Duke University - Duke Law School

Duke Law LLM students at orientation

The LLM program at Duke Law School is designed to introduce international law graduates to the legal system of the United States and to provide the opportunity to take advanced courses in specialized areas of the law. LLM students are able to select courses from the full JD curriculum, including clinics and externships, and join extracurricular activities such as law journals and moot court teams. Duke’s goal is to integrate LLM and JD students in the whole life of Duke Law School. Students also may take courses in other parts of the university, such as the Fuqua School of Business or the Sanford School of Public Policy. Duke also offers certificates in Entrepreneurship, Environmental and Energy Law, Business Law, and Intellectual Property, Science and Technology Law as part of the LLM program.

Duke University

Duke University enrolls over 17,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students and is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Its 10 graduate and professional schools are among the leaders in their fields, and the university’s health system combines clinical care, research and education. Duke also is active internationally through Duke Kunshan University in China, the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore, and numerous research and education programs across the globe. 

Duke Law School in spring

Duke Law School is one of the world’s leading law schools, known for its outstanding faculty and scholarship, a curriculum that integrates professional skills development, and a cross-disciplinary approach to learning and teaching. Students come to Duke Law from every state in the United States and from all over the world; alumni work in top law firms and companies across the globe. One of the reasons students choose Duke Law is its collaborative environment, where growth is encouraged not only through rigorous scholarship but also through cooperation and support. Because the school is small, students enjoy uniquely close interactions with faculty and peers. Duke Law’s faculty members are among the most respected experts in fields such as criminal law, environmental law, health law, international law, intellectual property law, constitutional and public law, law and technology, and international business and corporate law. In addition, professors are deeply dedicated to teaching and are accessible and responsive to students. Their open-door policy encourages students to ask questions, continue discussions, and seek advice on specialized interests. Faculty-student interaction extends beyond the classroom to committee work, research, pro bono opportunities, career counseling, and mentoring. At Duke Law, students experience a supportive environment where the focus is on training and developing the whole person in an atmosphere that values different perspectives, backgrounds, and orientations.

Duke Law School professor and student

Duke Law's faculty is central to its success. Well respected in their chosen fields, Duke Law professors are known for groundbreaking legal scholarship that impacts public policy and the legal profession. A large number are also practitioners in both the public and private sectors in the United States and abroad, and the school’s five professors of the practice are among many who bring deep experience from extensive careers in law and business.

Faculty members’ backgrounds are as varied as they are distinguished: they are former Fulbright Scholars, Rhodes Scholars, and Marshall Scholars. A number of faculty members have served as Supreme Court clerks. Faculty members hold joint appointments in departments throughout the university and have obtained PhDs in a wide variety of disciplines. Several visiting professors from other countries teach at Duke Law each year, and many full-time faculty members have extensive international connections.

More than 10 percent of all Duke Law graduates live and work abroad, giving the school’s alumni community a distinctly international flair. Many international graduates build careers in the United States as well. All share a devotion to Duke Law that outlasts their year in Durham.

For much of his career, Manuel Sager '85 traversed the world as a diplomat, including serving as Switzerland’s ambassador to the United States from 2010 to 2014, and he still draws on those experiences in his current position as executive director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), his government’s lead agency for official development assistance. Sager, who received a PhD from the University of Zurich and practiced insurance defense law before joining the diplomatic corps, calls his time at Duke Law “the determining factor” in his careers as attorney, ambassador, and teacher.

Gitanjali Workman '02 left her asset management practice to become general counsel of Soros Capital Management, where her work includes handling the many issues relating to private equity, hedge fund, and asset management so familiar to her from more than 11 years at Paul Weiss. For Workman, who arrived in the law firm's corporate department after almost three years as a litigator in her native India, the transition to corporate practice may have seemed stark, but she easily settled into it: “I felt like since I had a masters in securities law because that’s what I focused on at Duke, I could figure it out."

Applicants to Duke Law's LLM program may begin submitting applications for the following academic year on September 1. The application deadline for the LLM program is February 1.

The application review process includes a thorough evaluation of a candidate's performance in previous law studies. Also of special significance are the applicant's professional experience, areas of special interest and expertise, professional and personal goals, strong letters of recommendation and English proficiency. To be eligible for admission to the LLM program, applicants must hold a first degree in law - the JD, LLB, or the equivalent - from an accredited or comparably recognized law school or law faculty program. 

Although the application deadline is February 1, candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis beginning in December. A rolling basis means that applications are considered until the class is full. Admission to the LLM program is for fall semester only.

Our preferred method for submitting application materials is electronically via LSAC (Law School Admission Council). Please visit the LSAC website for account access or to create a new account. Complete application instructions are available on the electronic application for the Duke Law LLM program.

You may also submit your application materials directly to our office. The application checklist allows you to investigate the options available for both application types. Please note that you must omit the box number from the address if you plan to send application materials via courier (DHL, FedEx, etc.) to the International Admissions office.  Please note that we do not accept applications materials submitted via e-mail.

Duke Law LLM students at their orientation

Each year, Duke Law School is pleased to offer financial assistance to a number of highly qualified LLM applicants. This financial assistance generally takes the form of varying amounts of tuition scholarships. Duke Law LLM scholarships include the Judy Horowitz Scholarship, offered to an outstanding student from a developing country; the Global Leaders Scholarship, offered to an outstanding student from China; scholarships for students from certain regions such as Africa, Australia-New Zealand, Israel, Scandinavia, and Southeast Asia; and scholarships for students with a proven commitment to Environmental Law. In addition, Duke Law Scholarships include general merit scholarships and scholarship collaborations with partners such as Fulbright, AMIDEAST, LASPAU, and Open Society Foundation.

Applicants who wish to be considered for a Duke Law scholarship must submit a scholarship request letter with their LLM application. The request letter should be brief (no more than one page) and contain: (1) a short description of academic, professional, and special accomplishments beyond what the student has already listed in their essay;  (2) possible contributions the student will make to the Law School community; (3) description of other planned sources for financing (e.g. personal, familial, company sponsored, government sponsored, outside scholarships); and (4) amount of scholarship support requested (if known). Scholarships are granted on a competitive basis for students who demonstrate exceptional merit or great need. 

Durham at night

If you are looking for an eclectic, comfortable, American city with great restaurants, abundant entertainment, and easy access to the beach, mountains, and parks, Duke's home of Durham, North Carolina is the place for you.

The city and surrounding areas have a high concentration of researchers from around the world who work for one of the area’s many universities or high-tech companies. You’ll experience the famous “Southern charm” and hospitality that is unique to this region of the United States. And Durham is ranked as one of the best and most affordable places to live in America.

Duke and Durham’s many venues for sports, dining, and entertainment (at affordable prices), make life exciting for single students. LLM students with families also find Durham to be the ideal place to study. Durham and nearby communities offer ample child-care options, high-quality schools, and endless opportunities for family fun and entertainment, including Durham's Museum of Life and Science, Chapel Hill's Kidzu, Raleigh's Marbles Museum, and myriad parks, lakes, forests, pools, and sports clubs — to name just a few.

Duke Law LLM students

Choosing a place to live in Durham will be a pleasant process, a nice change from living in a large, crowded city. Housing options are plentiful near Duke: You can choose from traditional apartment complexes (most come with pools, exercise facilities, and on-site laundry), urban lofts in transformed tobacco warehouses (also loaded with amenities and usually within steps of restaurants, coffee shops, and retail shops), and homes and condominiums for rent. Many students choose to share an apartment with a classmate; some rent their own place. Whatever your preference, Durham has something to offer.

LLM and JD students at the annual International Food Fest

You will work very hard on your studies as an LLM student at Duke, but you will also find time to enjoy your life in the United States. LLM students always seem to have something to do outside the classroom, whether it's a student-organized tennis tournament, weekly golf dates at one of Durham's excellent courses, or meeting up with fellow LLM and JD students for Thursday night "Bar Review" -- a social event, not a study session. Many LLM students organize weekend or holiday break trips to tourist destinations around the United States, such as the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the Great Smoky Mountains, New Orleans, Savannah, Ga., Washington, D.C., and, of course, New York City.

Activities outside the classroom also provide opportunities to augment your legal studies. International students participate in a wide range of academic extracurricular activities, including moot court teams that travel throughout the U.S. and abroad for competitions. Several academic student organizations host conferences and symposia on timely topics, and a number of LLM students spend spring or fall break each year with JD colleagues, providing legal services to underserved and underrepresented populations. 

Students in The Hague

The Duke-Leiden Institute in Global and Transnational Law is a one-month residential program in The Hague, the Netherlands, designed for students and young professionals interested in studying international and comparative law. The Institute, which takes place over four weeks in June and July, also provides an excellent foundation for studying law in the United States. Courses are taught in English by faculty from the United States and from other countries. In previous years, courses have focused on subjects such as international trade, international dispute resolution, human rights, international criminal law, and comparative constitutional law. The Institute enrolls approximately 50 students from Duke and other American law schools, as well as from countries around the world. The Summer Institute on Law, Language, & Culture (SILLC) both prepares students for LLM studies and offers a standalone introduction to U.S. law and legal vocabulary. This four-week intensive program takes place at Duke Law School. It includes lectures covering many aspects of U.S. law, small group discussions about U.S. legal issues and culture, simulated trials and contract negotiations, and instruction in U.S. legal writing and oral advocacy. In their free time, SILLC students enjoy the activities of summer in Durham, combined with opportunities to share meals with Duke Law faculty members, including dinner at an instructor’s home.