10 Legal Internships for High School Students
- Estelle Reardon
- Oct 10
- 7 min read
Topics We Cover:
Legal internships for high school students can lay the foundation for a future career in law—offering real-world experience, exposure to different legal fields, and a strong start toward success.
Why Do Internships in High School?
Legal internships for high school students provide a host of benefits. For example, according to the consultancy PRISM, nearly three-quarters of students attending U.S. News top 50 universities engaged in at least one internship while in high school.
High school internships help students stand out in crowded fields of college applicants. They show ambition and demonstrate a student’s commitment to pursuing fields of interest. They also offer firsthand insight into professional fields and environments, allowing students to make informed decisions about their future.
Furthermore, engaging in a high school internship makes it easier for students to secure internships in college, as well as gain admission to pre-professional and college organizations like pre-law society, debate club, or mock trial team.
How to Find Legal Internships for High School Students
Online search tools and lists like the StandOutSearch database are a fantastic place for high schoolers to discover internship opportunities. StandOutSearch is the largest online catalog of internships for high school students and easily searched with a variety of filters, such as location, field of interest, and format (in-person, virtual, hybrid). MIT Admissions also provides a handy resource—a list of summer programs and internships for high schoolers.
Official internship programs have one notable challenge: they’re extremely competitive. Therefore, students serious about earning an internship will want to develop a cold outreach strategy—that is, a plan for contacting potential internship providers to secure a position. Further below, we offer guidance about getting a cold outreach strategy off the ground and email templates to simplify the process.
10 Legal Internships for High School Students
In general, the internships below are in high demand—there are simply more high schoolers interested in internships than there are available positions—and most have acceptance rates less than 20%. If you’re intent on landing a position, we recommend applying to at least five opportunities.
Ages: 15-19
Location: Virtual
Timeline: Summer, Spring, Fall, or Winter
Deadline: Various Deadlines
StandOut Connect is a program that pairs high school students with online internships in fields such as finance, law, medicine, STEM, the arts, and more. StandOutConnect is supported by StandOutSearch, the largest free database of high school internships online.
StandOutConnect was founded with the help of an investment from the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and has been featured in Forbes.
Ages: Freshman-Senior
Location: New York, NY
Timeline: Academic year
Deadline: August 15
The New York University High School Law Institute (HSLI) is a student-run organization that provides high-achieving, highly motivated high school students with courses in fields including constitutional law, criminal law, speech, and debate.
Courses are led by NYU Law and undergraduate students under the supervision of NYU Law faculty. Students meet Saturday mornings during the academic year to participate in classes and complete assignments while developing critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork.
Ages: 16 or older
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Timeline: Year-round
Deadline: Varies
High school interns work in the DA’s office, helping handle day-to-day tasks and other legal functions. Intern responsibilities can include administrative functions like:
Scanning
Photocopying
Shredding
Answering telephones
Typing
Filing
Delivering documents
Assembling reports and documents
Interns gain firsthand experience with the criminal justice system and connect with a range of staff—from legal services to law enforcement.
Ages: Freshman-Senior
Location: Chicago, IL
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: July 1
This week-long camp exposes high school and college students to the legal profession. The course takes place at Saper Law Offices and consists of negotiation and writing exercises, field trips, and mock legal proceedings. Since Saper Law practices considerably in the fields of social media and digital technology, the program focuses on entertainment-, business-, and internet-related legal case studies.
Participants will also listen to lectures from notable speakers; connect with judges, attorneys, and law school faculty; and explore different workplace settings.
Ages: Sophomore-Senior
Location: New York, NY
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Contact for deadline
This rigorous five-week internship provided by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office gives high schoolers a firsthand look at the criminal justice system. Interns engage in workshops and discussions, participate in a mock trial, develop professional skills, gain experience in an office setting, and more.
This is a paid program—interns earn minimum wage.
Ages: Rising Senior
Location: New York, NY
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 31
Students selected for this prestigious internship program work with a state or federal judge in one of New York City’s five boroughs. Participants also take part in educational programming centered on college preparation and mentorship. By the end of the program, interns gain the skills and knowledge needed to pursue careers in law.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Hartford, CT
Timeline: Spring, Summer, Fall
Deadline: Varies
Unpaid internships with Connecticut’s Office of the Attorney General are available to high schoolers. Interns must have an interest in the law and be clear communicators, strong researchers, excellent writers, and proficient with computers. Positions are available in a number of fields, including antitrust, general litigation, and child protection.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Houston, TX
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
This eight-week learning experience for Houston high school juniors and seniors places them in internships at Houston-area law firms, corporate legal departments, and public interest agencies. Participants learn about the legal field, gain professional experience, and build real-world skills.
Ages: Junior or Senior
Location: Buffalo, NY
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
This three-week, unpaid summer internship enables students to gain insight into different careers in the court system. Students work directly with judges, judicial chambers staff, and other professionals in the non-judicial ranks of the Unified Court System while learning firsthand about the justice system and the work of the courts.
Additionally, students will participate in professional development programs, building the skills needed to forge successful careers.
Ages: Sophomore-Senior
Location: Raleigh, NC
Timeline: Spring
Deadline: None
Students in the North Carolina Senate Page Program gain real-world experience with the legislative process of North Carolina—seeing up close how laws are made. Participants work on the Senate Chamber floor in the midst of legislative action, assisting the members and staff of the Senate during the legislative session.
Senate Pages participate in daily sessions, committee meetings, and perform other duties, including:
Delivering messages and materials
Answering phones
Distributing documents
Running errands
This North Carolina Senate Page Program is a paid program. Participants can receive a stipend to cover their expenses or, instead of payment, can receive thirty hours of community service.
Cold Outreach Strategy for High School InternshipsÂ
If none of the opportunities are right for you, the next step to finding legal internships for high school students is to launch a cold outreach strategy. Many high schoolers find cold outreach intimidating, but the guide below simplifies the process and should reduce any anxiety.
How to Find Companies to Reach Out to for a High School Internship
LinkedIn is an excellent tool for discovering small companies or firms to intern at. Small companies and firms are often short-staffed, making them more likely to take on a high schooler to assist with tasks like filing and organizing documents, managing files, and scheduling meetings.
When contacting professionals, try to make personal connections—for example, coming from the same hometown, attending the same high school, or passion for the same sports team.
How to Find Professors to Reach Out to for a High School Research Position
Online staff directories are a great resource for finding professors to contact about research positions. Most research positions are in-person, as high school students typically assist with manual jobs. The notable distinction is computational research positions.
Computational research normally requires a basic knowledge of coding languages such as Python or R. You can learn these languages within a few months for free, on your own, using tools like Coursera’s Python for Everybody or R Programming courses.
How to Structure and Send Outreach Emails
Try to initiate contact with at least 50 potential internship providers. When introducing yourself, make sure to include a Google Drive link to your resume—links work better than Docs and PDFs, which can hurt deliverability. Make sure that your resume’s sharing settings allow anyone with the link to view it.
High school students should limit the length of their resume to a single page and make sure to include any relevant work experience, like volunteering with a legal aid organization or participating on a mock trial team.
Don’t have a resume, or feel like you should polish your current resume before making internship inquiries? Our resume template and guide provide everything you need to create an attention-grabbing resume that will help you stand out from the competition. The University of Chicago also offers a useful resume template and guide.
Email Template for Finding a High School InternshipÂ
If you are unsure how to structure your outreach emails to potential internship providers, here are some basic templates you can customize to your needs.Â
Template for Finding an Internship
Subject: Student Reaching Out
Dear Mr./Ms.____,
I hope you are having a great day! My name is [your name], and I am a rising [grade] at [your school]. I read about your company on LinkedIn and found the concept quite interesting. For context, [briefly state how the company relates to your interests or experience].Â
I was wondering if you might be looking for interns. I know I would have a great deal to learn from working with you, and I would love to contribute in any way I can. I have included my resume here. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,Â
[Your name]
Template for Finding a Research Position
Subject: Student Reaching Out
Dear Professor/Dr. ____,
I hope you are having a great day! My name is [your name], and I am a rising [grade] at [your school]. I recently read your paper on [restate the abstract] in [name of publication] and was quite intrigued by [part you found interesting]. I was wondering if I might be able to intern for you over this summer. [Elaborate on your relevant skills and experience and why you are passionate about the field].Â
I have included my resume here. Thanks so much!Â
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Conclusion
Whether you’re applying to established programs or reaching out to professionals on your own, perseverance is key when searching for a legal internship or research position in high school. These opportunities can be challenging to secure, but most students find them well worth the effort for the valuable head start they provide.
If you found this article helpful, be sure to save it for later or share it with a friend. Good luck with your internship search!