Academics

Duke Law will be unlike any school you’ve ever attended before, and will be unlike any that you’ll ever attend after. For one, it will be much more like high school than it will college—you’ll share classes with the same people, eat lunch together, gossip, work on projects, and pass each other in the hallway. You won’t get to know everyone, but by the time you graduate, you’ll have formed a personal and professional network that will last a lifetime.

You will be getting to know most of these people in your classes. The first year curriculum is standardized, and provides you with the basic knowledge fundamental to being a lawyer. Duke Law has cultivated a deep well of resources—from faculty, to textbooks, to career connections, to the students themselves—to ensure that you have everything you need to learn. After your 1L year, you’ll be able to choose your coursework and grow closer to those who share your interests and passions.

Law school has a reputation for being harsh and confrontational, but decades of previous Duke Law students have put in the work to break the mold and create a supportive and edifying environment. The American legal system is adversarial, which means that defending yourself and challenging others is a core skill set—cold calling, pushing back, and respectful debate are all means by which we hone these talents, always with an eye towards becoming both better lawyers and better people.

If you’re looking for competition, you’ll find it. If you’re looking for friends… well, you’ll find them too.