Law and Policy Justice Program

Get the knowledge and experience you need for a future in law and public policy with an internship experience in Greater Boston

Explore possible careers while gaining valuable experience for the job market

The Law and Policy Justice (LPJ) Linking Employment to Academic Development (LEAD) experiential cohort program gives you the opportunity to combine your study of topics related to law, politics, public policy, and social justice with internships and other experientially-based educational collaborations with the City of Boston and State of Massachusetts, as well as other governmental partners in and around City Hall.

Spring 2026 Recruitment for Law and Policy Justice Program

The Law and Policy Justice (LPJ) experiential cohort program provides UMass Amherst undergraduate students from any disciplines with the very valuable opportunity to combine their study of topics related to law, politics, public policy, and social justice with internships and other experientially-based educational collaborations with the City of Boston and State of Massachusetts, as well as other (quasi-)governmental partners in and around City Hall. This semester-long program is designed to significantly enhance your career readiness, expand professional opportunities, and deepen your sense of purpose and belonging.

Key program details

Semester: Spring 2026
Program capacity (cohort size): 30
Internship sizing options: 9 credits (27 hours per week) or 6 credits (18 hours per week); students may also elect to do as many as 12 credits (36 hours per week) or as little as 3 credits (9 hours per week).
Eligibility: Application to this program is open to all undergraduate and 4+1 students in any year.

LEAD Programs at Mount Ida Campus

Linking Employment to Academic Development with semester-long internships + coursework

The Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst in Newton, Mass., is a full-service campus that provides students access to top employers and an opportunity to join a community of peers participating in professional development and experiential learning opportunities in Greater Boston. At the Mount Ida campus, students enjoy:

Award-winning UMass dining
Free parking
A free campus rec center and free membership at the YMCA adjacent to campus
Free transportation to the MBTA and select internship sites
Access to Boston activities and events
and more

Director of Law and Policy Justice Program

Sindiso Mnisi

Professor of Political Science & Legal Studies

Dr. Mnisi's scholarship has combined research, advocacy and policy work on women, property, governance, dispute management, and participation under indigenous law and the South African Constitution. She is the author of Access to Justice and Human Security: Cultural Contradictions in Rural South Africa (Routledge, 2018), co-author of African Customary Law in South Africa: Post-Apartheid and Living Law Perspectives (OUPSA, 2015; 2nd edition forthcoming in 2023), and contributing author of leading South African law textbooks, South African Constitutional Law in Context and Family Law in South Africa (OUPSA, 2021), as well as the Oxford Handbook on Law and Anthropology (OUP, 2021). Dr. Mnisi's current projects include authoring Alter-Native Constitutionalism: Decolonising ‘Common’ Law to Transform South Africa (Cambridge University Press, 2023) and co-authoring The Rule of Law in South Africa (Hart Publishing, 2023) with Professors Heinz Klug and Sanele Sibanda.

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