School of Law

About the school

Duke University - School of Law is an innovative institution that provides a rigorous legal education and a thorough understanding of an interdisciplinary environment. It supports and values creativity and innovation in a diverse ambience at the national and international levels with its strategic investment in faculty, clinics, interdisciplinary centres, law journals, and other student development opportunities. The educational institution is world-renowned for its legal scholarship, service, and education. The school boasts a world-class faculty that helps students expand their frontiers of knowledge. This legal education goes beyond a degree and prepares students for responsible and productive lives in the legal profession. Duke Law is serious about academics and aims to create "whole lawyers," balance hard work with fun, and encourage intellectual engagement and purposeful living. Duke Law has been among the top cohort of institutions providing legal education and the legal profession and continues to deliver the best outcome in academics, career prospects, and campus diversity.

Where is the school located?

The school is located in Durham, a great place to live with natural beauty, low cost of living, big city amenities, accessibility to the coast and mountains, and great weather for most of the year.

Life at the School of Law

Student life at Duke Law School is centred around various programmes, seeking work and externship opportunities. The environment gives opportunities for students to serve the community and affiliate with student organisations that will advance their personal and professional goals and create a network of colleagues and friends that will sustain them throughout their careers. Students can participate in various student organisations and clubs at Duke Law. They can carve their careers as public interest lawyers, or students can incorporate pro bono work into their practice. The Duke Bar Association (DBA) serves as both a student government and a professional bar association and coordinates the student body's professional, social, and other extracurricular activities. The DBA addresses student grievances and serves as a liaison between students, faculty, and the administration. Students are welcomed with several events and innovative groups like the Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC), Duke Chorale, the Graduate and Professional Women's Network (GPWN), the Graduate Student Dance Club, and Triangle Girls.

Additional benefits of studying at the School of Law

Duke Law boasts a vibrant public interest community and hosts several annual events during the year, beginning with LEAD Week, which is Duke Law's orientation programme. The Duke Law Wellness helps students maintain overall health and fitness. Various festivities honour international students. The school also offers leadership training and development programmes like Lead Fellows and LLM ambassador programmes. It encourages students to participate in worldwide conferences to enhance their legal knowledge through the Office of Student Affairs. Students have the facility to avail of an on-campus residential facility and off-campus rented space

Admissions criteria

Duke Law School is an ambitious, forward-thinking, and innovative institution. Before you start with the admission procedure, you must learn about all the different graduate programmes it offers and apply accordingly. Here is a broad view of the admission procedure required for students pursuing graduate studies at Duke University - School of Law: - Aspiring students must start by filling out an application electronically via LSAC OR in hard copy format via the Mail-In Option after going through the core requirements of the course they are interested in - Most courses expect students to enrol at least 24 credit hours in law, take Distinctive Aspects of U.S. Law, and be thorough in Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing. Students are required to produce a substantial piece of academic writing - Applicants must hold a first law degree from an accredited or comparably recognised foreign law school or law faculty program (the JD, LLB, or the equivalent) to be eligible for the LLM programme - The application review process thoroughly evaluates a candidate's performance in previous law studies. The applicant's professional experience, areas of special interest and expertise, professional and personal goals, strong letters of recommendation, and English proficiency shall be considered - Candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible - Duke University is committed to encouraging and sustaining a learning and work community free from prohibited discrimination and harassment Required uploaded documents include: - Resume - Personal Statement
- Recommendation Letters
- Transcripts
- TOEFL / IELTS Score Report
- Scholarship Request Letter
- Housing Request Admission to Duke's graduate law programmes is highly competitive and depends greatly on demonstrating outstanding performance in previous law studies — the law school benefits from a student body representing various experiences and interests. Please consult the school’s website for detailed information and any updates to this information.

Job placements

The Career and Professional Development Centre Office works closely with the Public Interest and Pro Bono of the Duke University – School of Law. The department offers comprehensive career advising, support, and funding for students and alums interested in government and public interest (GPI) positions. Here are some key areas in which career services help graduates: - It works closely with faculty and student groups and hosts educational programs and community-building events throughout the year - Duke Law School helps students with funding options to support public interest internships and post-graduate work, including guaranteed summer funding, short-term post-graduate funding, and yearlong fellowships. Funding is also available for interview travel support and approved conferences - The department instils commitment through strategic experiences throughout law school, all aimed at developing the skills and substantive knowledge - It helps students create resumes, attend summer internships and part-time externships, etc. Other services include targeted coursework, pro bono volunteerism, extracurricular leadership, specialised research assistantships, journals, moot courts, mock trials, and more - Duke Law hosts programmes covering public interest topics nearly every week of the academic year - The Career and Professional Development Centre is committed to helping LLM students acquire the professional tools and skills to serve them well in the United States or abroad - Duke LLM students participate in a New York City job fair, where legal employers from around the world conduct interviews for positions both in the U.S. and overseas - LLM students are in a stronger position to find jobs in the United States - Graduating LLM Class of 2022 - Pursuing opportunities in 20 countries and 5 U.S. states, the graduates in the LLM Class of 2022 have achieved career outcomes in top-tier institutions worldwide. Students were employed in multinational corporations, government agencies, international law firms, and NGOs