The High School Law Institute (HSLI), which is run and taught by NYU and Columbia law students, is designed to introduce New York City high school students to the basics of American law, encourage them to enter higher education, and introduce them to many law-related careers. This an excellent opportunity for law students to mentor high school students -- who are thinking about college and law school -- and encourage them to attend college, become more active citizens, and tomorrow's lawyers.

HSLI offers courses in Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Mock Trial to 10th and 11th grade students from New York City public high schools. The program also offers workshops on applying to college, college life, and financial aid, as well as a speaker series which brings outstanding NYC legal practitioners to discuss their careers with our students. The year culminates in a mock trial competition between NYU and Columbia HSLI and graduation ceremony in April.

The High School Law Institute is a longstanding organization at NYU Law, and has been in operation for over 10 years. Currently, we admit about 200 students (from over 50 schools) each year. Recently, NYU has helped start a HSLI chapter at Columbia University School of Law, and students can now indicate to which campus they would prefer to go.

Students attend classes at NYU or Columbia throughout the school year for a total of about 20 Saturday mornings. At NYU, these classes take place in Vanderbilt and Furman Halls, the very classrooms that law students attend during the week. Classes run from 10 AM to 1 PM, and are taught by teams of law students and undergraduates. Each class runs for approximately 50 minutes. While our instructors are provided with the HSLI Curriculum and some informal training, they are also encouraged to be creative with their teaching methods and, in particular, to connect the material to current events and students' lives.

We hope to build long-lasting relationships between high school, undergraduate, and law students, and generate a greater interest in higher education. In the past, former high school students who have participated in the program have returned to NYU as students, and today continue to participate in HSLI as teachers and board members.

We hope to build long-lasting relationships between high school, undergraduate, and law students. All are invited to join! (read less)

The High School Law Institute (HSLI), which is run and taught by NYU and Columbia law students, is designed to introduce New York City high school students to the basics of American law, encourage them to enter higher education, and introduce them to many law-related careers. This an excellent opportunity for law students to mentor high school students -- who are thinking about college and law school -- and encourage them to attend college, become more active citizens, and tomorrow's lawyers.... (read more)