Duke Law JD Viewbook

2026-27

INSIDE

STUDY

4

Faculty Interdisciplinary Opportunities & Dual Degrees Public Interest & Pro Bono Clinics & Experiential Learning Legal Writing

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

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Duke In D.C. & Externships Centers Learning to Lead

CAREERS

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Professional Development & Outcomes Clerkships & Alumni Network

LIFE AT DUKE LAW Around Town Quality of Life Campus

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WE ARE A SUPPORTIVE AND WELCOMING COMMUNITY, PASSIONATE ABOUT REAL-WORLD LEARNING, ACADEMIC RIGOR, AND COLLABORATION.

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“ Law School isn’t about earning a degree but learning a new way of thinking. At Duke Law, you’ll develop these skills through being challenged and mentored by the best faculty in the world in a supportive and close-knit community. You’ll form the network that will be with you throughout your career, as you decide from a myriad of possibilities where your Duke degree will take you.”

KERRY ABRAMS James B. Duke and Benjamin N. Duke Dean of the School of Law and Distinguished Professor of Law

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WELCOME

THE DUKE LAW DIFFERENCE What makes Duke Law different from other law schools?

Is it the world-class faculty who love to teach?

The close-knit student body who lift up and support one another? The advisors and counselors whose individualized attention will help you chart your own course?

The global network of graduates ready to help launch your legal career? It’s all of the above, and more.

It’s all here.

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CONNECT WITH PROFESSORS Duke Law School’s faculty are an integral part of a culture that is both intellectually rigorous and exceptionally supportive.

At Duke, your professors are world-renowned legal scholars, innovative interdisciplinary researchers, advisors to governments and NGOs, and authors of amicus briefs read by Supreme Court justices. But they are also dedicated and energetic teachers who care deeply about helping you master doctrine and theory and guiding your development as a legal practitioner.

You’ll find professors who are accessible, lingering long after class to answer questions and stopping in the hallways to ask how you are.

And some will become lifelong friends and colleagues, welcoming you and your classmates into their homes for dinner, inviting you to collaborate with them on research and writing, and joining with you in extracurricular activities and projects to help the community.

“ I wanted to go to a law school with a really strong community where I knew I would find influential mentors and lifelong friends. When I visited, I felt like the students here cared about each other and had incredible relationships with faculty and staff, which has been truer than I ever could have imagined. I’ve gone out to dinner and on hikes with professors, gotten involved in more student organizations than I ever could have expected, and made friends from all over the country and the world. The people at Duke Law have consistently motivated me and make me feel so lucky to share this experience with them.”

EMILY BASS ’26 has served as an editor for Duke Law Journal, an executive board member of Moot Court, a Guardian ad Litem volunteer, a research assistant for a trauma-informed courts initiative, and a teaching assistant for Property and Legal Writing. After graduation, she’ll be joining Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom as an associate in NYC.

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STUDY FACULTY

FACULTY

5.9:1 Student-Faculty Ratio

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“We hope that this Bass Connections grant underscores for future Duke Law students that this kind of work is possible, and that Duke has the wherewithal to support it.” ­— Drew Loughlin ’27 DREW LOUGHLIN ’27 and ALEX BINDRIM ’27 were awarded a $3,000 Bass Connections grant to support research and travel in Oaxaca, Mexico, to examine the dynamics of land disputes and conflict resolution with a focus on how Indigenous customary systems interact, and at times conflict, with state law and development policy. The project builds on initial findings and extends work that Loughlin and Bindrim did in Professor Mara Revkin’s course, Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding in Practice.

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STUDY INTERDISCIPLINARY OPPORTUNITIES & DUAL DEGREES

“My Duke experience has been shaped by cross-school connections that show how unique it is to be part of a university like Duke. As a 1L, I was excited by the many opportunities not only available at the law school, but also across the entire university. Now, I am excited to carry the skills and relationships I’ve built here into the next chapter of my career.”

Through the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy, Margolis Scholar LAUREN BEIZER ’26, who earned a JD/MA in Bioethics, Science, and Technology, has explored the intersection of health law and policy across the university.

Following graduation, Beizer will clerk on the federal district of Connecticut for a year, and then head to Boston to join the health care group of Ropes & Gray.

INTERDISCIPLINARY OPPORTUNITIES & DUAL DEGREES

LEARN IN A WORLD-CLASS UNIVERSITY When you enroll at Duke Law, you become part of one of the world’s leading research universities, known for its commitment to collaboration on campus and innovative interdisciplinary programs. Duke has more graduate students than undergraduates, and the Law School is steps away from Duke’s prestigious schools of business, public policy, engineering, the environment, and medicine, enabling you to take cross-listed courses, attend lectures and panel discussions, and engage in extracurricular academic, professional, and social activities.

Programs like BASS CONNECTIONS offer the opportunity to learn alongside students in other disciplines — who might be your future colleagues or clients — and collaborate on immersive research projects, many for academic credit. Students’ work has resulted in policy recommendations, journal articles, datasets to inform future research, and more. They have collaborated with policymakers on Medicaid reform, developed cybersecurity guidelines to protect personal data, and produced a documentary film on peacemaking in post-conflict zones.

“The JD/LLM in International & Comparative Law at Duke shaped both my professional path and my intellectual passions. It gave me extraordinary opportunities, including an internship with the Swiss Arbitration Centre in Geneva, and prepared me for the complex, cross-border litigation I now handle in practice, from disputes involving parallel foreign proceedings to matters raising international regulatory and sanctions-related issues.

Just as importantly, the program gave me the foundation to engage meaningfully with international human rights scholarship and advocacy on issues I care deeply about, especially those affecting my homeland of Puerto Rico.”

JAMERIS OCASIO PALACIOS ’23 is a litigation associate with Greenburg Traurig in Miami where she works on complex litigation matters and handles cases in both federal and state court.

Additionally, a number of Duke Law students take their commitment to interdisciplinary work further by signing up for a DUAL DEGREE, pursuing two world-class degrees at once and preparing for a career at the intersection of law and another discipline. Many choose one of the Law School’s signature programs: the JD/LLM in International and Comparative Law, JD/LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship, or the JD/MA in Applied Ethics and Policy.

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SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY Whether you aspire to become a public interest lawyer, incorporate pro bono work into your practice, or serve your community in other ways, you will find the resources at Duke Law to reach your goals. The value of service is core to the profession and central to student experience.

Through the Office of Public Interest and Pro Bono at Duke Law, students lead projects in areas such as criminal law, environmental law, and civil rights, that provide much-needed legal services to clients who couldn’t otherwise afford them. Many students graduate with highly competitive fellowships and job placements in government agencies, nonprofits, and organizations serving indigent clients.

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STUDY PUBLIC INTEREST & PRO BONO

CERTIFICATE IN PUBLIC INTEREST AND PUBLIC SERVICE LAW Duke Law’s Certificate in Public Interest and Public Service Law gives students who are committed to working in public service a head start on their careers.

Certificate students complete curricular requirements and are assigned faculty mentors to assist in selecting academic, clinical, and experiential courses that will help them develop competencies necessary toward achieving their professional aspirations. Students in the program benefit from a community of peers, faculty, administrators, and Duke Law alumni committed to supporting them as they pursue careers in public interest and public service.

PUBLIC INTEREST & PRO BONO

STUDENT-LED PRO BONO GROUPS Duke Law is committed to providing students with experiential learning opportunities that not only contribute to your professional development, but also stress the value of service.

These student-led groups give you the opportunity to engage with the local Durham community and beyond: Duke Fair Chance Project Duke Immigrant and Refugee Project • Duke Street Law • Guardian ad Litem • Health Care Planning Project • Human Rights Pro Bono Program • If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice • Innocence Project® • Lawyer on the Line • Survivor Advocacy Project • Veterans Assistance Project •

“As someone with family members who have been impacted by the carceral system, having the opportunity to spend my spring break assisting in re-entry efforts was incredibly fulfilling and marked a transformation in my legal career. The pro bono trip was an amazing opportunity to assist the state of North Carolina in helping individuals begin the process of reintegration and setting them up for success post-release. More importantly, the trip exposed me to the impact Duke Law can have on the greater North Carolina community, and I feel incredibly grateful to be a part of the impact.”

AMEL WEAVER ’28 joined a Duke Law student volunteer team that provided pro bono driver’s license restoration services to 65 people at two correctional facilities in western North Carolina. For many nearing release, reinstating a suspended license is a crucial first step toward stability. Through this work, students helped their clients make meaningful progress toward successful reentry and rebuilding the foundations for life after incarceration.

•

44,374

$445,000

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Hours of public service contributed by the Class of 2026 through clinics, externships, and pro bono projects

Awarded for summer public interest work in 2026

Stanback Fellowships awarded for summer work in environmental law

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FOCUS ON YOUR CLIENT At Duke Law, we believe in learning by doing, and there’s no better way to hone your skills and train alongside real clients than by taking a clinic.

Students in our 12 clinics are directly involved in all aspects of their cases, from interviewing clients and witnesses and conducting investigations to writing briefs and presenting arguments in court. And best of all, your work will have a real and immediate impact, whether it’s securing housing for a client facing eviction or helping entrepreneurs navigate complex transactional issues to launch their start-up.

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CLINIC SPOTLIGHT: WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS

CLINICS

On June 25, 2025, Benjamin Cole, 47, walked free from prison after serving nearly three decades for a murder he always maintained he didn’t commit.

• Appellate Litigation

Duke Law’s Wrongful Conviction Clinic took on Cole’s case in 2021. Duke Law students and faculty uncovered that police had concealed evidence supporting his alibi and that additional crucial information was never shared with the defense or jury.

• Civil Justice

“We felt that no one would listen to us when reaching out for help in Benjamin’s case,” said Britney Butler, Cole’s sister.

“We are so grateful that we were finally heard by the Wrongful Convictions Clinic at Duke Law, and we appreciate every student that did anything, big or small, to help bring Benjamin home.”

• Environmental Law & Policy

• Children’s Law

• Community Enterprise • Criminal Defense

• First Amendment • Health Justice • Immigrant Rights

The clinic has now helped secure the release of more than a dozen clients since 2008.

• International Human Rights

Benjamin Cole is embraced by his family following his release.

• Wrongful Convictions

STUDY CLINICS & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

• Start-Up Ventures

CLINICS & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

75+% of Students Participate in a Clinic or Externship

“Many people early in their legal careers and throughout law school don’t have the opportunity to work one-on-one with clients. In the Civil Justice Clinic, I got to work on cases at all different stages of the litigation process.

I helped tenants who were just exploring claims write letters to their landlords asking for relief before bringing a suit. I got to participate in mediations and actually lead mediations with one of our clients who had been involved in litigation for some time and helped negotiate settlements between the parties.”

“The Appellate Litigation Clinic is pretty special in that it’s yearlong and you have the opportunity to see a case all the way through — from your opening brief to the response and reply and then oral argument at the end.

I expected to learn a lot. But I think I was surprised by just how meaningful it became to me and just how much it mattered to my law school experience and to the lawyer that I will become.”

ZOE TERNER ’25 worked in the Appellate Litigation Clinic on both state and federal appeals.

BRANDON BISHOP ’25 worked directly with clients on tenant advocacy issues in the Civil Justice Clinic.

Children’s Law Clinic Director Crystal Grant, right, discusses a case with Samantha Smith ’20.

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MAKE YOUR MARK Duke Law’s Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing Program demonstrates a strong commitment to writing excellence through a comprehensive first-year curriculum that integrates legal analysis, writing, and research skills.

The program is distinguished by our dedicated writing faculty who have substantial legal practice experience and have made teaching their primary professional commitment. Our research faculty includes professional reference librarians and lawyers.

Duke is one of the first top-tier law schools to employ writing faculty whose first dedication is to the teaching of writing. Our faculty will work closely with you on assignments ranging from office memos to appellate briefs, helping you master sophisticated research skills, complex legal analysis, and the specialized requirements of legal prose essential for producing top-quality legal writing. This program experience will give you a substantial advantage as you enter the legal profession.

Through upper-level advanced legal writing courses, you can further refine your legal writing skills with specialized, small-seminar instruction from our writing faculty. These courses focus on specific practice areas and writing contexts, giving you hands-on experience with diverse legal documents including contract drafting, judicial opinions, federal litigation briefs, client letters, and communications for non-legal audiences. You’ll receive substantial individual feedback on your written work while developing the sophisticated writing and analytical skills needed for modern legal practice.

“ I couldn’t be prouder of the progress I have made. I truly feel that

thanks to Professor Jeremy Mullem, I have become a much better writer.

As someone with a STEM undergrad degree who never really took any upper-level writing classes in college, taking this class has given me so much confidence. I think this is the class that has really helped me to ‘think like a lawyer.’”

JARED PARK ’27 has legal interests that span transactional life sciences start-up work and licensing deals; he spent his 1L summer with Blue Shield of California.

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STUDY LEGAL WRITING

LEGAL WRITING

WRITING & COLLABORATING Duke Law is home to seven studentedited scholarly journals, each with a strong reputation for excellence in its field. These journals offer students an opportunity to hone their writing and editing skills, work collaboratively with classmates, and explore subjects that are personally and professionally interesting.

DUKE LAW JOURNALS (and founding years) • Law & Contemporary Problems

1933

• Duke Law Journal

1951

• Alaska Law Review

1983

• Duke Journal of Comparative

& International Law 1990

• Duke Environmental Law

& Policy Forum 1991

• Duke Law & Technology Review

2000

• Duke Journal of Constitutional

Law & Public Policy 2006

“I just started work and so far, have realized that the program was teaching us practical skills the whole year. I’m working on an appellate brief and have to comb through circuit rules (just like we had to) and have been breaking down my larger assignments into micro deadlines/schedules (like our professors did). This is something that’s come up in conversation many times with my 1L friends — all of us are at our various jobs well-prepared and our supervisors can tell. I knew our professor was doing a great job teaching us, but as I start work, I realize that wow, they were REALLY doing a great job!”

VIRALI PATEL ’27 has participated in the Coalition Against Gendered Violence, If/ When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice, Fair Chance Project, Street Law, Women of Color Collective, and the South Asian Law Students Association; recently, she worked as a summer associate at Faegre Drinker in Washington, D.C.

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GO BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Duke Law students have numerous opportunities to apply the skills they’re learning in real-world settings.

Through the externship program, students receive academic credit while gaining valuable experience under the supervision of a licensed attorney in a governmental or nonprofit setting.

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OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM DUKE IN D.C. & EXTERNSHIPS

DUKE IN D.C. & EXTERNSHIPS

DUKE IN D.C. PROGRAM

LOCAL EXTERNSHIP NETWORK

The Duke in D.C. Program combines a semester-long externship placement in Washington, D.C., with a weekly seminar course — and a substantial research paper — taught by Duke Law faculty. This integrated externship model allows students to engage in hands-on practice and develop an invaluable network while tackling rigorous coursework with law and policy experts.

Students have the opportunity to earn academic credit and build connections in Durham and the Triangle area through the Law School’s Externship Program by working under the guidance of attorneys in local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, technology firms, and more.

RECENT DUKE IN D.C. EXTERNSHIP PLACEMENTS •F ederal Trade Commission •P ublic Defender Service for

the District of Columbia

•U .S. Department of Justice •U .S. Department of State •U .S. House Committee on

Oversight and Reform

•U .S. Senate Judiciary Committee •W orld Bank

“This externship [at the State Department] has influenced not only my law school journey but also my broader career aspirations. In the short term, it has strengthened my confidence in pursuing client-centered legal work. I have a clearer understanding of what excellence looks like in practice: disciplined preparation, ethical awareness, and responsiveness to client needs. In the long term, the externship reinforced my commitment to integrating service and continuous learning into my professional life. I want to be a lawyer who not only advocates effectively but also mentors others and contributes to systemic improvements in access to justice.”

RECENT LOCAL EXTERNSHIP PLACEMENTS • ACLU Capital Punishment Project • Duke Office for Translation

and Commercialization

• Durham Public Defender’s Office • JusticeMatters • N.C. Board of Elections • N.C. Solicitor General • Southern Environmental Law Center • U.S. Attorney’s Office,

Eastern District of N.C.

“Through my externship, I have seen how community coalitions can check executive and judicial decisions by using the law to mobilize public pressure, equip legislators with the necessary data, and ensure that the AAPI community remains visible in the conversation.”

JOSHUA TRAN ’26 completed an externship as a Policy & Legal Fellow with the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) in Washington, D.C.

BERET DERNBACH ’26 was a legal intern at the U.S. Department of State Office of the Legal Advisor, Office of Law Enforcement and Intelligence (L/LEI) & Office of Employment Law (L/EMP) in Washington, D.C.

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“The Supreme Court reformed the Second Amendment in the summer of 2022. I am grateful to the Duke Center for Firearms Law for letting me be a part of that historic moment. On the same day that the Center hosted its annual works-in-progress conference, the Supreme Court released its opinion in New York Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen. Exploring the doctrine-defining decision with scholars at the forefront of the field meant everything to me.

The Center for Firearms Law, like many Duke Law programs, empowers each student to contribute to our national project. We aren’t just reading or observing the contours of our constitutional law, but actually developing ideas that will form the next layer of sediment in our constitutional bedrock.”

FLORA LIPSKY ’24 was a student research assistant at the Duke Center for Firearms Law. She is now a practicing attorney in the tax group of an international corporate law firm based in New York City.

Students fill every available space to listen to Yusef Salaam and Raymond Santana, two of the Exonerated Five, speak about their experience in an lunchtime event hosted by the Wilson Center for Science and Justice and moderated by Professor Brandon Garrett.

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OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM CENTERS

CENTERS

CENTER YOUR STUDIES Duke Law has 17 centers, institutes, and programs in which faculty, working alongside student research assistants, engage in cutting-edge research and education on a range of subjects of critical importance to the law, public policy, and society. With focus areas ranging from national security to sports law, the public domain to international law, the centers are a constant source of activity at the Law School, hosting hundreds of events each year, from lunchtime speakers to multi-day conferences, that bring some of the top legal minds to engage with Duke Law students.

RESEARCH CENTERS

The WILSON CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND JUSTICE brings together faculty and students from across multiple disciplines to apply scientific research to criminal justice reform. Led by Professor Brandon Garrett, the center partners with community stakeholders and policymakers to turn research into effective and practical policy change. Recent projects have focused on studying and reforming plea bargaining, bail reform and other pretrial policies, and improving police response to behavioral health crises.

• Center on Law, Race and Policy

The DUKE CENTER ON LAW & TECHNOLOGY helps students prepare for the increasing prominence of technology in the legal profession by engaging with entrepreneurs and ensuring graduates understand rapidly evolving technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence, and critical issues such as data privacy. Through programs like the Duke Law Tech Lab, the center collaborates with early-stage startups to change the way legal services are delivered.

• Horvitz Program in Constitutional

• Bolch Judicial Institute • Center for Criminal Justice and

Professional Responsibility

• Center for Firearms Law • Center for Innovation Policy • Center for Institutional and

Organizational Performance

• Center for International &

Comparative Law

• Center for Law, Economics

and Public Policy

• Center on Law, Ethics and

National Security

• Center for Sports Law and Policy • Center for the Study of

the Public Domain

• Duke Center on Law & Technology • Duke Center on Risk • Duke Initiative for Science

& Society

& Public Law

• Program on Negotiation & Dispute

Resolution

• Wilson Center for Science

and Justice

The CENTER ON LAW, ETHICS AND NATIONAL SECURITY promotes education and discussion of the complex and diverse issues involved in national security. Led by Professor Charles Dunlap, a retired major general and the former deputy judge advocate general of the U.S. Air Force, the center’s annual LENS conference draws experts in the field to speak on issues such as cyberwar, the legal issues of humanitarian operations, and the weaponization of social media.

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LEARNING TO LEAD Leadership is a critical component of a Duke Law education and a fully engaged life in the law.

Your 1L year begins with LEAD Week (Lawyer Education and Development) with the BLUEPRINT TO LEAD at its core. It outlines the six values we think are critical for leadership and we incorporate these ideals in our curriculum, programs, and interactions with each other. By practicing these values, nurturing creativity, and giving you the right tools, we’ll help set you on a path to extraordinary achievement.

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OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM STUDENT LEADERSHIP

Engage Intellectually

Embody Integrity

Lead with Intention

Build Relationships

Serve the Community

Live with Purpose

STUDENT LEADERSHIP STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS Our student-led organizations are the foundation of the Law School’s vibrant community. From public interest work to intramural sports, you are likely to find classmates who share your passions.

• American Constitution Society

• Florida Club

• Antitrust & Competition Law Society

• Government and Public Interest

• Asian Pacific American Law

Students Association • Black Law Students Association • Business Law Society • Christian Legal Society • Duke Bar Association • Duke Decarceration Project • Duke Health Law Society • Duke Immigration and Refugee Project • Duke Law & Technology Society • Duke Law ACLU • Duke Law Arts Collective • Duke Law California Club • Duke Law Democrats • Duke Law First Class • Duke Law Flag Football • Duke Law Florida Club • Duke Law Golf Club • Duke Law Innocence Project • Duke Law Lifting Club • Duke Law Music Association • Duke Law Run Club • Duke Law Soccer Club • Duke Law Society of Saint Thomas More • Duke Law Tennis Club • Duke Law Texas Club • Duke Law Vets • Duke Law Viticultural Society • Duke Plaintiffs’ Law Association • Environmental Law Society • Fair Chance Project • Federalist Society • First Generation Professionals

Association

• Human Rights Pro Bono Project • If/When/How: Lawyering for

Reproductive Justice

• Intellectual Property Law Society • International Law Society • J. Reuben Clark Law Society • Jewish Law Student Association • Latin American Law Students Association • Law and Political Economy • Lawyer on the Line • Middle Eastern and North African Law

Student Association

• Mock Trial • Moot Court Board • Muslim Law Students Association • National Security Law Society • North Carolina Club • Older, Wiser Law Students • OutLaw • South Asian Law Students Association • Space Law Society • Sports & Entertainment Law Society • Street Law • Student Animal Legal Defense Fund • Survivor Advocacy Project • The Boston Club • The Chicago Club • Transactional Law Society • Tricky Dick Sketch Comedy Group • Veterans Assistance Project • Women Law Students Association • Womxn of Color Collective

“One of the main elements that drew me to Duke Law was the culture. When I visited and spoke with current students, there was a palpable environment of support and intellectual curiosity that was very appealing to me. Students were excited to talk about the accomplishments of their classmates and were clearly eager to connect with new people. The students that I spoke with were all passionate about their interests, and I knew that I would be able to learn a lot from the curiosity and experiences of others.”

ELLIE PURINTON ’27 is a JD/MA in Bioethics, Science, & Technology.

She is the secretary for the Health Law Society and a member of several on-campus organizations including the Women’s Law Student Association. She has also been a Lead Week Fellow, serving as an orientation leader for first year students.

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READY. SET. GO. A Duke Law education is a gateway to an exciting, rewarding, and fulfilling professional life, and it begins the day you arrive on our campus. We make it our mission to support the career aspirations and professional development of each and every student.

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CAREERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & OUTCOMES

The result: We regularly rank at the top of all law schools for student outcomes — the employment rate for Duke Law’s class of 2025 is almost 99%. Our graduates are recognized by employers as exceptionally wellprepared for their first legal jobs.

Whatever your desired path — a law firm, government agency, nonprofit, or business, a big city, regional center, or international destination — you’ll receive individualized attention and career counseling focused on those aspirations.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & OUTCOMES

EMPLOYMENT

BY SECTOR Average over last three years

77% Law Firms

14% Clerkships

7.5%

Government & Public Interest

In your first year, you’ll meet regularly with a dedicated counselor, who will help you learn about the job market, develop your unique career plan, and connect with alumni and others who can advise you on making it a reality.

By your second year, you’ll be ready to impress the hundreds of employers who visit Duke Law to recruit our students and secure the position that’s right for you.

In your third year, you’ll refine your plans and augment your knowledge and skills to ensure the best possible launch of your legal career. Just don’t forget us when you graduate!

MOST POPULAR EMPLOYMENT LOCATIONS 2023-2026 New York • Washington, D.C. • California • North Carolina • Texas • Florida •

0.7% Business

0.1% Academia

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CLERKING CULTURE

Duke has one of the best records of placement in clerkships of any law school.

About 20% of every graduating class will clerk for a state or federal judge after graduation or early in their legal career, and since 2010, 13 graduates have gone on to clerkships on the U.S. Supreme Court. Our dedicated clerkship team and faculty clerkship committee work tirelessly to help students prepare their applications and get ready for interviews, and students have unique opportunities to meet and learn from sitting judges through our Bolch Judicial Institute and judicial studies master’s program.

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Members of the Duke Law class of 2025 were clerking 10 months after graduation

71

Duke Law graduates clerked in state and federal courts during the 2025-2026 term

“ My clerkships at the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals,

and District Court sharpened my ability to think critically and quickly process complex legal issues. Clerking gave me insight into how to make effective arguments and how courts make decisions. It also fostered lasting professional relationships with both my judges and co-clerks.”

DONOVAN STONE ’20 is a litigation associate with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Washington, DC. Before joining Gibson Dunn, he clerked for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Judge Carl Stewart, and Judge Abdul Kallon. At Duke Law, he was the winner of the 2020 Dean’s Cup moot court competition.

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CAREERS CLERKSHIPS & ALUMNI NETWORK

CLERKSHIPS & ALUMNI NETWORK

BIG BLUE WORLD Wherever you go, our alumni are leaders in law firms, general counsels for major corporations, attorneys for government agencies, heads of nonprofits, judges, entrepreneurs, elected officials, and academics.

In fact, it’s difficult to find a major city, industry, or legal specialty where you won’t encounter a loyal Duke Law graduate, and they love to give back.

You’ll see them on campus nearly every day — speaking to, mentoring, and recruiting our students.

They will share your experience of Duke’s collegial and intellectually rigorous culture, and will be eager to help you chart your future course.

#1

Best Career Prospects Best Law Schools 2025 Princeton Review

Duke Law School’s network of 14,000 alumni is distinctly global.

Our highest concentrations of graduates work in New York and Washington, D.C., but we also have large and thriving alumni communities in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley, as well as London, Paris, Brussels, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, and Buenos Aires.

“My clerkships were invaluable experience. I learned more than I could have dreamed, and I cannot imagine starting as an associate without the foundation the clerkships provided.

Perhaps more importantly, I made lifelong mentors through my judges, and lifelong friends through my co-clerks.”

REBEKAH GREENE ’23 joined Susman Godfrey after clerking for the Honorable Julius N. Richardson on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Honorable John D. Bates on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. At Duke Law, she served as Managing Editor of the Duke Law Journal.

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LOVE YOUR LIFE Whether on Duke’s lush and beautiful campus or in Durham’s eclectic urban center, Duke Law students have many opportunities to unwind, enjoy time with friends, explore arts and culture, or take in a sporting event. We encourage students to create a well-rounded life outside of their studies, and the Bull City provides a great mix of activities for students to find what they love. With all that Duke and Durham have to offer, we’re positive that you’ll love your life here!

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LIFE AT DUKE LAW AROUND TOWN

AROUND TOWN

LOCAL FAVORITES DUKE GARDENS 55 acres of fields and pathways to explore

MAIN STREET

B

Walk the shops and restaurants

THE PARLOUR

A

Local handmade ice cream with seasonal flavors

MOTORCO Enjoy a drink outside or take in a show by an indie favorite

DURHAM FARMERS’ MARKET B Get year-round offerings from local farmers

PICNIC

C

Sample some traditional North Carolina BBQ

PRESS COFFEE Chic cafe with an Italian espresso bar and tasty crepes

D

THE PINHOOK C Perform at open mic night or take in a comedy show or live rock music

A

AL BUEHLER TRAIL Enjoy a run or hike on this trail close to campus

THE ENO D

Photography: Discover Durham

Go tubing, canoeing, swimming, or hiking at this protected waterway and forest

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LIVE BETTER ON LESS It’s not hard to see why North Carolina, Durham, and the Research Triangle region regularly rank among the nation’s top places to live.

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LIFE AT DUKE LAW QUALITY OF LIFE

Here you’ll find a temperate climate, affordable cost of living, proximity to the major cities of the East Coast, and a mix of lively downtown amenities and abundant natural resources.

Durham provides a significant costof-living advantage for law students.

Choosing Duke over schools in more expensive metropolitan areas like New York and Chicago can result in meaningful cost savings — potentially tens of thousands of dollars over the course of your three-year program.

The lower cost of living means that you can graduate with less debt and enjoy more of your time in the Bull City.

QUALITY OF LIFE

Three-year savings if you live in Durham instead of Los Angeles:

$41,790 COST OF LIVING* • Los Angeles • New York • Chicago • Washington, D.C. • Philadelphia • Durham

$40,046 $36,094 $35,418 $33,905 $31,640 $26,116

*Based on 2025-2026 estimated living expenses at selected law schools as reported on the ABA Standard 509 Information Report.

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#2

Above The Law 2026 Ranking of Top 10 Law Schools

DUKE BY THE NUMBERS • 10,800 graduate students • 6,525 undergraduate students • 10 schools • 10 libraries • 11 institutes, initiatives, and centers • 1,097 acres on four campuses • 7,044 acres in Duke Forest • 5 4 acres in Duke Gardens • 30 miles of running, walking, hiking,

and biking trails in Duke Forest

• 45 campus restaurants and cafes • 17 team national championships

since 1986

• 54 intramural sports • 23 Olympic medal winners

since 1986

• 5 NCAA national men’s basketball

championships since 1986

• 8 art and exhibition galleries and

The Nasher Museum

• 220+ lemurs living on campus in

the largest university-based research facility dedicated to endangered prosimian primates

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LIFE AT DUKE LAW CAMPUS

MAKE DUKE YOURS Students at Duke Law are part of the larger Duke University community and enjoy all the campus has to offer, including the beautiful Duke Chapel and Duke Gardens, top-flight facilities for the arts and recreation, academic lectures and guest speeches from world-renowned scholars and leaders, and front-row seats to some of the most exciting athletic matchups.

visit law.duke.edu/apply

Duke is committed to encouraging and sustaining a learning and work community that is free from prohibited discrimination and harassment. Duke does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status, in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid, employment, or any other institution program or activity.

Duke Law Admissions Duke University School of Law (919) 613-7020 admissions@law.duke.edu law.duke.edu/apply

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