Academies

Since 2018, BYU Law’s Academies Program has provided first-year students an intensive, simulation-based introduction to high-level legal practice at top-tier law firms across the country. Working with elite practitioners and sponsoring BYU Law faculty, students receive world-class skills instruction in a number of different fields at geographic locations across the country. The Academies program has grown from a single Trial Academy held at the law school to a slate of Academies spanning practice areas from Deals and Startups to Bankruptcy and Appellate Practice and hosted by Kirkland and Ellis, Wilson Sonsini, Greenberg Traurig, and Goodwin Proctor, among others. The program has been recognized by Bloomberg Law’s Innovation in Law Program and has drawn national coverage in Above the Law and other outlets for its continued relevance in a changing hiring landscape.

BigLaw recruiting has moved up dramatically: firms are now interviewing and extending offers to first-year students during fall semester, often before students have any meaningful legal experience. Although Academies have until now taken place at the conclusion of students’ 1L year, in response to this accelerated recruiting timeline, BYU Law will now offer 1L Academies during Fall Placement Break, from Saturday, October 10, through Wednesday, October 14. Offering Academies in October means BYU Law students go into that recruiting process with exposure and hands-on experience in a given practice area as well as genuine relationships with legal professionals.

Each Academy remains intense and demanding. The Law School has high expectations for Academy participants, all of whom act as ambassadors for BYU Law as they interact with the high-level practitioners volunteering their time to teach our students. See below for the list of Fall 2026 Academies, and check back on Monday, August 17, for details and links to the Fall 2026 Application.