Duke University - School of Law

competitive law school with the squishy heart of a small and supportive community. Among its standout qualities are the "professor accessibility," "diverse range of courses—especially the new focus on legal technology," the "phenomenal" alumni network, and the excellent job placement and financial aid. Students also note that the lack of ranking students encourages an "unmatched" collegiality among students and professors that is "helpful in developing a…strong and vibrant learning environment." Duke Law students routinely praise the "faculty members [who] are dedicated to teaching, the administrators, [who] are constantly assessing how to better the student experience, and the upperclassmen [who] are dedicated to mentoring 1Ls, setting the standard for a collaborative culture that is self-perpetuating." Others praise the small class size, a "lower cost of living than other major urban areas," "strong career counseling staff (especially if you are interested in Big Law)," and the "many opportunities afforded by being attached to large university (taking classes at public policy, business, or environmental science schools, for example)." The Career Center offers a "formulaic approach" (in a good way): "As long as you follow their advice and you are open to opportunities you will get a great job." Other praiseworthy assets include clerkship connection, strong coursework in tax, constitutional, and international law, as well as clinical experience. The legal writing program is graded, which "scares a lot of prospective students," one student posits. "However, I think writing is such a crucial skill [and]…by making the course graded, it forces students to take it seriously and to actually learn how to write in a concise, clear manner."

Duke Law professors "are absolutely the standout; they come from a diverse professional background, are uniformly brilliant, and actually care about their students." According to one student, "Professors are at Duke Law because they love academia and, specifically, love to teach. Though the depth and breadth of their prior experience is quite impressive, few of them have other jobs—their focus is on teaching and scholarship." Students receive "abundant individual attention" and "opportunities to assist professors with scholarly research and other projects." The 1L experience is "challenging yet nurturing," and the school "does a great job of ensuring each 1L section gets a mix of professors who focus on traditional doctrine and professors who focus on policy and theory." Students do note that the school is working to hire a more diverse body of faculty and that their support for public interest law could use some improvement.

"Quality of life is really high in Durham," one Duke Law student says. "It's not a stressful city or hard to get around or address the basics in life. Another student agrees: "Life is just really pleasant in North Carolina generally: in law school, you don't have a ton of time to do things that are completely unrelated to school and Durham provides the perfect balance of social opportunities without feeling like you're constantly missing out on something." It can't be denied that the campus situated among "beautiful mountains to the west and stunning beaches to the east" helps maintain Duke's laidback reputation, but students also mention that it is one of the best food cities in the South. Campus facilities have "a ton of natural light in the library, classrooms, and open space." When asked to point out room for improvement, students overwhelmingly cite parking to be both expensive and far from campus. The aforementioned collegiality and close-knit campus often means that Duke Law professors will invite students to their homes for "small discussions, small section celebrations, and other events," as well as "get involved in other extra-curricular activities with the students, like playing on our softball teams and bowling leagues."