7 Legal Internships for High School Students in San Francisco
- Estelle Reardon
- a few seconds ago
- 7 min read
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Legal internships for high school students in San Francisco are a fantastic opportunity for Bay Area teens to kickstart a career in law. High school internships allow students to explore potential career paths while building hard and soft skills that will serve them in both their academic and professional pursuits.
Why Do Internships in High School?
Engaging in a legal internship for high school students in San Francisco—or an internship in general—also provides an advantage in college admissions. According to the University of Chicago’s student-run consultancy PRISM, 70% of students attending a U.S. News Top 50 university completed at least one internship during high school.
Legal internships for high school students show colleges that applicants have explored their interest in law beyond the classroom and confirmed it through real-world experience—helping them stand out in a competitive applicant pool.
Furthermore, engaging in a high school internship can increase the odds of securing college internships and gaining admission to pre-professional groups and organizations, including:
Pre-law societies
Legal aid clinics
Moot court
Debate team
Model UN
Student government
How to Find Legal Internships for High School Students in San Francisco
The best place to find up-to-date information about legal internships for high school students is online. Search tools, like StandOutSearch, are a valuable resource for internship-seeking teens. StandOutSearch is the largest free online database of high school internships and is easily searched using a number of filters, including:
Field of interest
Location
Format (in-person, online, hybrid)
Compensation (paid or unpaid)
Eligibility (age and grade requirements)
MIT Admissions also provides a helpful list of summer programs and high school internships. Official programs, such as those found in MIT’s collection of summer programs and internships, are great, but they’re not without their drawbacks—most notably, they’re often extremely competitive.
In addition to applying to established internships, high schoolers serious about landing a position will want to form a cold outreach strategy. Cold outreach is the process of contacting professionals you don’t know to pitch an internship opportunity. Cold outreach can be stressful, but the tips and templates included below should help ease some anxiety and increase your chances of securing an opportunity.
7 Legal Internships for High School Students in San Francisco
Most legal internships for high school students in San Francisco have acceptance rates of 20% or lower, due to high demand and limited spots. We recommend applying to at least five programs. If an opportunity excites you, mark the deadline on your calendar so you don’t miss it!
Ages: 15-19
Location: Virtual
Timeline: Summer, Spring, Fall, or Winter
Deadline: Various Deadlines
StandOut Connect helps high school students gain real-world experience through online internships in fields such as law, business, healthcare, science, technology, and the arts. Guided by alumni from top universities, students build career readiness—learning how to secure opportunities and succeed in the workplace—before completing a two-month internship where they lead meaningful projects.
StandOutSearch is supported by the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the program has been featured in Forbes.
Ages: 15-19
Location: Bay Area
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
This Bay Area summer program places high schoolers in regional government agencies like:
Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)
Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)
Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)
Bay Area Air District (Air District)
Participants gain a deeper understanding of the role public agencies play in people’s lives and how they work to improve lives and advance equity. Students participate in seminars and interactive sessions, culminating in a presentation addressing a local challenge in transportation, housing, environmental justice, or a related area.
Ages: 15-19
Location: San Francisco, CA
Timeline: Year-round
Deadline: TBD
High school students develop leadership, teamwork, and communication skills while exploring postsecondary educational and financial aid opportunities in this year-long program. Participants meet weekly during the school year for trainings and serve as leaders for nine weeks over the summer—planning and supervising youth activities, monitoring budgets, and participating in cross-training sessions.
Ages: Rising Juniors and Seniors
Location: San Francisco, CA
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
This summer program helps high schoolers build job readiness through workshops, trainings, and paid internships at San Francisco city departments, such as:
Public Utilities Commission
Public Library
SF International Airport
Participants are paired with a mentor, explore potential career paths, take college campus tours, and perform community service while gaining a clearer picture of life after high school.
Ages: Freshmen-Seniors
Location: San Francisco, CA
Timeline: Academic Year and Summer
Deadline: Contact for deadline
The Mayor’s Youth Employment & Education Program (MYEEP) provides high schoolers with paid work opportunities, but it’s more than just a job. Participants build the skills required for academic and professional success through workshops and training. They also receive mentorship, tutoring, and academic support.
Additionally, students are paired with mentors and given the chance to demonstrate leadership—ultimately building the skills and experience needed to accomplish their goals.
Ages: Seniors
Location: San Francisco, CA
Timeline: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Deadline:
Fall: TBD
Spring: November 21
Summer: January 31
This high school intnerhsip opportunity is ideal for students interested in both the law and public service. Participants learn about:
Police policies and practices
Criminal and constitutional law
Public safety, employment, and administrative law
Inner workings of government
Interns work with the Department of Police Accountability, assisting with tasks like:
Reviewing and analyzing body-worn camera footage
Researching local, state, and federal laws
Developing policies to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal laws
Helping DPA attorneys prepare for trials, including sentencing and appeals
Ages: Juniors and Seniors
Location: San Francisco, CA
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 13
Project Pull connects students with paid summer internships with the Public Utilities Commission. Interns work 20 hours per week, Monday through Friday, for eight weeks over the summer.
Cold Outreach Strategy for High School InternshipsÂ
If none of the above legal internships for high school students in San Francisco are the right fit for you, your next step is to launch a cold outreach campaign. Students and professionals alike often find reaching out to professionals they don’t know intimidating, but rest assured, the guide below should make the process considerably less nerve-wracking.
How to Find Companies to Reach Out to for a High School Internship
LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for discovering companies, firms, and organizations that might host a high school intern. Smaller entities are often understaffed and more likely to take on a high schooler to assist with filing and organizing documents, maintaining files, researching, and providing administrative support.
When reaching out to professionals you don’t know, try to establish a personal connection. For example, bonding over a shared hometown, volunteering for the same community advocacy group, or sharing a passion for a particular hobby or sports team.
Put your safety first when pursuing a cold outreach strategy—it’s safer to schedule interviews and meetings virtually.
How to Find Professors to Reach Out to for a High School Research Position
You can use university staff directories to identify professors for research opportunities. Remote positions for high school students are rare, as professors usually assign in-person tasks. Remote roles are more feasible in computational research, which often requires basic coding skills in languages like Python or R. Fortunately, you can learn these languages independently for free in a few months through resources like Coursera’s Python for Everybody and R Programming courses.
How to Structure and Send Outreach Emails
Aim to contact at least 50 potential internship providers as part of your cold outreach strategy. When emailing professionals, include a Google link to your resume, ensuring its settings allow anyone with the link to view its contents. Including a link works better than attaching a Doc or PDF, which can trigger spam filters and interfere with deliverability.
Be sure to include any work samples or relevant experience you have. This could include volunteer work with legal aid or advocacy organizations, participation in mock trial or debate teams, or experience with filing, organizing, and other administrative tasks.
Our resume template and tips offer a practical guide for creating a standout resume that can help you secure internships. Whether you already have a resume or are starting from scratch, you’ll find it useful. The University of Chicago’s resume template and guide is also a superb resource.
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
Landing a legal internship for high school students in San Francisco, or anywhere else, requires persistence and determination. These opportunities are competitive, but the experience can give you a valuable head start on your career. If you found this guide useful, consider saving it for later or sharing it with a friend.
Good luck in your internship search!