Undergraduate students interested in law are eligible for Wayne State University Law School's Damon J. Keith Pre-Law Summer Institute.

The four-week summer program, free for all participants, is open to rising juniors and seniors pursuing an undergraduate degree at any institution, and recent graduates within the last two years. Sophomores participating in a 3+3 program at Wayne State or Oakland University are also eligible to apply. Applicants must have graduated from a Detroit Public Schools Community District Public High School or be residents of the city of Detroit

Benefits of participation include:

• Full LSAT test preparation program provided by Kaplan (in-person classes)
• $500 stipend awarded upon successful completion of the program to cover LSAT registration expenses
• Opportunities to connect with mentors in the Detroit legal community and with current Wayne Law students
• Visits to local law firms, federal, state, and local courts, public interest firms and organizations
• Instructional sessions presented by Wayne Law faculty and staff on topics such as: legal writing, academic success, financial literacy, professionalism, and the law school application and admissions process
• Team-building and social events (in-person, subject to change)

About the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights

This first-of-its-kind program at Wayne State is named for Judge Damon J. Keith and will be held in the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne Law. For more than 50 years on the federal bench, Keith persuasively and movingly defended the Constitution and helped communities enforce their civil rights. Keith, who earned his LL.M. from Wayne Law in 1956, passed away in 2019.

Located in Detroit and embedded within Wayne State University's Law School, the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights is a hub for civil rights teaching, research and action, and a place that fuels the next generation of civil rights leaders. The Keith Center's mission is to promote the educational, economic and political power of underrepresented communities in urban settings.

Wayne Law also has a Damon J. Keith Scholarship for first-year J.D. applicants. 

Learn more about the Keith Center

Application

The Damon J. Keith Summer Pre-Law Summer Institute will only accept complete applications for Summer 2024. The application deadline has been extended to May 15, 2024.

Click here to apply!

Questions should be directed to lawsao@wayne.edu.