Best Pre-Law Summer Programs – 2026

Planning to become a lawyer? Although law school may currently feel like a foggy outline on the horizon, it’s never too early to start building skills and testing the waters before you commit. In addition to seeking out academic and extracurricular leadership positions, it’s important to spend time immersing oneself in the profession, whether it’s shadowing an attorney or studying the American legal system. As such, the best pre-law summer programs expose students to the wide range of possible careers and specializations available while enabling them to sharpen critical thinking, communication, and public speaking skills, learn to deliver arguments, and abide by legal ethics–all of which are essential to success in this highly visible and collaborative role. If you’re wondering where to start, be sure to check out our list of top pre-law summer programs for high school students below.

Want a full look at our searchable database of the best 2026 summer programs? Click below to sort summer programs by discipline and location, and view important data points such as tuition costs, deadlines, course listings, and more!

2026 Best Summer Programs

1) Georgetown Pre-College Online Program

• Location: n/a
• Instructional Method: Online
• Program Length: 1, 2, or 4 weeks (enrichment courses) / 6, 8 or 12 weeks (college credit courses)
• Cost: $1,895 (enrichment course) / $3,995 (college credit course)
• Eligibility: High school students aged 13 and older
• Application Deadline: varies depending on course, but is typically rolling until approximately a week before the course’s start date

If you’re a high school student, the flexibility of Georgetown’s Pre-College Online Program is unmatched. Students as young as 13 can take courses year-round, exploring budding curiosities and career paths or delving deeply into subject areas they are passionate about. Pre-law students will be particularly interested in enrichment courses like Law: Analyze, Argue, and Advocate Like a Lawyer and International Law: Protecting the World’s Interests.

All courses are delivered through a set of engaging and dynamic video lessons led by Georgetown professors, and involve approximately 20-30 hours of instruction and activities. During the course itself, you’ll be assigned a mentor with expertise in your course’s field who will support you through the material and be available to answer questions. There are no live meetings required, so everything can be completed on your own schedule. The curriculum is designed for active learning; all courses conclude with a Final Capstone Project, which allows you to demonstrate what you’ve learned. 

2) Notre Dame Pre-College Online Program

• Location: n/a
• Instructional Method: Online
• Program Length: 2 or 4 weeks
• Cost: $1,795 per course
• Eligibility: Students aged 13 and older
• Application Deadline: Rolling

Students 13 and older can study with the University of Notre Dame anywhere, anytime, at their own pace, in this flexible year-round program. In the legal realm, future lawyers can take Law: Thinking Like a Lawyer, which teaches the method of legal analysis known as IRAC (issues, rules, application, conclusion). You’ll discover major issues in criminal law, constitutional law, sports law, and intellectual property law; and analyze the U.S. legal system and how it compares to legal systems in other countries. Finally, you’ll create a brief for a hypothetical client asserting your position.

3) Vanderbilt Summer Academy

• Location: Nashville, TN
• Instructional Method: In-person (residential)
• Program Length: 1 week
• Cost:$2,150-$2,750
• Eligibility: Grades 7-12
• Application Deadline: Rolling

One-week summer courses are offered through Vanderbilt University’s Programs for Talented Youth. VSA courses are accelerated and designed to meet the needs of gifted and high-ability students. With up to 6 hours of academic activities per day, participants will stretch their intellectual boundaries while enjoying life on this beautiful Nashville campus.

Rising 11th and 12th-graders interested in the law can take Introduction to Legal Studies: A Crash Course in Law. This class provides an intensive overview of legal studies through engaging foundational topics that are often at the core of the 1L (first year) law school experience. These critical topics include criminal law, torts, contracts, property, and constitutional law. By the end of the course, you will develop an emerging understanding of the major areas of law, learn how to read a legal case, and begin to think like a lawyer.

Rising juniors and seniors can also take How to Win a Jury Trial: Foundations of Litigation. This course explores the fundamentals of trial law through a combination of theory and practical application. From opening statements to closing arguments, you’ll gain an understanding of the stages of a trial and the skills needed to effectively advocate for a client in the courtroom. We will cover topics such as opening statements, direct and cross-examination, the introduction of evidence, and closing arguments. We will also explore the rules of evidence, courtroom etiquette, and strategies for effective advocacy.

4) Penn Carey Law Pre-College Academy

• Location: Philadelphia, PA
• Instructional Method: In-person (residential or commuter)
• Program Length: 3 weeks
• Cost: $9,899 (residential) / $6,299 (commuter)
• Eligibility: High school students aged 15-18
• Application Deadline: Rolling (students are advised to apply as early as possible)

Penn Carey Law’s goal is to provide high school students with a glimpse of the first-year law school experience. As such, they spend three weeks immersing themselves in a condensed version of Penn Carey’s first-year law school curriculum.

During the first two weeks of the program, students are introduced to the ins and outs of the American legal system. Accordingly, topics to be covered include contracts, torts/liability, criminal law, and constitutional law. In addition to developing legal reasoning, leadership, and communication skills, students engage in Socratic dialogue led by Penn faculty members. Then, in week three, students have the opportunity to explore specialized fields of law like environmental law and human rights & immigration law, among others. Virtual visits to law firms and courtrooms round out the experience.

These pre-law summer programs provide housing for non-local students and offer a commuter option for those in the Philadelphia area. Moreover, students who opt to live on-campus have access to weekend social activities and mentorship as well as the opportunity to explore the city and surrounding area.

Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Although the final deadline is in June, applications are evaluated on a rolling basis and programs fill quickly. Admission is selective; students must have a strong academic record and demonstrated leadership experience in order to be seriously considered.

5) Summer Springboard Pre-College Programs

• Location: Multiple locations
• Instructional Method: In-person (residential or commuter)
• Program Length: 1-2 weeks
• Cost: $2,998-$3,498 (commuter) / $4,298-$6,498 (residential)
• Eligibility: 9th-12th graders
• Application Deadline: Rolling

Locations include Yale, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Duke, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, the University of Michigan, and many more. With over 60 available courses across, you’ll be sure to find something that matches your academic interests. This includes a Trial Law course offered at Berkeley, Georgetown, UC San Diego, and Yale. In this class, students master courtroom processes as they defend a challenging case from start to finish. Research the evidence, craft and deliver your opening statement, prepare and cross-examine witnesses, craft your arguments, and have a strong closing statement to impress and win over the judge and jury. (There is also a middle school version of this course.)

8) Envision Intensive Law & Trial

• Location: Palo Alto, CA
• Instructional Method: In-person (residential)
• Program Length: 10 days
• Cost: $5,699
• Eligibility: Grades 9-12
• Application Deadline: Rolling

Offered in conjunction with Stanford Law School, Intensive Law & Trial aims to immerse aspiring attorneys into the legal world. All students begin with a foray into the theory and practice of law, learning ethics and legal rhetoric from seasoned professionals as well as Stanford Law faculty. Along the way, they practice myriad skills via simulations and workshops, such as preparing a case, understanding evidence, public speaking, and cross-examining witnesses. This preparation ultimately culminates in a mock trial simulation where students use their new knowledge to argue a full case from opening statement to closing argument.

In addition to career immersion, students develop their leadership abilities and gain insight into potential college majors. Moreover, the program isn’t all work and no play–students spend time exploring Palo Alto and San Francisco. In order to apply to Envision’s pre-law summer programs, students must be pre-qualified through a nomination by an educator or advisor. However, it should be noted that students can also nominate themselves.

9) ACLU National Advocacy Institute

• Location: Washington, DC
• Instructional Method: In-person (residential)
• Program Length: 1 week
• Cost: $3,500
• Eligibility: Ages 15-18
• Application Deadline: March 2 (early decision) / April 13 (regular decision)

For a week in July, talented and passionate high school students from across the country gather in Washington, D.C. to immerse themselves in social justice advocacy and civil liberties issues. Accordingly, they learn from lawyers, lobbyists, and activists who have dedicated their lives to defending civil rights.

Each day, students engage in electives and seminars that explore issue advocacy, legal strategy, and political decision-making. Additionally, they participate in A Day of Action on Capitol Hill, where they’ll lobby, rally, and advocate for real issues like immigration reform, systemic equality, and education censorship while learning about the ins and outs of political and advocacy campaigns.

To apply to these pre-law summer programs, students need to complete a general application as well as an essay. They’ll also need to submit a letter of recommendation.

Live in a state that belongs to ACLU’s Southern Collective? Consider checking out the week-long Southern Collective Institute High School Program, held in Atlanta, GA and Montgomery, AL.

10) Mock Trial Academy at Rhodes College

• Location: Memphis, TN
• Instructional Method: In-person (residential)
• Program Length: 1 week
• Cost: $2,400
• Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors
• Application Deadline: February (early decision); April (regular decision)

Given that Rhodes runs one of the most successful collegiate mock trial programs in the country, it’s an excellent place to develop public speaking and presentation skills, both of which are essential for aspiring lawyers.

Each morning, students attend lectures that cover topics like advocacy theory, criminal trial rights, and evidence. Then, each afternoon, they practice skills like openings, closings, directs, and cross-examination. They’ll put these skills to good use on the final day of the program when they perform a full trial in front of the teaching staff as well as parents and friends.

Outside of academics and trial preparation, students attending these pre-law summer programs have the opportunity to explore Memphis. Past outings have included meetings with state and federal judges, tours of the National Civil Rights Museum, and famous Elvis sites. They’ll also dine nightly with fellow students and participate in evening social activities.

Final Thoughts – Pre-Law Summer Programs for High School Students

Pre-law summer programs can be a valuable and rewarding start to your journey. Whether you aspire to become an attorney, consultant, judge, or legal professor, law school will be the first stop after you complete your undergraduate degree. As such, taking the time now to understand the legal world’s unique demands while strengthening the critical thinking, reasoning, speaking, and writing skills necessary to be successful will only pay dividends later.

Looking for pre-law summer programs in your area? Consider checking out the following:

• Best Summer Programs in Atlanta
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