Advanced Law & Justice Reform Internship

Intern on an active early release case within the DC legal system

Program Information

Rising Freshman - Graduating Seniors

Georgetown University Washington, DC

Seven Days - Sunday to Saturday

July 21st - July 27th, 2024

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$3,800 USD

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The Program

The Advanced Criminal Justice & Reform Internship Reform is an accelerated first-of-its-kind internship that allows motivated high school students to work on social justice reform and advocate to release first-time offenders who committed crimes before adulthood and went through transformative growth while incarcerated.

Throughout their internship with the firm, participants work on an active petition for release and connect with top law professors and leading attorneys, study the inherent flaws in the legal system, and apply their understanding to accomplish tangible change. These cases contain highly confidential information and require non-disclosure agreements and consent to background checks for interns and parents.

On the final day, interns present an oral argument and proposal with key aspects of the case theory at American University's Washington College of Law to a panel of lawyers and other social justice experts. These arguments are incorporated into the legal team’s final motion taking place in the Fall.


Interns represent their clients on Capitol Hill and meet with congressional officials to advocate for policy change and legislation. Interns work directly with Senators and Congressmen to enact change.

Congressional Advocacy

Interns work with lawyers and experts in the field of criminal justice reform, such as the Justice Project, Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, Rising For Justice, Justice Policy Institute, the DC Justice Lab, and the Second Look Project.

Criminal Justice Reform

Interns work directly with distinguished lawyers to write segments of legal briefings and motions that will be used in their client's cases. Interns will have the opportunity to conduct case and precedent research for their motions.

Legal Writing

Program Highlights

Zander Pitrus

Duke University, Class of 2026

2021 Advanced Law & Justice Reform Internship

"I have four words to describe Leadership Initiatives and its programs: Astonishing, Memorable, Insightful, and Remarkable. This is an internship that expanded my scope of law and advocacy in all senses. We got to hold meetings with congressional members, work with lawyers, meet renowned individuals, conduct witness preparation with case experts, and write a legal brief. This internship allowed me to experience my future occupation in an extensive and profound sense."


Explore a legal career and work directly with attorneys and clients — before you graduate high school.


All students who attend one of our Summer Internship Programs will receive free SAT/ACT training through Testive, one-on-one admissions consulting with a former admissions officer, essay editing assistance, two letters of recommendation, and scholarship application assistance. These benefits remain available for four years to allow nominations for rising freshmen through rising seniors.

Click on each academic benefit below to learn more :

1. Admissions Panels

2. College Essay Assistance

3. Letters of Recommendation

4. College Probabilities

5. Personalized Websites

Jumpstart your college experience.

Summer program students will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a college admissions expert. They will help walk students through the ins-and-outs of college applications, essay writing, and scholarships.

Students can speak directly with former admissions officers from schools such as Yale, Brown & UCLA. These individuals have a minimum of 15 years of experience in the field of college admissions.

Students are recommended to have their most pressing questions about the college application process ready so they can have them answered by someone who knows the application system inside and out.

Past students have used this time to hone in on their essay topics, decide on how many colleges to apply to, and create application time lines.

College Admissions Panel

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All Summer Internship Program participants receive one-on-one essay editing assistance from Leadership Initiatives partner University Connection.

This offer is exclusive, and not available with any other institution or program!

Each student essay will be edited to ensure it makes an excellent impression at every stage of the competitive application process. The editors will improve the style, clarity, sentence structure and coherence of your application so that your achievements are noticed.

Editors bring their experience in many different backgrounds, including Science and Technology, Commerce, Management, and the Humanities.

College Essay Review

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All participants in the Youth Development Programs will have the opportunity to have two written for them from any Leadership Initiatives staff member, including the Executive Director Marshall Bailly.

Students interns will also have the opportunity to have letters written by Leadership Initiatives partners from the International Business & Development Internship, International Public Health Internship, and International Law & Advocacy Internship.

These unique and complimentary letters are one of the most highly regarded benefits that Leadership Initiatives has. Below are sample letters from previous students:

Letters of Recommendation

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Leadership Initiatives creates a personalized website for each International Internship Program team highlighting their collaborative efforts with their partner in the International Business & Development Internship, International Law & Advocacy Internship, or International Public Health Internship.

The website displays your team's solutions, grant proposal, photos of your partners, and illustrates the impact your team has had on the life and community of your partners. The website link is included in your letters of recommendation, allowing colleges to independently explore the phenomenal work done by each and every student.

Personalized Website

Click here to view Youth Development Program websites.


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Experience life as a student at one of the nation's most prestigious universities.



Program tuition covers the cost of room and board, ground transportation during the program, a 5:1 student to faculty and staff ratio, all curriculum, and materials.

Education assistance covered by tuition includes one-on-one college admissions counseling sessions, lecture fees, mentor sessions with experts, workshops, and all academic benefits, including SAT/ACT training through TestRocker and college essay editing.

Scholarships, payment plans, and fundraising assistance are available.

All-Inclusive Tuition

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No-Interest Payment Plans

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Leadership Initiatives offers a variety of flexible options to pay for program tuition.

Zero-interest payment plans are available in three, six, nine, and twelve-month payment options.

Participants can opt to pay the entirety of their remaining tuition balance off at any point during the payment period.

Reserve a place today with a $100 refundable deposit here.

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Specialized Scholarships

Leadership Initiatives is dedicated to providing opportunities for everyone who shows drive, determination, and grit towards their future goals. We have created various specialized scholarships to provide merit-based aid to enrolled and potential students.

Click here to view 2023 scholarship recipients.

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Scholarships

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, all Leadership Initiatives programs are heavily subsidized by our sponsors allowing us to offer programs with academic benefits at a lower cost than for-profit institutions.

To apply for a scholarship click here to fill out the program interest form and indicate you are interested in a scholarship.

Please note scholarships do not stack (this means you can only use one scholarship per program).


Partners and Sponsors


Our office in Washington, DC is open seven days a week - give us a call! A phone conversation allows us to answer your specific questions and provide you with contact information for previous intership participants and their families so that you can get a first-hand perspective.

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Join us this summer!