Key Takeaways

• Four of the seven programs in this list are open only to students who live or attend school in specific places: Law Links (Baltimore City), the Dallas Bar Summer Law Intern Program (Dallas ISD), the Judicial Youth Corps (Boston, Springfield, and Worcester), and the Manhattan District Attorney’s High School Internship Program (Manhattan).
• Law Links is a seven-week paid internship for current Baltimore City public high school sophomores and juniors, it pays $15 an hour, and applications for 2027 are listed as coming in December 2026.
• The Manhattan District Attorney’s High School Internship Program is a five-week paid internship for juniors and seniors who live in Manhattan, and its 2026 application required a one-page resume and a 300-word essay by February 27, 2026.
• The 2027 NSLC Law & Advocacy program runs at Georgetown University in Washington, DC and at UCLA, with residential tuition of $4,495 at Georgetown and $4,595 at UCLA.
• The 2027 NYLF Law & CSI program is an eight-day residential program at the University of Maryland, College Park or Emory University, with a starting price of $4,499 and two college credits through George Mason University.
• The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office offers internships in summer, winter, and spring cycles, and its application portal listed no open positions at the time of writing.

Top Law Internships for High School Students 

1. Law Links Internships 

Law Links is a seven-week paid summer internship program for Baltimore City public high school students who are currently in their sophomore or junior year. The internships place students in law firms and law-related agencies, and interns work full time, Monday through Friday, and earn $15 an hour. To be eligible to apply, a student must attend a Baltimore City public high school and live in Baltimore City. The application requires a typed letter of interest of up to one page, a transcript, and a school attendance record, and MYLAW lists applications for 2027 as coming in December.

Alongside the on-site internship, students attend the Law & Leadership Institute, a 50-hour educational seminar that begins with a 2.5-day orientation and resumes each Wednesday morning. Law Links outfits interns with professional attire from Ann Taylor or Joseph A. Banks at no charge, so interns become familiar with what constitutes ‘appropriate’ dressing. By supplying the attire, Law Links ensures that “no student is at a financial disadvantage when purchasing business attire”.

2. Brooklyn District Attorney High School Internship

The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office offers internships three times a year, in summer, winter, and spring cycles, and its high school internships are part of this program. The summer cycle provides a nominal weekly stipend. Interns may be asked to assist in investigations, to attend trials, to prepare documents, to analyze legal research and data, and to take part in outreach initiatives. Interns are assigned to specialized bureaus and units, including Homicide, Special Victims, Violent Criminal Enterprise, Domestic Violence, Civil Rights, Victim Services, Crime Strategies, and Investigations.

At the time of writing, the application portal listed no open positions, and the internship page did not state eligibility rules or deadlines for high school applicants.

3. National Student Leadership Conference: Law & Advocacy Program

The National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) Law & Advocacy program is a nine-day summer program for students ages 14 to 18 who have completed at least one year of high school. In 2027, the program takes place at Georgetown University in Washington, DC and at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Tuition at Georgetown is $4,495 for residential students and $3,845 for commuter students, and tuition at UCLA is $4,595 for residential students and $3,925 for commuter students.

Students develop advocacy skills through experiential simulations of the stages of a trial, such as jury selection, evidentiary procedure, and direct and cross examinations. NSLC also offers optional college credit through American University for an additional tuition fee, and the credit is not included in the program tuition.

4. Dallas Bar Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP)

The Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) is a partnership between the Dallas Bar Association and the Dallas Independent School District (ISD). The program places students with law firms and corporate legal departments across the Dallas metro area. The internships last up to eight weeks and take place in June and July. SLIP is open to Dallas ISD high school juniors, the 2026 application deadline was April 1, 2026, and the 2027 application has not been posted.

5. Judicial Youth Corps Program

The Judicial Youth Corps (JYC) Program is a six-week educational summer program run by the Supreme Judicial Court's Public Information Office. JYC brings together a summer school and paid internships in courts in Boston, Springfield, and Worcester, and students must attend the entire six-week session. To join the Boston program, a student must live in Boston and attend a Boston public school. Applicants in Springfield and Worcester must attend a high school located in the city where they apply.

Through a series of educational sessions, JYC teaches high school students about the Massachusetts court system and the rule of law. Judges, lawyers, clerks, probation officers, and other court personnel volunteer their time to mentor and guide the students. Students are selected through applications and teacher recommendations. The 2026 application deadline was April 10, 2026 for the Worcester and Springfield programs, and the 2027 application has not been posted.

6. Manhattan High School Internship Program

The Manhattan District Attorney’s High School Internship Program is a five-week paid internship that gives students first-hand insights into criminal justice. To be considered, candidates must be current high school juniors or seniors who reside in Manhattan, and they submit a one-page resume together with a 300-word essay about their interest in criminal justice. The 2026 program ran from June 29 to July 31, 2026, and the 2026 application deadline was February 27, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. The 2027 application has not been posted.

Participants attend workshops and lectures, take part in mock trial competitions, and get professional practice in the operations of the District Attorney's Office and the criminal justice system in general.

7. National Youth Leadership Forum: Law & CSI

The National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF) Law & CSI is an eight-day residential summer program run by Envision by WorldStrides for students in grades 9 through 12. In 2027, the program takes place at the University of Maryland, College Park or at Emory University in Atlanta, and the starting price is $4,499. The program gives students a hands-on approach to law and crime scene investigation (CSI), from crime investigation and evidence gathering to courtroom proceedings and a criminal trial.

Participants earn two college credits through George Mason University, and the credit is included in the program tuition. Most students join through nomination or selection, and other students can contact the program’s admissions team.

Who Can Apply to These Law Programs

Four of the seven programs above limit applicants to specific places, and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office does not publish its high school eligibility rules on its internship page. The table shows where applicants must live or attend school and what else each program requires, according to the official pages.

Students can start with the programs open to their location and then check the application details for those programs.

Which Law Programs Pay and Which Charge a Fee

Four programs in the list pay students or give a stipend, two charge families a fee, and one does not state pay on the official page that was checked. The table shows what each official page says.

If Your City Is Not Covered

Most of the programs above are open only to students who live or attend school in specific cities. Students elsewhere can compare other options in the Indigo Research guides to research opportunities for high school students and internships for high school students, which explain the main types of programs and how to choose among them.

Prepare for Law Internships with Confidence 

These law internships and summer programs expose you to the legal profession. Always check eligibility and application instructions for each program that you apply to. Most internships require you to be passionate about the legal field, and there's no better way to prove that than by participating in relevant extracurricular programs.

If you want to improve your chances of competing for coveted internship positions, then an extracurricular such as the Indigo Research High School Program is good for you. Our program will help build your expertise and sharpen your critical thinking and research skills. This will give you a competitive advantage when applying for an internship or college. Start investing in your future today, get in touch with us for more information about the Indigo Research Program.