Program Overview
A medium-sized program, the Duke University School of Law focuses on preparing lawyers to practice in legal fields that are likely to be in high demand in the future. Those who have walked the halls of Duke Law include President Richard Nixon and sports broadcaster Jay Bilas.
On Duke Law’s website, Dean Kerry Abrams describes “The Duke Way” as “a combination of intellectual engagement at the highest level, extraordinary collaboration and collegiality, and a commitment to serving the common good.” To produce lawyers with competitive knowledge and skills, Duke Law offers many classes focused on business and finance law, international and comparative law, constitutional and public law, and fields relating to science and technology. The school’s Capstone Projects give students the unique opportunity to develop a specialized project in a chosen area of study and receive individualized guidance from faculty.
Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke Law enjoys the benefits of warmer weather, lower cost of living, and easy access to outdoor activities. Located on a once-quieter side of Duke University’s 13,000-student campus, the law school’s facilities were recently renovated. Duke Law now boasts a modernized library and classrooms as well as an outdoor courtyard, attracting more bustling activity. Most students live off campus in privately owned apartments, and because public transportation is limited, a car is considered very useful. School spirit is exemplified by the “Cameron Crazies,” the students who support the Duke Blue Devils men’s and women’s basketball teams at home games. Durham has a well-established convoy of food trucks, bar life is on the uptick, and the area enjoys a robust indie music scene.
Curriculum
Duke Law’s entering class typically comprises 220 to 240 students (239 in the Class of 2023). First-year students enroll in a foundational curriculum of six semester-long classes (“Civil Procedure,” “Constitutional Law,” “Contracts,” “Criminal Law,” and “Torts,” along with a choice of “Property,” “Administrative Law,” “Business Associations,” or “International Law”) and one year-long class (“Legal Analysis, Research and Writing”). In addition to their courses, upper-class students are required to complete at least six experiential credits, which can be satisfied by taking a variety of clinics, practice simulations, and externships. The majority of Duke’s upper-level courses consist of 25 students or less.
Duke Law offers multiple dual-degree programs, giving students the opportunity to obtain a JD/Master of Environmental Management, JD/Master of Public Policy, JD/Master of Theological Studies, or one of several other dual degrees. Candidates apply separately to each school and will receive independent decisions regarding admissions.
Students with exceptional academic performance can participate in Duke Law’s one-semester study abroad program to learn the legal practice and traditions of a particular foreign country.
Duke Law does not release the rankings of its students.
Clinical and Experiential Learning
Duke Law’s legal clinics operate collectively as a public interest law firm that has 11 distinct practice areas and is housed in its own wing of the law school. Among the more unique clinics are the Civil Justice Clinic, Immigrant Rights Clinic, Start-Up Ventures Clinic, and Wrongful Convictions Clinic. In accordance with North Carolina State Bar rules, students may enroll in a clinic after their third semester of law school (except for a few select clinics in which students cannot enroll until their fourth semester). For most clinics, students are also required to take an ethics class. Generally, a student may only enroll in one clinic per semester, and they must obtain written permission to enroll in two in the same semester. Students interested in working in a clinic for more than one semester may enroll in an advanced clinical course with written permission from the clinic’s professor.
Duke Law’s Externship Program offers students the chance to enroll in Individual Externships (where students take classes while also working at a partnering organization), Integrated Externships (where multiple students complete externships on the same topic or for the same organization), and Faculty-Mentored Externships (where students work full time in a field assignment while completing a research paper, tutorial, or other faculty-guided project).
Statistics
Class Profile (Class of 2024)
Class Size: 282
Average Age: 23.4
Women: 55%
Students of Color: 37%
Median LSAT: 170
Median GPA: 3.82
Career Placement (Class of 2020)
- Law Firms: 74.641%
- Judicial Clerkships: 13.397%
- Public Interest: 5.741%
- Government/Military: 2.870%
- Business and Industry: 2.392%
- Education: 0.956%