Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown Launches Undergraduate Summer Institute in Law, Practice

Georgetown is creating a new Summer Institute in Law and Practice, a ten-week program for matriculated undergraduate students to deeply explore legal studies and practice.

The institute, which the Office of the Provost announced in a March 21 email to the school community, targets students who are interested in the field of law. It includes three components aimed at creating a holistic experience for participants to learn about the various pathways within the legal field through coursework, research and experience. 

Program Director and Georgetown Government Professor Joseph Hartman said he developed the program with many of his own students and his prior experiences as a lawyer in mind.

“I thought maybe we could do something where we combine the academic work with more real-world experience from professionals who do this and have done it for a long time at a high level,” Hartman told The Hoya. “The idea was to give students a much better perspective on what practicing law looks like in various areas. I certainly didn’t have that as an undergrad.”

Georgetown University | Georgetown will hold its first Summer Institute in Law and Practice this year, designed for currently matriculated undergraduate students to explore the legal field.

Hartman said the program aims to increase the accessibility of knowledge about law school and legal careers.

“I just have so many students who are interested in law, but maybe they’re first generation, maybe they don’t know any lawyers, maybe everybody in their family is medical or something else,” Hartman said. “It’s a chance to close the information gap significantly.”

Students will take four courses that are also offered during the regular school year: International Law, Constitutional Law I, Constitutional Law II and Law Practicum. These courses are often among the most competitive to get into during course selection in the regular school year, according to Hartman.

Beyond their course load, the research component requires each student to write a long-term research paper on their topic of choice within legal scholarship, while the experience component will give students the opportunity to engage with legal professionals.

Hartman said that in addition to attorneys, judges and law firm partners, he plans to bring in practitioners who demonstrate the broad diversity of careers within law.

“I want to get people who maybe have law degrees, but they’re not necessarily full-time lawyers,” Hartman said. “We’re trying to give a wide range.”

Hartman said some of these speakers will include experts from a technology business, an entertainment company and national security initiatives.

Ananya Shah (SFS ’25) is planning to apply to the Summer Institute and said the combination of research and practical experience offered by the program appealed to her.

“It’s exciting to have a program where you’re introduced to that and you’re taught more about how to engage in research, coming from the writing and reading perspective,” Shah told The Hoya. “I think a lot of the time when I think of research, I think of data and STEM.”

Shah said she would enjoy building skills for her academic and professional career, such as writing, analyzing case law and understanding international affairs, through the Institute.

“It would help in general for any internships that deal with international affairs and understanding the political arena and the politics of how laws have been put into practice, how they’re written and how that affects their execution,” Shah said. “I think there’s also a lot of working together with other people with the experiential learning component.”

The program will accept 25 students this year, and Hartman said this small cohort will provide each student with the opportunity to engage with all of the institute’s resources.

“Everyone will have a chance to interact fairly directly with guests, whether it’s judges or private practitioners,” Hartman said. 

But Hartman said he can envision the maximum enrollment expanding in future years.

The total cost of the program is $23,700, including housing and dining fees, according to the institute’s webpage. All students will receive a minimum stipend of $6,000 applied to their account balances.

The institute is accepting applications until April 7. Applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, write a short statement of interest and provide a professor reference.

A spokesperson for the university said the program’s three components will allow students to earn course credit as well as professional experience.

“Students will receive all 12-credits, a certificate of completion, and will gain a firsthand understanding of what it means to study and practice law in Washington, D.C. at the highest level,” according to a university statement. “Students will be well-equipped to decide whether pursuing a law degree is in their future.”

Hartman said his goal is not to convince students to attend law school but rather to give them a fuller understanding of its implications through the Institute.

“It’s a crash course in public law,” Hartman said. “I do not attempt to persuade or dissuade students from law school or being a lawyer. I want to inform you so that whatever decision you make, you feel like you’ve gotten enough information to make a good choice. If you want to take a deep dive, this is a really good opportunity.”

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