12 Legal Internships for High School Students
If you are a high school student looking to explore the field of law, consider applying for an internship! Internships can help you learn outside the classroom and apply what you’ve learned in a real-world setting. An internship may also involve projects or research work, which can be a solid way to build your resume while simultaneously participating in an academic and professional experience.
Gaining experience in the legal industry while in high school can boost your college applications by demonstrating your enthusiasm and drive. High school students who participate in law internships have the opportunity to explore several legal occupations, acquire real-world experience, and hone important skills that are highly regarded by college admissions committees.
Here are 12 legal internships for high school students to check out!
Location: Virtual
Eligibility: Open to high school students who are available for 8-12 weeks.
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year.
Program Dates: 8 weeks | Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Cost: Starting at $2490. Financial assistance is available.
Ladder Internships is a selective program that connects outstanding high school students eager to participate in internships with nonprofits and startups across the world, including legal-tech start-ups. These companies work in fields like technology, machine learning and AI, media and journalism, environmental science, business, healthcare, and more.
As part of this internship, you will work on a real-world project of actual importance to the organization and present your work at the end of the internship. You’ll also get to attend 1-on-1 sessions with your manager from the company as well as with a Ladder Coach. They will both be able to guide you through the internship and help you navigate the startup environment. As a Ladder intern, you will engage in a coaching + work-based model and group training sessions for soft skills and professional development.
2. Internship Program at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office
Location: Manhattan, NY
Eligibility: Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors who attend school or live in Manhattan
Application Deadline: March (tentatively)
Program Dates: 5 weeks | July – August (tentatively)
Stipend: Stipend available
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office offers a five-week internship where high school students get the opportunity to engage in different workshops and discussions related to topics of police brutality, criminal justice, civic engagement, and leadership. As an intern, you will be required to log 35 hours of work per week and participate in a series of presentations to better understand how policies are developed and implemented.
You will also have the opportunity to practice professional skills in an office atmosphere, take part in mock trials, and much more. To gain a basic grasp of the creation and application of policies, you will participate in a number of presentations and discussions with the personnel of the DA's office.
3. Internship at The United States Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York
Location: Brooklyn and Central Islip, NYC
Eligibility: Open to entering seniors from an accredited high school, technical, or vocational school,
Application Deadline: Rolling
Program Dates: 10 weeks | June – August (tentatively)
Stipend: This internship is unpaid.
The United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York offers a great opportunity for talented high school students interested in exploring the legal field. As a participant, you will engage with a number of fields through the internship and gain a well-rounded understanding of the legal field.
You can apply to several areas, including paralegal-legal studies, automated litigation support, library legal information and resource center, accounting assistant, human resources assistant, and more. This opportunity acts as a holistic exposure for pre-law students who have similar interests in criminal justice and community crime prevention.
4. Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship Program (TMSLIP) by the New York City Bar
Location: New York City
Eligibility: Open to high school students attending NYC public high schools
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in January.
Program Dates: This is a summer program that runs annually from April to August
Stipend: $15-21 per hour
The esteemed New York City High School Law Internship Program seeks to connect eager high school students in the city with legal employers, such as corporations, non-profits, government offices, and law firms.
As an intern, you will participate in networking events, panel discussions, and hands-on training, which will assist you in becoming ready for a legal profession. Helping paralegals, filing paperwork, keeping records, and organizing documents are just a few of the tasks you will have to perform. This is a solid opportunity for students to build a strong foundation in law under the guidance of expert professionals.
Check out the program brochure.
5. Atlanta Bar Association Summer Law Internship Program
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Eligibility: Open to high school juniors and seniors
Application Deadline: Applications open in March
Program Dates: 6 weeks in the summer | May – July (tentatively)
Stipend: Stipend available
The Atlanta Bar Association Summer Law Internship Program, or SLIP, is a selective program that was established in 1993. It is a solid path for high school students who want to gain experience and knowledge in the legal industry. The program's objectives are to foster mentor-mentee ties within the Atlanta legal community and to increase diversity in the legal sector. In addition to the hands-on component of the program, there is an educational component that entails studying current legal topics and producing a 750-word essay on a ruling by the US Supreme Court for submission to the yearly Terrence Croft Essay Competition.
As an intern, you will benefit from a mentor, valuable work experience, and an improved understanding of the law. During the internship, you are expected to attend weekly All Intern Meetings (AIMs), where you will learn from guest speakers and take progress tests to assess your progress. Keep in mind that failing these tests will result in you leaving the program.
6. High School Volunteer Internship Program – Office of Miami-Dade State Attorney
Location: Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office
Stipend: Unpaid; however, students can earn credits
Application Deadline: Rolling | You can send your internship application to SAOJobs@miamisao.com
Program Dates: At least 3 months
Eligibility: Applicants must put in at least 16 to 20 hours per week per semester with at least a 3-month commitment.
The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office extends an invitation to students residing in and around Miami to partake in their High School Volunteer Program. Through this opportunity, high school students will gain insight into potential jobs in the criminal justice system. The office employs interns in a variety of sectors, including the witness unit, criminal intake, and domestic violence.
During your internship, you will take up leadership roles in a variety of tasks related to criminal and civil matters, sworn testimony from victims and witnesses, bond hearings, criminal history checks, victim counseling, subject and defendant interviews, helping victims obtain protection orders, managing criminal complaints, investigating case law, assessing cases, and more. This is a solid chance to learn about the inner workings of the criminal justice system at the official and district levels.
7. Summer Law Institute (SLI) Program
Location: Multiple law schools, NYC
Stipend: Students will receive a monetary stipend upon successful completion of the program.
Application Deadline: Rolling
Program Dates: 5 weeks | First week of July to the first week of August (Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM)
Eligibility: Open to rising ninth-grade students from Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island
The Summer Law Institute (SLI) is a five-week summer law program for students who have just finished their eighth grade. As an intern, you will interact with positive and accomplished mentors as part of this program, engage them in professional activities, and gain real-world experience through field excursions and simulations. Along with daily interactions with lawyers, field trips to legal institutions, and participation in a mock trial competition, you will also learn about criminal justice themes.
This is a highly prestigious program hosted by the Brooklyn Law School, Cardozo School of Law, Columbia Law School, CUNY School of Law, Fordham School of Law, NYU School of Law, and St. John's School of Law. Only 30 students are accepted in each of the seven law school sites each year. The goal of the College Bound program is to assist students in gaining admission to national colleges by providing them with assistance, direction, and training.
8. Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) at the Dallas Bar Association
Location: Dallas, TX
Eligibility: Open to high school students who are juniors in Independent School Districts in Dallas
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in April.
Program Dates: 4 weeks (full-time) | 8 weeks (part-time) | June to July
Stipend: Stipend is provided, but the amount depends on the employer
The Dallas Independent School District and the Dallas Bar Association, in collaboration, provide high school students with their flagship Summer Law Intern Program. If chosen, you will work for four to eight weeks with a legal firm, non-profit organization, or the legal division of a corporate law firm. You will be equipped with a Summer Learning curriculum that outlines the expectations and learning outcomes of the program. You are required to finish it, as it will introduce you to the customs of legal offices. In addition, you will be able to take part in program-ending festivities and educational events hosted by the DBA.
9. Judicial Youth Corps (JYC) Program: Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Location: Boston, Worcester, and Springfield, MA
Eligibility: Open to students in grades 10-12 attending high school in Boston, Worcester, or Springfield (depending on the location of the application).
Application Deadline: Applications open in spring and typically close in March.
Program Dates: July to August | Six weeks
Stipend: Interns will receive a stipend of $15 per hour (25 hours per week).
The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts sponsors the Judicial Youth Corps (JYC), a six-week educational summer internship program that teaches students about the legal system and the state of Massachusetts. Three locations in Massachusetts are home to the JYC: Boston, Worcester, and Springfield.
As an intern, you will work four days a week in a Suffolk County court and attend full-day legal education classes. You will be mentored by judges, attorneys, clerks, probation officers, and other court employees who donate their time to provide workshops or serve as work supervisors. In August, you will have the option to take part in a fictitious trial held in federal court. For more information on the locations, check here.
10. Maryland Youth and The Law (MYLAW) – Law Links Internship
Location: Baltimore, MD
Eligibility: Open to Baltimore City public high school juniors and seniors who can work full-time for 7 weeks.
Application Deadline: April
Program Dates: 7 weeks | June – August
Stipend: $15 per hour
Law Links is a seven-week, paid summer internship program that places Baltimore City public high school juniors and seniors in law firms and law-related agencies. It is more than just a summer employment program; it is intended to adequately prepare high school students for a future in the legal field. You will work full-time from Monday through Friday during this internship and get on-the-job training. You’ll also be able to take part in the 50-hour Law & Leadership Institute, which starts with a two-and-a-half-day orientation and continues every Wednesday morning.
Through special, hands-on activities that highlight the value of civic engagement and responsibility, MYLAW will assist Interns in developing leadership, life skills, awareness of the law and legal system, and preparation for college and career. In addition to field trips to Citi Watch and the Baltimore FBI Bureau, the internship provides a plethora of interactive activities and discussions with legal professionals from law firms, city agencies, and the courts.
11. California Innocence Project (CIP) Internships
Location: San Diego, CA (California Western School of Law)
Eligibility: Open to high school, college, law, and post-bar students
Application Deadline: Summer: March 1 | Fall: July 1 | Spring: November 1
Program Dates: Summer, spring, and fall sessions. Interns may set their schedules as long as the requirements are met.
Cost/Stipend: None
Through the California Innocence Project, you can engage with skilled post-conviction lawyers to advocate for the release of falsely convicted inmates throughout the state of California. Their goals are to prepare law students to become fervent advocates, release those wrongfully convicted from prison, and alter the criminal justice system. As an intern, you will gain insight into the workings of the criminal justice system through this internship.
Every trimester, the California Innocence Project employs legal interns to work in their office and get insight into the field while completing clinic tasks. You will be expected to work 15 to 35 hours each week and will benefit from on-site training. You will also get to assist with legal research, copying, filing, client service, and/or any other tasks as delegated by CIP as a legal intern. If you are chosen, you will be given an overview of unjust convictions, as well as information on the particular tasks you will be required to perform in support of the larger goal.
12. Jimerson Birr High School Internship
Location: Jimerson Birr office, Jacksonville, FL.
Eligibility: Open to high school students who can work at the Jimerson Birr office in Florida
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in the spring.
Program Dates: 4-6 weeks in the summer.
Stipend: Unpaid
Jimerson Birr is a business and commercial litigation firm that runs an HSSIP (High School Summer Internship Program) for students interested in business and financial law. Throughout this internship, you will work in one of the many departments of the company, from accounting to legal services, and work alongside industry leaders. You will also have the flexibility to choose their area of work whether that’s accounting, communications and marketing, legal services, or information technology.
Throughout the internship, you’ll be working directly with the firm’s finance staff and attorneys, contributing to active cases and research, helping interns understand not only financial services but its legal implications as well.