summer of entry, and for college graduates who wish to gain an accurate, comprehensive understanding of America’s legal system.

Apply to the Pre-Law Summer Program

Duke Law D.C. Summer Institute on Law and Policy

The Duke D.C. Summer Institute offers short (two-week) courses taught by Duke Law faculty on topics of broad interest to college and graduate students, as well as professionals working in D.C. Launched in 2013, the Institute is designed for individuals considering law school or careers in the public sector and others interested in how the law shapes policy and regulation in the United States. Courses taught in the evening accommodate students and professionals as a complement to Capitol Hill and other D.C.-based positions and summer internships.

Apply to the Duke D.C. Summer Institute
courtroom

International Summer Programs

The University of Oxford-The Ohio State University Summer Pre-Law Program @ the University of Oxford in Oxford, England The University of Oxford-The Ohio State University Summer Pre-Law Program offers students the unique opportunity to study with faculty from both the University of Oxford in England and The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in the United States. Students will learn about the British and American legal systems through a combination of class work, guest lectures, and excursions in Oxford and London.

Apply for the program