Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Analyze cases and practice legal advocacy in this 2-week program for high school students on Georgetown University’s campus.
Course Description
How does the American legal system turn broad principles into decisions? Students examine the rule of law, justice, the Constitution, and the roles of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Landmark cases and current legal issues help them see how statutes, regulations, precedent, and constitutional rights shape everyday life.
The course treats law as a practice, not only a body of facts. Students learn to brief a case by identifying the issue, relevant facts, reasoning, and decision. Small-group activities ask them to argue constitutional questions, compare civil and criminal matters, and follow a case through pleading, discovery, pretrial, trial, and post-trial stages.
Legal vocabulary becomes useful through advocacy exercises. Students practice research, negotiation, cross-examination, and simulated trial work while considering the responsibilities of different legal professionals. Discussion emphasizes precise reasoning, supportable claims, and the ability to understand more than one side of a dispute. Discussion, practice, and feedback help students check their reasoning and improve how they communicate the work.
This two-week course takes place at Georgetown University. The course is available to residential and commuter students. Beyond class, students connect focused academic work with campus life, growing independence, and clearer direction about what students may want to study or pursue next. The program is developed by Georgetown University and offered in partnership with Summer Discovery.
What Will You Do?
• Map the three branches of government and their legal roles
• Analyze constitutional rights through a structured amendment argument
• Brief a case by identifying issue, facts, reasoning, and decision
• Compare civil and criminal cases and sources of law
• Trace pleading, discovery, trial, and post-trial procedure
• Practice negotiation, questioning, and simulated legal advocacy
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Explain core structures and sources within the American legal system
• Brief a legal case and analyze competing arguments
• Apply legal reasoning and advocacy skills in a simulated proceeding
Students leave with case briefs, advocacy practice, and a clearer understanding of legal careers and the reasoning behind legal decisions.
Why Legal Reasoning Skills Matter?
Legal reasoning teaches students to separate a disputed issue from the facts and rules that govern it. Case briefing provides a repeatable structure for identifying what a court decided and why, while constitutional questions show how interpretation can produce competing arguments.
Advocacy adds communication and ethical responsibility. Students practice stating a position, responding to questions, and recognizing the limits of available evidence. Those skills strengthen research, writing, public speaking, and critical thinking across academic subjects and civic life. Together, the work reinforces careful reasoning and the ability to revise a conclusion when new evidence changes the picture.
Who Should Attend?
This course is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and are interested in law, government, justice, policy, debate, or legal careers. It fits students who enjoy close reading, structured argument, and examining how rules apply to complicated facts.
Participants should be ready to discuss contested issues respectfully, read cases, collaborate, and speak during simulations. Students who are willing to revise an argument when the facts or governing rule change will be especially well suited.
Recommended by More Than 4 out of 5 Students
Based on students surveyed in 2026 about Summer Discovery High School programs at Georgetown University campus.
Why Georgetown University?
Studying on Georgetown University’s campus gives high-school students the opportunity to explore an academic interest while experiencing campus life in Washington, D.C. Its historic campus and surrounding neighborhood sit near embassies, institutions, and organizations that shape national and international conversations, giving the summer a distinctive sense of place.
Students learn alongside peers with similar interests, navigate a new environment, and gain independence through everyday choices and responsibilities. Time outside class helps students experience the broader rhythm of university life while considering what subjects, communities, and possible directions feel right for them. For families, the program offers a combination of substantive academic exploration, personal growth, and clearer insight into what a student may want to study or pursue next.
Summer Discovery Certificate of Completion
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive