Why Duke Law?
Because we are ambitious, forward-thinking, and innovative.
At Duke, we deliver academic rigor in an environment where creativity, experimentation, and innovation rule. We continue to push new boundaries with bold strategic expansions in our faculty, clinics, interdisciplinary centers, law journals, public interest opportunities, and high-tech facilities.
Because we believe in the development of the whole person.
Great lawyers must be intellectually disciplined, creative problem-solvers, and critical thinkers. None of that is compromised here. But great lawyers also require a strong ethical compass, leadership skills, and the ability to adapt to unanticipated circumstances. They need to work well in teams and know how to bring out the best in others. They must be able to create a positive vision.
The Duke Blueprint is a powerful set of principles for leadership growth that is integrated into every aspect of our community. The Blueprint maps a collaborative commitment by students and faculty to work together toward knowledge, application, and improvement of the law. It also underlines the expectation that your experience here will be transformative of the whole person, and not merely a means to obtain a formal credential.
Because we anticipate the emerging issues of the next decade.
Our first-rate scholars and teachers are engaged in the top issues of the day and in the most important and rapidly changing fields:
- intellectual property
- biotechnology
- business and finance
- telecommunications
- constitutional law
- international law
- international trade and human rights
- national security and terrorism
- environmental studies
Interdisciplinary Centers & Programs
- Arts Project
- Center for Genome Ethics, Law, and Policy
- Center for International and Comparative Law
- Center for the Study of the Public Domain
- Global Capital Markets Center
- Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions
- Program in Public Law
Because at Duke "community" is not an abstract claim; it is a tangible reality.
Action matters and people, working together, make things happen. Faculty invite collaboration and involve students in their advocacy and research. Intensive clinical experience is guaranteed. Classes are small and challenging, and what happens in the classroom does not just stay there: speakers, debates, panels, student groups, and conferences ensure constant intellectual engagement.
