Law school expands experiential offerings while repositioning internationally recognized Academies Program to better prepare students for earlier BigLaw recruiting

PROVO, Utah, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- BYU Law today announced its Spring 2026 Academies Program, featuring the largest number of Academies ever offered, while also unveiling a strategic shift to hold the Academies in the fall beginning later this year. The move reflects BYU Law's proactive response to BigLaw's increasingly accelerated hiring timeline, which began as early as fall semester of students' first year of law school in 2026.

The Spring 2026 Academies will take place April 24–May 2 and will offer 10 immersive, simulation–based programs in major legal markets across the United States and abroad. Beginning this fall, the Academies will be repositioned earlier in the academic year, with Fall 2026 Academies scheduled for Oct. 10–14, allowing first-year students to gain hands–on experience and professional insight ahead of early recruiting cycles.

"BYU Law's Academies Program gives students an opportunity to gain immersive, hands–on experience with both a practice area and legal market, and to make invaluable connections that simply can't be replicated in a traditional classroom or in an on-campus interview," said David Moore, dean of BYU Law. "As legal recruiting continues to move earlier, offering our Academies in the fall ensures our 1L students are better prepared to make informed career decisions and to compete successfully in an accelerated hiring environment."

Spring 2026 Academies Program

This spring, BYU Law will offer 10 Academies, marking the most expansive slate in the program's history. The Spring 2026 offerings build on several established programs that have become cornerstones of BYU Law's experiential curriculum. Students will participate in the Deals Academy in New York City, hosted in partnership with Kirkland & Ellis, where they work through a simulated mergers and acquisitions transaction; the Trial Academy in Dallas, also with Kirkland & Ellis, which immerses students in intensive trial advocacy and mock–trial exercises; and the Startups Academy in Palo Alto, led by Wilson Sonsini, focused on venture formation and emerging company representation.

Additional returning academies include the Immigration Academy in Salt Lake City, in collaboration with Fragomen; the Chancery Academy in Wilmington, Delaware, hosted with Potter Anderson & Corroon and centered on corporate governance and business litigation; and the Appellate & D.C. Practice Academy in Washington, D.C., which introduces students to appellate advocacy and the unique legal practice opportunities available in the D.C. market.

New to the program this year, BYU Law will offer a Criminal Justice Academy in New York City, a policy–focused academy that broadens the program's scope beyond traditional BigLaw practice and provides students with exposure to criminal justice reform and institutional advocacy. The law school is also bringing back its International Commercial Arbitration Academy in Geneva, Switzerland, which gives students direct experience with cross–border dispute resolution in one of the world's leading international legal markets.

The Spring 2026 lineup also reflects BYU Law's continued expansion into emerging and specialized practice areas. In partnership with Ray Quinney & Nebeker in Salt Lake City, students will focus on regulatory compliance and investigations in the Corporate Compliance Academy. Finally, the AI Law and Policy Academy will be in both Washington, D.C. and Salt Lake City, to examine the legal, regulatory and policy challenges associated with artificial intelligence in partnership with Clarion AI Partners and the firm Bennett, Tueller, Johnson & Deere.

Each Academy is led jointly by BYU Law faculty and experienced practicing attorneys and is built around an intensive curriculum designed to integrate academic legal training with real–world practice.

A Strategic Shift to Fall Academies

BYU Law's decision to move the Academies earlier in the academic calendar reflects significant changes in the legal recruiting landscape. Large law firms have increasingly been opening applications for 1L summer positions in the fall of students' first year of law school, with most firms extending offers several months before students have completed their first year of coursework.

By transitioning the Academies to the fall beginning in 2026, BYU Law aims to ensure students gain meaningful exposure to practice areas, professional cultures, and potential career paths before they are expected to make critical recruiting decisions.

"Many students count their participation in an Academy as the catalyst behind the career path they ultimately pursue," said Mariah Christensen, Academies program coordinator. "By continuing the Academies program and adjusting it to accommodate the new recruiting timeline, BYU Law demonstrates its commitment to investing in every student's future success in a rapidly changing legal landscape." 

About the BYU Law Academies Program

Launched in 2018, the BYU Law Academies Program was created to bridge the gap between classroom learning and legal practice through immersive, practice–focused experiences. The program has twice been recognized by Bloomberg's Innovation in Law Program. Since its inception, the program has grown steadily and has become a hallmark of BYU Law's commitment to experiential education, mentorship, networking and employment outcomes. Participation in the Academies is funded by the law school ensuring that every student has the opportunity to participate.

For more information about the BYU Law Academies Program, visit https://law.byu.edu/academies/.

About BYU Law

Founded in 1971 with its inaugural class in 1973, the J. Reuben Clark Law School (BYU Law) has become one of the nation's leading law schools – recognized for innovative research and teaching in social change, transactional design, entrepreneurship, corpus linguistics, criminal justice and religious freedom. The Law School has more than 7,000 alumni serving in communities around the world. BYU Law is consistently ranked by National Jurist as one of the best-value law schools in the country. BYU Law has also been recognized as a top law school by the Bloomberg Law School Innovation Program for doing cutting-edge work with tomorrow's lawyers. As a faith-based school, BYU Law seeks to "develop people of integrity who combine faith and intellect in lifelong service to God and neighbor." For more information, visit https://law.byu.edu.

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