Houston, Texas — The Harris County Attorney’s Office is now accepting applications for the fourth annual Summer Legal Academy (SLA), an educational opportunity launched by County Attorney Christian D. Menefee during his first term in office. SLA is a unique training program designed for high school students to learn more about the path to law school, network with legal professionals, and explore a career in civil law, criminal law, government, or public policy.
“I created the Summer Legal Academy to help empower the next generation of legal minds,” said Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee. “Growing up, I never met a lawyer. With SLA, students will be exposed to a wide array of legal professions, including those beyond the courtroom.”
“My hope is that every student will leave our program with the tools, skills, confidence, and passion to succeed in all their future endeavors. We are proud to continue facilitating that training and look forward to inspiring our future leaders this summer,” Menefee added.
SLA is a two-week opportunity for aspiring lawyers that will take place at the Harris County Attorney’s Office, located at 1019 Congress St., from Monday, July 14 to Friday, July 25th, 2025 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
Students can expect to participate in mock law school lectures taught by local law professors, review case studies, practice LSAT problems, and sit-in on panel discussions with attorneys in various fields of law, including elected officials and judges. Each cohort is limited to less than 40 students and accepts students from all high schools across Harris County. So far, 93 students from over 60 high schools have completed the Summer Legal Academy program.
Applicants must be:
- High school students in grades 10 through 12
- A resident of Harris County
Students interested in applying should send in the following:
- A high school transcript
- A recommendation letter
- A writing sample (may be a class assignment that received a grade B or higher)
- Personal statement
- Short essay response with minimum of 250 words
- Online application.
Priority will be given to students of underrepresented groups in the legal profession. The priority deadline for applications is March 1st, 2025, and the final deadline is March 23rd, 2025.
Attorney Menefee and a former SLA student are available for interviews. Additional HCAO personnel are also available to discuss the program in Spanish. To schedule, please e-mail [email protected].