Pre-Law Summer Programs & Institutes

Boston University Pre-Law Academy BU Summer Pre-Law Academy (BU-SPLA) is a residential four-week summer program focused on countering structural and environmental forces that unevenly tax underrepresented students. To accomplish this, BU-SPLA will expose students to legal cases, advocacy, and application preparation. Students will experience the Socratic classroom, read and brief cases, work in collaborative groups to represent a “client,” and make persuasive arguments. Students will also learn about the law admissions process, receive LSAT preparation, and will be mentored while working on a personal statement, an optional statement, and a resume.

University of California Davis School of Law – King Hall Outreach Program  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.

CLEO (the Council on Legal Education Opportunity) 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 1 and 2-day, weekend, and 6-week summer programs for students of different college years.

Duke Pre-Law Fellowship Program The Duke Pre-Law Fellowship Program is a four-week residential program that aims to introduce talented rising college sophomores and juniors to the study of law and to the legal profession.

Florida State College of Law 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.

The Fordham Law Pre-Law Institute The Fordham Law Pre-Law Institute is an online summer course designed to give undergraduate students and graduates insight into the law school experience, an introduction to foundational subjects in U.S. law, and an overview of the writing skills law students need to succeed. Classes are taught in the mornings, New York time. 

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.

IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) 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.

LSAC Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) Programs  LSAC 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.

LAWbound  LAWbound, a LatinoJustice PRLDEF program of the CAP LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE sponsored by Nixon Peabody LLP, aims to increase the number of Latinos who successfully stay on the path to law school. The program 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 (late July-early August) as well as in the winter (January).

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

Sonia & Celina Sotomayor Judicial Internship Program  The Sotomayor Program offers students from underserved communities and diverse backgrounds an unrivaled opportunity to build legal knowledge, skills, and experience as judicial interns in New York City state and federal courts. In addition to their four-week judicial internship, students in the College Division participate in an LSAT boot camp and in rigorous academic, professional, and personal programming—from legal research and writing to professional branding, wellness coaching, and soft skill trainings. Through this full, immersive, and engaging summer experience, students can gain the skills and resources they need to apply to law school and become a practicing attorney.

SEO Law Fellowship  The SEO Law Fellowship provides academic and career development training to underrepresented students entering their first year of law school. The Fellowship starts in the summer prior to the Fellow’s law school matriculation and includes an academic and career development training program, a paid internship, tutoring sessions during the first year of law school, and access to the SEO alumni network for mentorship opportunities.

The Stanford Law Scholars Institute The Stanford Law Scholars Institute was designed to provide support and training to undergraduate students seeking to explore the opportunities and benefits of a legal career for themselves, their families, and their communities. The program provides an introduction to the American legal system, legal education, and the wide range of careers available with a law degree. It also covers the law school application and LSAT process, strategies for financing legal education, and essential organizational and leadership skills, including time management, communication, teamwork, and navigating bias.

Suffolk Law School Summer Pre-Law Pipeline Program  The Suffolk Law School Summer Pre-Law Pipeline Program is free to attend and is designed to equip participants who come from diverse or nontraditional backgrounds with the tools they will need to prepare successful applications to law school and succeed once they are admitted. The 2-week program includes mini-law school classes and an application workshop. It’s intended for students who are 1-2 years away from applying to law school (juniors or seniors in college).

TRIALS Training and Recruitment Initiative for Admission to Leading Law Schools  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.

Washington & Lee APEX Program The APEX Program aims to expand access to legal education for underrepresented college students by offering comprehensive insights into the law school admissions process, LSAT preparation, law school curriculum, and career opportunities with a JD. We welcome applications from current rising juniors and seniors, with any major, school, or state of residence.

Yale Law School Launchpad Scholars Program The Yale Law School Launchpad Scholars Program, powered by Latham & Watkins, is focused on increasing opportunity and access to education and the legal profession. With rising law school application costs and other barriers limiting access to the legal profession, a law degree can be out of reach for some students. This innovative program aims to ensure that excellent applicants from all backgrounds can maximize their potential as law students and legal professionals, empowering them to become leaders in their future careers.

NOTE: Visit bu.edu/abroad for the most up to date information and complete listing of study abroad options with pre-law internship tracks and content.

Washington, D.C. Internship (Summer): Politics, International Relations & Pre-Law: The Washington, D.C. program offers students the opportunity to spend 10 weeks studying and interning in one of the world’s most important capital cities. Although known primarily as the capital city of American politics, Washington, D.C., plays a pivotal role, both nationally and internationally, in business, law, the sciences, media, and the arts. The program offers students the opportunity to focus on leadership, public policy, and agenda setting in their own area of interest. Students enroll in one course and participate in a professional internship. For this program, students receive support from our D.C. program staff during their independent internship search.

Sydney Internship (Summer): Politics, International Relations & Pre-Law: The Sydney Summer Internship Program offers students the opportunity to combine professional experience with academic coursework in vibrant, bustling Sydney. Students choose from courses that explore Australia’s economic and political systems, art traditions or international marketing management. Students also participate in Sydney’s local work life through an internship that earns academic units.

Dublin Internship Program (Summer):  The Dublin Summer Internship Program offers eight weeks of coursework and participation in a professional internship in or near Dublin. Excursions to cultural and historical sites complement the coursework. Coursework is taught by local faculty at Dublin City University (DCU). Offerings include International Human Rights Law (CAS IR 306). Politics, International Relations, and Pre-Law internship possibilities include working with an NGO, the press, humanitarian organizations, a political party, or a local Dublin law firm specializing in civil, criminal, or corporate law. Past internship placements have included the Institute of European Affairs, Fine Gael, Amnesty International, The European Movement, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Fianna Fáil, Philip Lee & Associates, HSBC, Terence Lyons & Co Solicitors, and the Free Legal Advice Centre.

Geneva: Global Governance, Economic Development, and Human Rights (Summer):  All students enroll in one required course: CAS IR 421/GRS IR 621: Global Governance, Economic Development, and Human Rights (4 credits) This course examines contemporary global governance structures and efforts with a particular focus on achieving economic development that is environmentally sound and socially inclusive. Students gain an in-depth understanding of the many different roles that states, inter-governmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations play in global governance in the early parts of the 21st Century. The course is designed for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students who specialize in international relations, political science, public health, development and environmental studies, and other related fields.

London Internship Program (Summer): The London Internship Program offers study and work in England’s fascinating, fast-paced, and sophisticated capital. Study the issues and institutions of British political culture and work in a political setting, including Parliament, party organizations, lobbying groups, or political public relations agencies; or, study the history and practice of the law in Great Britain and participate in the daily life of a British law firm or commercial legal department. Internship placements have included Labour and Conservative Party Headquarters, JD Spicer Zeb, Bark & Co, Powell Spencer & Partners Solicitors, Dow Jones & Company, MENCAP, IHS/Janes, Overseas Development Institute and Westminster Briefing.