Duke University School of Law (also known as Duke Law School or Duke Law) is the law school and a constituent academic unit of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States. One of Duke's 10 schools and colleges, the School of Law began as the Trinity College School of Law in 1868. In 1924, following the renaming of Trinity College to Duke University, the school was renamed the Duke University School of Law. The School features programs in Business, Comparative and International Law, Environmental Law, and Intellectual Property, among others.
Duke Law is routinely ranked within the top 10 law schools, and is a member of the "T-14" law schools, a prestigious group of 14 schools that have national recognition. Duke Law along with only three other T-14 schools (Harvard, Yale, and Columbia) has graduated a President of the United States. In 2011, law firm recruiters ranked Duke Law as the 8th best law school in the country. In addition, Duke Law was ranked by Forbes as having graduated lawyers with the 2nd highest median mid-career salary amount. The School has approximately 640 J.D. students and 75 students in the LL.M. and S.J.D. programs. The class of 2013 posted a median LSAT score of 170 (out of 180 possible points) or 98th percentile and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.80. On average, 95% of students are employed at graduation, with a median starting salary in the private sector of over $160,000. Over 400 law firms annually offer positions to Duke Law students. Duke Law boasts a number of notable alumni as well, including former President Richard Nixon.
Duke Law has the highest New York Bar Exam pass rate of all US law schools. A reported 97% of students that take the exam pass at first sitting. Duke's overall student pass rate (based on two attempts) is 100%. This record is compared with all law schools across the nation, where on average 77% of students pass the New York Bar exam on their first sitting.
The current Dean of the School of Law is David F. Levi, former Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. Dean Levi assumed the deanship from outgoing Dean Katharine T. Bartlett on July 1, 2007.
The School offers joint-degree programs with the Duke University Graduate School, the Duke Divinity School, Fuqua School of Business, the Medical School, the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, the Pratt School of Engineering, and the Sanford School of Public Policy; and a JD/LLM dual degree program in International and Comparative Law. Approximately 25% of students are enrolled in joint-degree programs.
Duke Law is currently ranked 9th in Intellectual Property, 10th in International Law and 11th overall among ABA-accredited law schools in the 2011 edition of U.S. News & World Report.
Read more about Duke University School Of Law: History, Rankings, Facilities, Law Journals At Duke, Clinics, Joint Degree Programs, Centers & Programs, Notable Alumni, Supreme Court Clerkships (Alumni), Notable Faculty
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