The Miami Law Undergraduate Summer Legal Academy is for college students (for high school students, click here for information). It is ideally for college students who:
(WATCH: Hear reactions from students who participated in last year's program.)
Students will spend the first two weeks of the summer legal academy in the courses that constitute the traditional first year classes, including:
So much of law is governed by contracts – rental agreements, consumer agreements to 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?
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 actors whose conduct may harm others?
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?
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 lawsuits?
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?
During the third week, students will take two additional courses that apply foundational concepts and materials to areas beyond the first-year curriculum. These courses will expose students to substantive areas of law that are often engaged in the upper level law curriculum. Past electives have included:
Students have the opportunity to apply what they have learned by making an oral argument related to a specific legal question.
Monday 9:00-11:00 a.m Torts 12:00-1:30 p.m. Admissions Presentation 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. Round Table Discussion
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. No. Participation in the program requires a 3-week commitment from July 11 – July 29 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. Attendance in each class, and each out-of-class activity, is required. No session will be recorded. Synchronous. No session will be recorded. 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. 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. 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. You should only have reading for one class per day. But you should expect 1-2 hours of reading for class preparation per night. We hope it will be, but we recognize that this is our first effort, and will assess at the end of the program.
Are the dates of the Summer Legal Academy flexible?
Will I need to download a particular software for the class?
Is attendance mandatory for each class?
Are online classes asynchronous or synchronous?
Will I receive college credits?
Will participation in the Summer Legal Program improve my chances of getting into the University of Miami Law School?
What will participation in the Summer Legal Academy entail?
How much reading should I expect?
Is this a recurring program?
Please contact us at sla@law.miami.edu.