Summer Legal Academy for High School Students

What Type of Student Should Attend?

The Miami Law High School Summer Legal Academy is for college students (for undergraduate students, click here for information). It is ideally for high school students who:

• Any student who has been told she should think about law school, but does not have a clue what law school entails;
• Any student who thinks he might be interested in law school, but is not sure;
• Any junior or senior who may not have thought as far as law school, but is interested in areas impacted by law, including business, real estate, criminal justice, immigration, innovation, voting rights, health access.
• Any student who has no clue what she wants to study, but who is curious, hardworking and committed.

(WATCH: Hear reactions from students who participated in last year's program.)

Who is Eligible to Attend?

• Students who have completed at least their sophomore year in high school.

Why Should You Attend?

• Miami Law has produced leaders at every level of law and policy – local, state, national and international, including judges, senators, corporate and non-profit leaders, and leading legal advocates.
• Miami Law’s student body is among the most diverse of any law school in the United States.
• Miami Law has a talented and committed faculty whose work touches on some of the most cutting-edge issues in society today.
• Miami Law is not just located in one of the world’s great international cities; it feeds—and is fed by—this great city.

Is there a Cost of Attendance?

• There is NO COST to attend the High School Summer Legal Academy.
• Course material will be provided at no cost.

Program Overview

WEEKS 1 & 2

Students will spend the first two weeks of the summer legal academy studying subjects that constitute part of the traditional first-year classes in law school, including:

• Contracts

  So much of law is governed by contracts – rental agreements, consumer agreements, purchase items online, and much else. What governs the formation of a contract? And what constitutes its breach? And what remedies are available to a party who has been harmed by another’s failure to live up to an agreement?

• Torts

  In the legal world, “torts” means a civil (not criminal) wrong or wrongful act, whether intentional or accidental, from which injury occurs to another. We cannot listen to the radio or television without hearing commercials about people who have been harmed by the acts of others. When do those acts constitute harms that serve as the basis for compensation? What are the bases for imposing costs on individuals whose conduct may harm others?

• Constitutional Law

  What are the bases for the government’s ability to impose rules and regulations on private and public actors? What are the limits of the government’s authority to do so?

• Civil Procedure

  Much of what we think we know about law is based on lawsuits between private actors or between private and public actors. But we know little about the rules that govern how those lawsuits come to be. Who can be sued? Where? For what? How do we obtain information about possible wrongs done by others? How do we pay for it?

• Criminal Law

  On what basis does the law proscribe conduct? On what basis does it enforce punishment against those who violate such proscriptions? How does societal opinion impact decisions to criminalize or decriminalize certain conduct?

• Thinking and Thinking Like a Lawyer

  This class will allow students to explore what it means to make arguments supported by evidence, and what it means to criticize the evidence used as support by others.

• Introduction to the Elective Curriculum

  During the third week, students will take two additional courses that apply foundational concepts learned in the first two weeks. These courses will expose students to substantive areas of law that are often studied in years two and three of law school. Past electives have included: 

  • Innovation and the Practice of Law
  • Law, and Social Change
  • Immigration 

• Mock Trial Participation

  Students will have the opportunity to apply what they have learned by making an oral argument related to a specific legal question. Here students will argue for or against a legal position, and will be asked to make arguments in opposition to classmates.

• Small Sections with Current Law Students: Students will have the opportunity to work closely with Dean’s Fellows who are current law students at Miami Law. Second and third-year law students will serve as mentors and guides to developing effective reading, notetaking and study practices for getting the most from the material in your classes.
• Roundtables with Legal Professionals: Students will have the opportunity to network and receive advice from leading lawyers, many of whom are Miami Law alumni.
• College Admissions Sessions with Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid Officers: Students will have access to workshops on college admission and financial aid.

Apply Now

• See schedule details

  Monday
  9:00-11:00 a.m	Torts
  12:00-1:30 p.m.	Thinking and Thinking Like a Lawyer
  Tuesday
  9:00-11:00 a.m	Contracts
  12:00-1:30 p.m.	Dean’s Fellow Session
  Wednesday
  9:00-11:00 a.m	Torts
  12:00-1:30 p.m.	Lawyers as Change Agents
  Thursday
  9:00-11:00 a.m	Contracts
  12:00-1:30 p.m.	Dean’s Fellow Session
  Friday
  9:00-11:00 a.m	Round Table Discussion
  12:00-1:30 p.m.	Thinking and Thinking Like a Lawyer

• See frequently asked questions

  When will I be informed of admission decision?

  The priority deadline for submission is June 3. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until seats are filled.
  
  
  Are the dates of the Summer Legal Academy flexible?

  No. Participation in the program requires a 3-week commitment from July 11 – July 29
  
  
  Will I need to download a particular software for the class?

  No. But you must be able to access Zoom for participation in the program. Zoom can be accessed on any device, including a smart phone.
  
  
  Is attendance mandatory for each class?

  Attendance in each class, and each out-of-class activity, is required. No session will be recorded.
  
  
  Are online classes asynchronous or synchronous?

  Synchronous. No session will be recorded.
  
  
  Will I receive college credits?

  At this time we cannot offer college credit for participation in the Summer Legal Academy. Students completing the Summer Legal Academy will receive a certificate and letter detailing the classes taken.
  
  
  Will participation in the Summer Legal Program improve my chances of getting into the University of Miami Law School?

  At Miami Law, we encourage prospective students to enrich their experiences before law school with programs like the Summer Legal Academy. However, attending this program will not be a factor in the law school admissions process at Miami Law.
  
  
  What will participation in the Summer Legal Academy entail?

  Participation will entail three weeks of classes. During those three weeks, classes will begin at 9 am EST and end at 11 am, Monday through Thursday. Students will take 6 different classes – two in each of the three weeks. There will be reading for each class session, and participants are expected to be prepared to engage the reading material. For a more complete sense of the schedule, please see the Sample Schedule section on this page.
  
  
  How much reading should I expect?

  You should only have reading for one class per day. But you should expect 1-2 hours of reading for class preparation per night.
  
  
  Is this a recurring program?

  We hope it will be, but we recognize that this is our first effort, and will assess at the end of the program.

Please contact us at sla@law.miami.edu.