Thursday, December 11, 2008


The Legal Studies Institute sponsored by The Fund for American Studies provides students with the chance to gain firsthand exposure to the American legal system through legal internships, 3-credit Constitutional law seminar and career development activities. The 2009 summer program will extend for ten weeks from May 24 - August 1, 2009 in Washington, DC and offers five components:

Legal Internship: Participants will be placed in a 9-week legal internship where they will gain substantive experience in the legal profession. Internship sites will include law firms, courts, public interest legal organizations, and the legal departments of trade associations, corporations and government agencies. Refer to the attached brochure for more specific internship sites and student testimonials.

Seminar on Constitutional Law: Participants will attend a 3-credit seminar on Constitutional law taught by leading legal scholars, including Dr. John Baker from the Louisiana State University School of Law and Dr. Roger Pilon from the Cato Institute. The 3 credits are transferable from New York Law School.

Briefings and Activities: Participants will attend private briefings at institutions of the judicial and executive branches and will meet with prominent judges, lawyers and judicial scholars.

Career Development Activities: Workshops will be held to help prepare participants for success in their law careers.

Attorney Mentor Program: Each participant will be matched with an experienced lawyer who will serve as a professional mentor.

Applications for the program will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. The early deadline is January 30, 2009. Click HERE for the online application and more information about fees and application requirements.