Law and Policy Justice Program at the Mount Ida Campus

Priority deadline for Spring 2026:  Sept. 24th

Do you want to gain practical experience to become more job-ready or better prepared for law school? The new Law and Policy Justice Program (LPJ) is for students who are interested in law, government and social justice-related careers. For the spring ’26 semester, you’ll live at the beautiful Mount Ida Campus in Newton, take a course on Social Justice in Practice: Law, Politics, and Policy, (Legal/PoliSci/SPP 394EI, by permission), and complete a relevant internship for credit in the Greater Boston area. 

The program runs in the spring semester and is open to all majors at UMass Amherst. All undergraduate students in any year are welcome to apply, but the program may be most appealing to undergraduate students in their junior and senior years. 

Want more information? Complete this interest form ASAP! An application link will be sent to those who complete the interest form. Submit the application by Wednesday, September 24th to join the Spring 2026 cohort! 

Contact Professor Sindiso MnisiWeeks (SindisoMnisi@umass.edu) for questions. You are also welcome to speak with the SBS Career Advisors at the SBS Pathways Center and/or UMass Career Development & Professional Connections.  

Here’s what STUDENTS had to say about their experience:

• “This internship has been extremely helpful in launching my legal career… and
  solidified my desire to practice public interest law…” (Student at Committee for Public Counsel Services Children And Family Law
  Lowell Office)
  
• “This internship gave me incredible first-hand experience working in politics
  and reaffirmed my desire to pursue a career in politics and government.”
  (Student at Senator Warren’s office)
  
• It “makes me feel like I’m doing something important just by existing.” (Student
  at William James Court Clinic, on contributing to making the court space more
  comfortable for Black/Latino clients)
  
• It gave me “real tangible after college career options.” (Student at Boston
  Municipal Court Central Probation Department)