Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Analyze legal problems and present reasoned arguments in this 3-week law academy for high school students on UT Austin’s campus.
Rated 4.6 out of 5 for course experience by students surveyed across the broader program in 2026.
Instructor:
Course Description
When people disagree about rights, responsibility, or fairness, what gives a legal argument its force? Students examine how the U.S. Constitution, separation of powers, federalism, courts, statutes, and common law organize legal authority. Seminar discussions ask them to identify the legal issue inside a complex public or personal dispute.
The course compares civil and criminal systems. Students break down torts, negligence, strict liability, contracts, remedies, property, and intellectual property, then consider criminal culpability and the changing goals of criminal justice. Current events connect these structures with the ways laws and policies affect individuals, families, and communities.
A law-school seminar format emphasizes concise readings, active listening, the Socratic method, and lively discussion. Students practice summarizing rules, applying them to new facts, distinguishing moral or political questions from legal ones, and presenting cogent arguments. Negotiation and legislative lawyering add practical perspectives, while sessions on law school and experiential opportunities help students consider future study and public-facing legal work.
This three-week full-day academy takes place at UT Austin. Students spend the full program focused on one intensive academy. The academy 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 the University of Texas at Austin and offered in partnership with Summer Discovery.
What Will You Do?
• Examine the Constitution, separation of powers, federalism, and individual rights
• Compare federal and state courts, statutes, common law, and judicial roles
• Analyze torts, contracts, property, remedies, and civil responsibility
• Evaluate criminal culpability and competing goals of criminal justice
• Apply legal rules to current events and seminar problems
• Summarize and present cogent legal arguments through Socratic discussion
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Explain how constitutional, statutory, common-law, civil, and criminal systems interact
• Identify legal issues and apply relevant rules to a set of facts
• Summarize and defend a reasoned legal argument in discussion or presentation
Students will leave with analyzed legal problems, stronger reasoning and advocacy skills, and clearer direction for further study or careers connected to law, policy, and public service.
Students receive a University of Texas branded certificate of completion at the end of the program.
Why Legal Reasoning Skills Matter
Legal reasoning requires students to identify the governing rule, select relevant facts, and explain how those facts support a conclusion. Comparing civil, criminal, constitutional, and statutory questions reveals that the same dispute may involve different authorities and remedies.
Seminar discussion adds communication and judgment. Students must listen closely, respond to competing interpretations, and revise an argument when a stronger point appears. These skills support analytical writing, research, civic participation, negotiation, and thoughtful discussion of public issues. They are useful not only in legal study, but anywhere decisions depend on evidence, rules, responsibilities, and a clear explanation of consequences.
Who Should Attend?
This academy is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and are interested in law, government, justice, public policy, debate, or how rules affect everyday life. It is useful for students who want to test whether they enjoy the reading, questioning, and discussion-centered work associated with legal study.
Participants should be prepared to complete concise readings, listen actively, contribute respectfully to seminar discussion, consider competing interpretations, and explain arguments clearly. Curiosity about law is more important than arriving with prior legal coursework. Applicants must also complete the program application.
Why UT Austin?
Studying on UT Austin’s Forty Acres campus gives high-school students a substantive introduction to academic life in Austin, Texas. Courses draw from popular undergraduate fields and Austin specialties. Full-day academies offer concentrated study, while classes across the program take place in campus classrooms and laboratories and may include guest speakers and fieldwork around Austin.
The experience extends beyond class for both residential and commuting students. Residential students live in Jester Hall, eat at J2, a popular campus dining hall, and take part in activities that may range from a star party at PMA to time at Gregory Gym, Zilker Park, South Congress, or an Austin FC match. Students gain independence, meet peers, and leave with a clearer view of college life, possible directions for future study, and what it can feel like to be a Longhorn.
UT Austin 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