San Francisco Law Academy is a program for junior and senior students at Balboa High School in San Francisco. The curriculum, built into core classes, teaches students basic legal concepts. Six-week summer internships give students meaningful work experience.

Volunteer attorneys mentor juniors in the classroom and give students the skills to work as interns the following summer. Law firms, in-house departments and public interest organizations hire law academy interns for six-week paid internships in the summer. These internships give students valuable experience and insight into professional environments.

Seniors also have the opportunity to attend City College and earn concurrent credits in the administration of justice department.

Date/Time

September - May (Wednesday's, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.)

Location

Balboa High School - 1000 Cayuga Ave, San Francisco, CA 94112

Demographics

• 94% graduate high school
• 67% attend UC/CSU
• 66% are low-income
• Asian - 40%
• Hispanic - 34%
• Black - 5%
• White - 3%
• Pacific Islander - 3%
• Two or more races - 2%
• Native American - < 1%

Impact

“Coming from my background, being an attorney always seemed out of reach. Both my parents are immigrants and they’ve never been to college. Even though they try to help me in whatever ways they can, there are still many areas that they’re unable to help me in. If I become an attorney, I will be able to help people, starting with my parents.” (Law Academy Student)

How Firms Can Get Involved

• Mentor: Attorney mentors are assigned a small group of students to mentor on a project during fall and spring semester. We ask mentors to commit to 1-6 weeks on Wednesdays between 9am – 11am at Balboa High School. To sign up go to the following form Law Academy Mentors
• Guest Speaker: Attorneys that wish to be guest speakers can email diversity@sfbar.org with their name, title, firms name, email, phone, headshot, bio, and availability to speak. Attorneys can share their journey through law school and their experience at law firms on Wednesdays between 9am-11am at Balboa High School. To sign up as a speaker for to the following form Law Academy Speaker
• Summer Internships: Host a summer intern for up to 20 hours per week for 6 weeks during the summer. Firms will need to sign an MOU with our Community partner Opportunities 4 All and pay a fee to host one student. To express interest in hosting a student go to the following form Law Academy Summer Internships