Taking a summer course is an opportunity to get a boost in credits or boost your legal knowledge in a particular specialty area.
If a student isn’t working a summer legal job, he or she is likely taking an externship.
And if you are unable to land either such gig, there are always summer courses to keep you engaged and help fill your resume.
Courses include everything from criminal law and health law to international money laundering and sports law. In-person, online-only or a hybrid format — there is something for everyone. These programs also give you the opportunity to explore law subjects that may not be available at your school. Not only do you get the chance to go to some pretty cool places but you also get to learn from prominent attorneys and other professionals. The networking opportunities can be fruitful because of the intimate learning environments.
Programs vary in length, from a week to all summer long. Take, for example, the Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at American University Washington College of Law. The three-week summer program offers a variety of human rights courses ranging from the Inter-American System and the United Nations Human Rights System to Women and International Human Rights Law and International Justice for Human Rights Violations.
The program is a component of the LL.M. in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, taught in English and Spanish, said Claudia Blount, senior coordinator of the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at American University. “The program is offered in three tracks: traditional in-person, hybrid and fully online. It allows students to connect to the top experts in the human rights field globally,” she said. “Having the flexibility to do online courses makes it very attractive.”
