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Duke University School of Law (Duke Law School or Duke Law) is the
law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...
of
Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist Jam ...
, a
private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...
in
Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County and Wake County. With a population of 283,506 in the 2020 Census, Durham is the 4th- ...
. One of Duke's 10 schools and colleges, the School of Law is a constituent academic unit that began in 1868 as the Trinity College School of Law. In 1924, following the renaming of
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
to Duke University, the school was renamed Duke University School of Law. Duke Law is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the United States, and admits about 14.5 percent of applicants. The law school is one of the "T14" law schools that have consistently ranked within the top 14 law schools since '' U.S. News & World Report'' began publishing rankings. According to Law.com, 91.36 percent of its 2018 graduating class were employed within 10 months, with a median starting salary in the private sector of $205,000. Duke's 2019 class bar passage rate was "almost 98 percent" — the second-highest bar passage rate in the country, after
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each c ...
. ,
Law School Transparency Law School Transparency (LST) is a nonprofit consumer advocacy and education organization concerning the legal profession in the United States. LST was founded by Vanderbilt Law School graduates Kyle McEntee and Patrick Lynch. LST describes its ...
estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $329,609.


Reputation

Duke Law is routinely ranked within the top 14 law schools in the country, and is a member of the "T-14" law schools. It has never been ranked lower than 12th by U.S. News, or less than 7th by Above the Law. Duke Law is one of three T14 law schools to have graduated a President of the United States (Richard Nixon). Duke Law was ranked by
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
as having graduated lawyers with the 2nd highest median mid-career salary amount. It is tied as the #8 best law school by the 2015 U.S. News overall law school Rankings.http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/law-rankings?int=a1d108 In 2017, The
Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarel ...
listed Duke Law as the number one ranked law school in the world.


Admissions

The law school is one of few that have experienced an increase in law school applications despite an overall national decline of applications in recent years. For the class entering in the fall of 2014, 221 students enrolled out of 5,358 applicants. The 25th and 75th
LSAT The Law School Admission Test (LSAT; ) is a standardized test administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for prospective law school candidates. It is designed to assess reading comprehension as well as logical and verbal rea ...
percentiles for the 2014 entering class were 166 and 170, respectively, with a median of 169 (top three percent of test takers worldwide). The 25th and 75th undergraduate GPA percentiles were 3.66 and 3.85, respectively, with a median of 3.77. The school has approximately 640 JD students and 75 students in the LLM and SJD programs.


History

The date of founding is generally considered to be 1868 or 1924. However, in 1855
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
, the precursor to Duke University, began offering lectures on (but not degrees in) Constitutional and International Law (during this time, Trinity was located in
Randolph County, North Carolina Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 144,171. Its county seat is Asheboro. Randolph County is included in the Greensboro- High Point, NC Metropolitan Statistica ...
). In 1865, Trinity's Law Department was officially founded, while 1868 marked the official chartering of the School of Law. After a ten-year hiatus from 1894 to 1904,
James B. Duke James Buchanan Duke (December 23, 1856 – October 10, 1925) was an American tobacco and electric power industrialist best known for the introduction of modern cigarette manufacture and marketing, and his involvement with Duke University. ...
and
Benjamin Newton Duke Benjamin Newton Duke (April 25, 1855 – January 8, 1929) was an American tobacco, textile and energy industrialist and philanthropist. He served as vice-president at American Tobacco Company, being also founder of Duke Energy. Life and career ...
provided the endowment to reopen the school, with Samuel Fox Mordecai as its senior professor (by this time, Trinity College had relocated to Durham, North Carolina). When Trinity College became part of the newly created Duke University upon the establishment of the Duke Endowment in 1924, the School of Law continued as the Duke University School of Law. In 1930, the law school moved from the Carr Building on Duke's East Campus to a new location on the main
quad Quad as a word or prefix usually means 'four'. It may refer to: Government * Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States * Quadrilateral group, an informal group which inc ...
of West Campus. During the three years preceding this move, the size of the law library tripled. Among other well-known alumni, President Richard Nixon graduated from the school in 1937. In 1963, the school moved to its present location on Science Drive in West Campus. Law students at Duke University established the first U.S. Chapter of the
International Criminal Court Student Network The International Criminal Court Student Network (ICCSN) is an international student association that brings together young people interested in the International Criminal Court and in international criminal justice. The association aims at enhanci ...
(ICCSN) in 2009.


Rankings

* 1st Best Law School in the world, Times Higher Education (2018, 2nd in 2019) * 1st Best Law School by Above the Law (2022 and 2020) * 1st Best Professors according to the Princeton Review (2015 and 2016; 2nd in 2018-2020) * 1st Best Quality of Life according to the Princeton Review (2014, 2nd in 2015 and 2017) * 2nd Highest Median Mid-Career Salary * 2nd Best Classroom Experience according to Princeton Review (2015 and 2017, 3rd in 2018 and 2019, 4th in 2020) * 3rd Best Career Prospects according to Princeton Review (2020) * 3rd Best Law School (overall) according to the Best Law Schools ranking published by the National Jurist in 2013. * 5th Best Law School by Vault (2017) * 5th Best Law School by Business Insider * 5th Toughest to get into according to the Princeton Review * 5th Best Law School for BigLaw Hiring according to National Law Journal's "Go-To Law Schools" ranking * 6th Best Law School according to CNN Money * 6th Best Law School for Federal Clerkships according to National Juristhttp://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cypress/prelaw_2012winter/#/30 preLaw by National Jurist Winter 2012 * 6th Best Law School for
Moot Court Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In most countries, the phrase " ...
according to National Jurist * 8th Best Law School as Ranked by Law Firm Recruitershttps://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/articles/2011/03/07/law-firm-recruiters-rank-best-law-schools * 10th Best in the world in the subject of law according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities in 2017 * 10th Best for Standard of Living according to National Jurist * Tied for 10th Best Law School by U.S. News Rankings * 12th Most Median Grant Money and Percentage of Students Receiving Grants according to National Jurist * 17th Best Law Review according to National Jurist * 19th Best Law School Library according to National Jurist


Facilities

The Trinity College School of Law was located in the Carr Building prior to the renaming of Trinity to Duke University in 1924. The Duke University Law School was originally housed in what is now the Languages Building, built in 1929 on Duke's West Campus quad. The law school is presently located at the corner of Science Drive and Towerview Road and was constructed in the mid-1960s. The first addition to the law school was completed in 1994, and a dark polished
granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies un ...
façade was added to the rear exterior of the building, enclosing the interior courtyard. In 2004, Duke Law School broke ground on a building construction project officially completed in fall 2008. The renovation and addition offers larger and more technologically advanced classrooms, expanded community areas and eating facilities, known as the Star Commons, improved library facilities, and more study options for students.


Center for the Study of the Public Domain

''Center for the Study of the Public Domain'' is a university center, aiming to redress the balance of academic study of
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...
. In their analysis, academic focus has been too great on the incentives created by these rights, rather than the contribution to creativity from information which is not subject to them and also opposing the fair use, as they're focusing on
Copyright Act of 1909 The Copyright Act of 1909 () was a landmark statute in United States statutory copyright law. It went into effect on July 1, 1909. The 1909 Act was repealed and superseded by the Copyright Act of 1976, which went into effect on January 1, 1978; ...
rather than
Copyright Act of 1976 The Copyright Act of 1976 is a United States copyright law and remains the primary basis of copyright law in the United States, as amended by several later enacted copyright provisions. The Act spells out the basic rights of copyright holders, cod ...


Law journals

Duke Law School publishes eight
academic journals An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and ...
or
law review A law review or law journal is a scholarly journal or publication that focuses on legal issues. A law review is a type of legal periodical. Law reviews are a source of research, imbedded with analyzed and referenced legal topics; they also p ...
s, which are, in order of their founding: *''Law and Contemporary Problems'' *''Duke Law Journal'' *''Alaska Law Review'' *''Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law'' *''Duke Environmental Law & Policy Forum'' *''Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy'' *''Duke Law & Technology Review'' *''Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy'' ''Law and Contemporary Problems'' is a quarterly, interdisciplinary, faculty-edited publication of the law school. Unlike traditional law reviews, ''L&CP'' uses a symposium format, generally publishing one symposium per issue on a topic of contemporary concern. ''L&CP'' hosts an annual conference at the law school featuring the authors of one of the year’s four symposia. Established in 1933, it is the oldest journal published at the law school. The ''
Duke Law Journal The ''Duke Law Journal'' is a student-run law review and the premier legal periodical of Duke University School of Law. The journal publishes general-interest articles and student notes in eight issues each year. History and Overview The journa ...
'' was the first student-edited publication at Duke Law and publishes articles from leading scholars on topics of general legal interest. Duke publishes the '' Alaska Law Review'' in a special agreement with the Alaska Bar Association, as the state of Alaska has no law school. The ''Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy'' (''DJGLP'') is the preeminent journal for its subject matter in the world. The ''Duke Law & Technology Review'' has been published since 2001 and is devoted to examining the evolving intersection of law and technology. The ''Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy'' was founded by members of the Class of 2006. Professors
Erwin Chemerinsky Erwin Chemerinsky (born May 14, 1953) is an American legal scholar known for his studies of United States constitutional law and federal civil procedure. Since 2017, Chemerinsky has been the dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law. Previously, he a ...
and Christopher H. Schroeder served as the ConLaw journal's inaugural faculty advisors. Mikkelsen was the first
editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
; the current editor-in-chief is Daniel Browning. The journal intends to fill a gap in
law journal A law review or law journal is a scholarly journal or publication that focuses on legal issues. A law review is a type of legal periodical. Law reviews are a source of research, imbedded with analyzed and referenced legal topics; they also p ...
scholarship with a publication that could "cover constitutional developments and
litigation - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil act ...
, and their intersection with
public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public ...
". To ensure that the journal would remain timely, it established a partnership with the Duke Program in Public Law to produce "Supreme Court Commentaries" summarizing and explaining the impact recent cases could have on current issues. The journal publishes continually online and annually in print. It has sponsored speaker series and conferences exploring various issues in constitutional law and public policy. The law school provides free online access to all of its academic journals, including the complete text of each journal issue dating back to January 1996 in a fully searchable HTML format and in Adobe Acrobat format (PDF). New issues are posted on the web simultaneously with print publication. In 2005, the law school was featured in the June 6 unveiling of the Open Access Law Program, an initiative of
Creative Commons Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has release ...
, for its work in pioneering open access to legal scholarship.


Joint-degree programs

The School offers joint-degree programs with the Duke University
Graduate School Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and ...
, the
Duke Divinity School The Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is one of ten graduate or professional schools within Duke University. It is also one of thirteen seminaries founded and supported by the United Methodist Church. It has 39 regular ...
,
Fuqua School of Business The Fuqua School of Business (pronounced ) is the business school of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. It enrolls more than 1,300 students in degree-seeking programs. Duke Executive Education also offers non-degree business education and ...
, the
Medical School A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, ...
, the
Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences The Nicholas School of the Environment is one of ten graduate and professional schools at Duke University and is headquartered on Duke’s main campus in Durham, N.C. A secondary coastal facility, Duke University Marine Laboratory, is maintained ...
, the
Pratt School of Engineering The Pratt School of Engineering is located at Duke University in the United States. The school's associated research, education, alumni and service-to-society efforts are collectively known as Duke Engineering. Research expenditures at Duke Engin ...
, and the
Sanford School of Public Policy The Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University is named after former Duke president and Governor of North Carolina Terry Sanford, who established the university's Institute for Policy Sciences and Public Affairs in 1971 as an interdiscipl ...
; and a JD/LLM dual degree program in International and Comparative Law. Approximately 25 percent of students are enrolled in joint-degree programs.


Employment

According to Duke's 2017 ABA-required disclosures, 93.8 percent of the class of 2017 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation and not funded by the school – the highest number for any law school in the country. According to the NLJ, Duke ranks third among all law schools in the percentage of 2017 graduates working in federal clerkships or jobs at firms of 100 or more lawyers, a category NLJ terms "elite jobs". Duke also ranks fourth in federal clerkships. Law School Transparency gave Duke Law the highest "Employment Score" in the country at 93.8 percent and lowest "Under-Employment Score" of 0.4 percent in 2017.


Costs

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Duke for the 2015–2016 academic year is $80,937. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $329,609.


Notable faculty

Current faculty Notable faculty including a sitting Supreme Court Justice, a former United States Senator, 14 former Supreme Court clerks, a former federal judge and a former Judge Advocate General. *
Samuel Alito Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. ( ; born April 1, 1950) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on October 31, 2005, and has serve ...
,
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is any member of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the Judiciary Act of ...
* James Boyle, William Neal Reynolds Professor of Law (Intellectual Property and Legal Theory) * James Earl Coleman, John S. Bradway Professor of Law (criminal law) and Director of the Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility * James C. Dever III, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina *
Charles J. Dunlap Jr. Major General Charles J. Dunlap Jr. (born June 16, 1950) retired in February 2010 as the deputy judge advocate general, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. As of 2018, Dunlap is executive director of Duke Law School's Centre on Law, ...
, Professor of the Practice of Law, Executive Director, Duke Center on Law, Ethics and National Security,
Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
of the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...
* Thavolia Glymph, John Hope Franklin Visiting Professor of American Legal History * Jack Knight, Frederic Cleaveland Professor of Law and Political Science *
David F. Levi David Frank Levi (born August 29, 1951) is a United States jurist and former Dean of the Duke University School of Law. From 1990 to 2007, he was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Calif ...
, Dean, former Chief Judge of the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of California The United States District Court for the Eastern District of California (in case citations, E.D. Cal.) is a federal court in the Ninth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appeal ...
(1994–2007), Fmr. Law Clerk to Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell. * H. Jefferson Powell, Professor of Law, Fmr. Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States * Arti K. Rai, Elvin R. Latty Professor of Law, Fmr. Administrator of the Office of External Affairs at the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alex ...
(2009-2010) *
Sarah Bloom Raskin Sarah Bloom Raskin (born April 15, 1961) is an American attorney and regulator who served as the 13th United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury from 2014 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Bloom Raskin previously served as a member ...
, Rubenstein Fellow, Fmr.
United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury The United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, in the United States government, advises and assists the Secretary of the Treasury in the supervision and direction of the Department of the Treasury and its activities, and succeeds the Secret ...
(2014-2017), Fmr. Governor of the
Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve System (often shortened to the Federal Reserve, or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States of America. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a ...
(2010-2014) * Christopher H. Schroeder, Charles S. Murphy Professor of Law (administrative law), Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy (OLP), Fmr. Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy, Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee *
Scott Silliman Scott Livingston Silliman (born 1943) is a Professor of the Practice of Law at Duke Law School, and Executive Director of Duke Law School's Center on Law, Ethics and National Security. He is also an adjunct professor of law at the University of No ...
, Professor of the Practice of Law (national security law, military law, and the law of armed conflict) *
Michael Tigar Michael Edward Tigar (born January 18, 1941 in Glendale, California) is an American criminal defense attorney known for representing controversial clients, a human rights activist and a scholar and law teacher. Tigar is an emeritus (retired) me ...
, Professor of the Practice of Law (criminal law), Fmr. Law Clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, * Jonathan B. Wiener, William R. and Thomas L. Perkins Professor of Law (Risk Analysis and Regulation) Former faculty *
William Van Alstyne William Warner Van Alstyne (February 8, 1934 – January 29, 2019) was an American attorney, law professor, and constitutional law scholar. Prior to retiring in 2012, he held the named position of Lee Professor of Law at William and Mary Law Sch ...
, former William R. & Thomas S. Perkins Chair of Law (Constitutional Law), 1974–2004 (deceased) *
Erwin Chemerinsky Erwin Chemerinsky (born May 14, 1953) is an American legal scholar known for his studies of United States constitutional law and federal civil procedure. Since 2017, Chemerinsky has been the dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law. Previously, he a ...
, former
Alston & Bird Alston & Bird LLP is an international law firm with over 800 lawyers in 13 offices throughout the United States, Europe, the UK, and Asia. The firm provides legal services to both domestic and international clients who conduct business worldwid ...
Professor of Law (Constitutional Law), current Dean of the
UC Berkeley School of Law The University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (commonly known as Berkeley Law or UC Berkeley School of Law) is the law school of the University of California, Berkeley, a public research university in Berkeley, California. It is one of 1 ...
*
Brainerd Currie Brainerd Currie (20 December 1912 – 7 September 1965) was a law professor noted for his work in conflict of laws and his creation of the concept of the governmental interests analysis. He was the father of law professor David P. Currie. Curr ...
,
conflict of laws Conflict of laws (also called private international law) is the set of rules or laws a jurisdiction applies to a case, transaction, or other occurrence that has connections to more than one jurisdiction. This body of law deals with three broad ...
pioneer (deceased) * Richard A. Danner, Archibald C. and Frances Fulk Rufty Research Professor of Law (former law librarian at
University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
) (deceased) *
Walter E. Dellinger III Walter Estes Dellinger III (May 15, 1941 – February 16, 2022) was an American attorney and legal scholar who served as the Douglas B. Maggs Professor of Law at Duke University School of Law. He also led the appellate practice at O'Melveny & My ...
, Douglas Blount Maggs Professor of Law, Fmr. Acting
Solicitor General of the United States The solicitor general of the United States is the fourth-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. Elizabeth Prelogar has been serving in the role since October 28, 2021. The United States solicitor general represent ...
(1996–1997), Fmr. Law Clerk to Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black (deceased) * Robinson O. Everett, Professor of Criminal Law and Former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Military Appeals (deceased) (also professor at
Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...
) *
Jedediah Purdy Jedediah Spenser Purdy (born 29 November 1974 in Chloe, West Virginia) is an American legal scholar and cultural commentator. He is the William S. Beinecke Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, where he teaches courses on American Constitution ...
, former Robinson O. Everett Professor of Law *
Joseph Tyree Sneed III Joseph Tyree Sneed III (July 21, 1920 – February 9, 2008) was a Republican United States Deputy Attorney General and then a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for nearly 35 years until his de ...
, former Dean (1971-1973); federal judge (1973-1987) (deceased)


Notable alumni

Political * Willis Smith, 1912 – U.S. Senator from North Carolina * William B. Umstead, '21 – former Governor of North Carolina, U.S. Senator from North Carolina, U.S. Representative from North Carolina, Chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party *
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
, '37 – 37th President of the United States *
Nick Galifianakis Nick Galifianakis may refer to: *Nick Galifianakis (politician) (1928–2023), American congressman *Nick Galifianakis (cartoonist) Nick Galifianakis () is an American cartoonist and artist. Since 1997, he has drawn the cartoons for the national ...
, '53 – U.S. Representative from North Carolina *
Jim Courter James Andrew Courter (born October 14, 1941) is an American Republican Party politician, lawyer, and businessman. He represented parts of northwestern New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1991. In 1989, he u ...
'66 – former U.S. Representative from New Jersey * Daniel T. Blue Jr. '73 – North Carolina State Senator and former Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives * Kenneth Starr, '73 –
United States Solicitor General The solicitor general of the United States is the fourth-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. Elizabeth Prelogar has been serving in the role since October 28, 2021. The United States solicitor general represent ...
, Independent Counsel during the Clinton Administration * Bill Campbell, '77 – former Mayor of
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...
*
Jaime Aleman Healy Jaime is a common Spanish and Portuguese male given name for Jacob (name), James (name), Jamie, or Jacques. In Occitania Jacobus became ''Jacome'' and later ''Jacme''. In east Spain, ''Jacme'' became ''Jaime'', in Aragon it became ''Chaime'', and i ...
, '79 – Panama's Ambassador to the United States *
Denise Majette Denise Lorraine Majette (born May 18, 1955) is an American politician from the state of Georgia. A Democrat, she represented Georgia's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2003 to 2005. Biography Born in ...
, '79 – U.S. Representative from Georgia *
David Addington David Spears Addington (born January 22, 1957) is an American lawyer who was legal counsel (2001–2005) and chief of staff (2005–2009) to Vice President Dick Cheney. He was the vice president of domestic and economic policy studies at the Heri ...
, '81 – Chief of Staff and former legal counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney *
Michael Dreeben Michael R. Dreeben (born 1954) is a former Deputy Solicitor General who was in charge of the U.S. Department of Justice criminal docket before the United States Supreme Court. He is recognized as an expert in U.S. criminal law. Dreeben had a le ...
, '81 – Deputy
Solicitor General of the United States The solicitor general of the United States is the fourth-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. Elizabeth Prelogar has been serving in the role since October 28, 2021. The United States solicitor general represent ...
, and a member of the legal teams involved in the Special Counsel investigation (2017–present) led by
Robert Mueller Robert Swan Mueller III (; born August 7, 1944) is an American lawyer and government official who served as the sixth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2001 to 2013. A graduate of Princeton University and New York ...
* Tom Grady, '82 – U.S. Representative from Florida * Floyd McKissick Jr., '84 - North Carolina State Senator * Manuel Sager, '85 – Swiss Ambassador to the United States * Dave Trott, '85 – U.S. Representative from Michigan and fundraiser for the
Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in ...
*
Susan Bysiewicz Susan Bysiewicz ( ; born September 29, 1961) is an American politician and attorney who is the 109th lieutenant governor of Connecticut, serving since January 9, 2019. She previously served as the 72nd secretary of the state of Connecticut from ...
, '86 – Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut, Former Connecticut Secretary of State * David McKean, '86 – U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg, former
Director of Policy Planning The Director of Policy Planning is the United States Department of State official in charge of the department's internal think tank, the Policy Planning Staff. In the department, the Director of Policy Planning has a rank equivalent to Assistan ...
*
Mike Turzai Michael Coyne Turzai (born August 2, 1959) is an American politician and former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives who served as Speaker of the House. He is from Allegheny County and represented the 28th legislative ...
, '87 – Speaker of the House, Pennsylvania House of Representatives *
Claude Allen Claude Alexander Allen Jr. (born October 11, 1960) is an American attorney who was appointed to be Assistant to the President of the United States for Domestic Policy by George W. Bush. Allen grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from the Univ ...
, '90 – former Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy *
John Jay Hoffman John Hoffman was acting attorney general of the State of New Jersey. He served from 2013 to 2016, longer than any other acting attorney general in the state's history. Background Hoffman was born August 23, 1965, to Judith and John A. Hoffman. H ...
, '92 – Attorney General of New Jersey * Michael Elston, '94 – former Chief of Staff & Counselor, Office of the Deputy Attorney General *
Darren Jackson Darren Jackson (born 25 July 1966) is a Scottish former professional footballer, who played predominantly as a forward. Jackson played for several clubs in Scotland and England, including Newcastle United, Dundee United, Hibernian, Celtic a ...
, '96 - House Minority Leader, North Carolina House of Representatives * Jerry Meek, '97 – former Chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party * Mike Levin, '05 - U.S. Representative from California *
Marc Elias Marc Erik Elias (born February 1, 1969) is an American Democratic Party elections lawyer. In 2021, he left his position as a partner at Perkins Coie to start the Elias Law Group. Elias served as general counsel for the Hillary Clinton 2016 pre ...
'93 - Partner at Perkins Coie LLP, General Counsel for Hillary Clinton's
2016 presidential campaign This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kiri ...
and for John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign Judiciary *
Cheri Beasley Cheri Lynn Beasley (born February 14, 1966) is an American attorney and jurist who served as the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 2019 to 2020; she was appointed an associate justice in 2012. Beasley had previously served o ...
, LLM'18 – first Black female chief justice of the
North Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...
*
Charles Becton Charles L. Becton is an attorney, former judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and former president of the North Carolina Bar Association (the first African-American male to hold that post). In 2012-2013, he was the interim chancellor of N ...
, '69 – former Judge,
North Carolina Court of Appeals The North Carolina Court of Appeals (in case citation, N.C. Ct. App.) is the only intermediate appellate court in the state of North Carolina. It is composed of fifteen members who sit in rotating panels of three. The Court of Appeals was create ...
* Garrett Brown Jr., '68 – former Chief Judge,
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (in case citations, D.N.J.) is a federal court in the Third Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the ...
*
J. Michelle Childs Julianna Michelle Childs (born March 24, 1966), known professionally as J. Michelle Childs, is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a U.S. circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She was a U.S. distr ...
, 'LLM '16, U.S. District Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina * Robert L. Clifford, '50 – former Associate Justice,
Supreme Court of New Jersey The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...
* Curtis Lynn Collier, '74 – senior U.S. District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee *
Colm Connolly Colm Felix Connolly (born October 18, 1964) is the Chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. He formerly served as United States Attorney for the District of Delaware. Biography and ...
, '91 – U.S. District Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware * Timothy J. Corrigan, '81 – U.S. District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida *
Mark A. Davis Mark Allen Davis (born October 25, 1966) is an American attorney and jurist. He has served as an associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (2019-2020) and previously as a Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Davis currently s ...
, 'LLM '18 – Associate Justice,
North Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...
* James C. Dever III, '87 – U.S. District Judge,
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina The United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (in case citations, E.D.N.C.) is the United States district court that serves the eastern 44 counties in North Carolina. Appeals from the Eastern District of North Caroli ...
* Bernice B. Donald, LLM'18 – U.S. Circuit Judge,
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (in case citations, 6th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * Eastern District of Kentucky * Western District of ...
*
Allyson Kay Duncan Allyson Kay Duncan (born September 5, 1951, in Durham, North Carolina) is a former United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She was the Fourth Circuit's first female African American judge. Backgro ...
, '75 – retired U.S. Circuit Judge,
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryland ...
* Christine Durham, '71 – first female Justice of the
Utah Supreme Court The Utah Supreme Court is the supreme court of the state of Utah, United States. It has final authority of interpretation of the Utah Constitution. The Utah Supreme Court is composed of five members: a chief justice, an associate chief justice, ...
* Richard Gergel, '79 – U.S. District Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina * Paul W. Grimm, LLM'16 – U.S. District Judge,
United States District Court for the District of Maryland The United States District Court for the District of Maryland (in case citations, D. Md.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Maryland. Appeals from the District of Maryland are taken to the United States Court ...
* David Gustafson, '81 – Judge,
United States Tax Court The United States Tax Court (in case citations, T.C.) is a federal trial court of record established by Congress under Article I of the U.S. Constitution, section 8 of which provides (in part) that the Congress has the power to "constitute Tr ...
*
Eva Guzman Eva Martinez Guzman (born January 12, 1961) is an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as a Republican member of the Texas Supreme Court from 2009 to 2021. Justice Guzman is a Shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka in the Houston and ...
, LLM'14 – Texas Supreme Court Justice * Todd M. Hughes, '92 – U.S. Circuit Judge,
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (in case citations, Fed. Cir. or C.A.F.C.) is a United States court of appeals that has special appellate jurisdiction over certain types of specialized cases in the U.S. federal court ...
; first openly gay U.S. Circuit Court Judge *
Carolyn Kuhl Carolyn Barbara Kuhl (born July 24, 1952) is a judge on the Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles and a former nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. After receiving her law degree in 1977 from D ...
, '77 – Judge, Los Angeles Superior Court *
Denise Majette Denise Lorraine Majette (born May 18, 1955) is an American politician from the state of Georgia. A Democrat, she represented Georgia's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2003 to 2005. Biography Born in ...
, '79 – former U.S. Representative from Georgia, former Georgia state judge * Sarah A. L. Merriam, LLM'18, nominee, U.S. District Judge,
United States District Court for the District of Connecticut The United States District Court for the District of Connecticut (in case citations, D. Conn.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Connecticut. The court has offices in Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven. App ...
*
Mandisa Maya Mandisa Muriel Lindelwa Maya Mlokoti (born March 20, 1964) is the first female South African Deputy Chief Justice. She is also the first female jurist who has served as President of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa (SCA) since 26 Ma ...
, '90 – President of the
Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), formerly known as the Appellate Division, is an appellate court in South Africa. It is located in Bloemfontein, the "judicial capital" of South Africa. History On the creation of the Union of South Africa f ...
* Graham Calder Mullen, '69 – senior U.S. District Judge,
U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (in case citations, W.D.N.C.) is a federal district court which covers the western third of North Carolina. Appeals from the Western District of North Carolina are take ...
*
David Nuffer David Ogden Nuffer (born February 28, 1952) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Utah. Biography Nuffer was born in 1952 in Portland, Oregon. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree, ...
, LLM'18 – U.S. District Judge,
United States District Court for the District of Utah The United States District Court for the District of Utah (in case citations, D. Utah) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Utah. The court is based in Salt Lake City with another courtroom leased in thstate courth ...
*
William H. Pauley III William Henry Pauley III (August 14, 1952 – July 6, 2021) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He was noted for issuing the opinion in '' ACLU v. Clapper'' in 2013 concer ...
, '77 – senior U.S. District Judge,
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case citations, S.D.N.Y.) is a federal trial court whose geographic jurisdiction encompasses eight counties of New York State. Two of these are in New York City: New Y ...
* Jeremy B. Rosen, '97 - nominee, U.S. District Judge,
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California The United States District Court for the Central District of California (in case citations, C.D. Cal.; commonly referred to as the CDCA or CACD) is a Federal trial court that serves over 19 million people in Southern and Central California, m ...
* Johnnie B. Rawlinson, LLM'16 - U.S. Circuit Judge,
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * District ...
* Robin L. Rosenberg, '89 - U.S. District Judge,
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (in case citations, S.D. Fla. or S.D. Fl.) is the federal United States district court with territorial jurisdiction over the southern part of the state of Florida.. Appeal ...
*
Allison Jones Rushing Allison Blair Jones Rushing (born 1982) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit since March 2019. Early life, family, and education Born in Hender ...
, '07 – U.S. Circuit Judge,
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryland ...
* Kenneth Starr, '73 – former U.S. Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia *
Gary S. Stein Gary Saul Stein (born June 13, 1933) is an American attorney and former Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, He served on New Jersey's Supreme Court for 17 years where he wrote over 365 published opinions. From 1982 until 1985, he se ...
, '56 – former Associate Justice,
Supreme Court of New Jersey The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...
*
Donna Stroud Donna S. Stroud (born June 28, 1964) is an American lawyer and jurist who was elected to the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the November 2006 general election. She was reelected to the court unopposed in 2014. Stroud was appointed Chief Ju ...
, 'LLM '14 – Judge,
North Carolina Court of Appeals The North Carolina Court of Appeals (in case citation, N.C. Ct. App.) is the only intermediate appellate court in the state of North Carolina. It is composed of fifteen members who sit in rotating panels of three. The Court of Appeals was create ...
* A. William Sweeney, '48 – former Justice,
Supreme Court of Ohio The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...
*
Patricia Timmons-Goodson Patricia Ann "Pat" Timmons-Goodson (born September 18, 1954) is an American judge and politician who served on the North Carolina Supreme Court from 2006 to 2012. She previously served on the United States Commission on Civil Rights and is a form ...
, 'LLM '14 – former Associate Justice,
North Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...
* Michael B. Thornton, '82 – Judge,
United States Tax Court The United States Tax Court (in case citations, T.C.) is a federal trial court of record established by Congress under Article I of the U.S. Constitution, section 8 of which provides (in part) that the Congress has the power to "constitute Tr ...
* Gerald B. Tjoflat, '57 – U.S. Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit * Ernest C. Torres, '68 – retired U.S. District Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island * Peter Verniero, '84 – former Associate Justice,
Supreme Court of New Jersey The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...
& Former New Jersey Attorney General * Sarah Hawkins Warren, '08 - Associate Justice, Georgia Supreme Court & Former Georgia Solicitor General * Charles K. Wiggins, '76 – Associate Justice,
Washington Supreme Court The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the judiciary of the U.S. state of Washington. The court is composed of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Members of the court are elected to six-year terms. Justices must retire ...
* Don Willett, '92 LLM'16 – U.S. Circuit Judge,
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * Eastern District of Louisiana * Mi ...
& Former Texas Supreme Court Justice; famous, in part, for his social media commentary * Mary Ellen Coster Williams, '77 – Senior Judge,
U.S. Court of Federal Claims The United States Court of Federal Claims (in case citations, Fed. Cl. or C.F.C.) is a United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the U.S. government. It was established by statute in 1982 as the United States Claims Court, ...
Academia *
Garrett Epps Garrett Epps (born 1950 in Richmond, Virginia) is an American legal scholar, novelist, and journalist. He was professor of law at the University of Baltimore until his retirement in June 2020; previously he was the Orlando J. and Marian H. Hollis P ...
, '91 – Professor,
University of Baltimore School of Law The University of Baltimore School of Law, or the UB School of Law, is one of the four colleges that make up the University of Baltimore, which is part of the University System of Maryland. The UBalt School of Law is one of only two law schools i ...
*
Pamela Gann Pamela Brooks Gann served as the fourth of five presidents of Claremont McKenna College in California. She became president on July 1, 1999, and served until June 30, 2013. She was succeeded by Hiram Chodosh on July 1, 2013. On May 15, 2012, sh ...
, '73 – President,
Claremont McKenna College Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and international relations. CMC is a member of the Claremont Colleges c ...
(former Duke Law professor) *
Ben F. Johnson Benjamin Franklin Johnson, Jr. (September 30, 1914 – July 1, 2006) was a member of the Georgia State Senate from 1962 to 1969, Dean of the Emory University School of Law from 1961 to 1973, and Dean of the Georgia State University College of Law ...
, '49 - Dean,
Emory University School of Law Emory University School of Law is the law school of Emory University and is part of the University's main campus in Druid Hills, Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded in 1916 and was the first law school in Georgia to be granted membership in the Am ...
and
Georgia State University College of Law The Georgia State University College of Law is a law school located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1982, it is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. In addition to the J ...
* Ivan C. Rutledge – Dean,
Ohio State University Moritz College of Law The Michael E. Moritz College of Law is the professional graduate law school of the Ohio State University, a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1891, the school is located in Drinko Hall on the main campus of the ...
. *
Rodney A. Smolla Rodney A. Smolla, is an American author, First Amendment scholar and lawyer. He is currently the president of the Vermont Law School, and former dean of the Widener University Delaware Law School until spring 2022. He was the 11th president of Fu ...
, '78 – President,
Furman University Furman University is a Private university, private Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of hig ...
in South Carolina * Michael Sorrell, '94 – President,
Paul Quinn College Paul Quinn College (PQC) is a private historically black Methodist college in Dallas, Texas. The college is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). It is the oldest historically black college west of the Mississippi River a ...
in Texas * Kenneth Starr, '73 – Former President of
Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of th ...
and former Dean of
Pepperdine University School of Law The Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law (formerly Pepperdine University School of Law) is the law school of Pepperdine University, a private research university in Los Angeles County, California. The school offers the Juris D ...
*
Zephyr Teachout Zephyr Rain Teachout (, born October 24, 1971) is an American attorney, author, political candidate, and associate professor of law at Fordham University. In 2014, Teachout ran for the Democratic Party nomination for governor of New York and lo ...
, '99 – Professor,
Fordham University School of Law Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. In 2013, 91% of the law school's first-time test take ...
Business * John Canning Jr., '69 – Co-founder of
Madison Dearborn Partners Madison Dearborn Partners (MDP) is an American private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts of privately held or publicly traded companies, or divisions of larger companies; recapitalizations of family-owned or closely held companies; ba ...
, Co-owner of
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
*
Gérard Louis-Dreyfus Gérard C. Louis-Dreyfus (21 June 1932 – 16 September 2016), also known as William, was a French-American businessman. His net worth was estimated at $3.4 billion by ''Forbes'' in 2006. He was the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services and ...
, '57 – Billionaire/Energy Magnate, Chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services. Father of actress
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( ; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and producer who worked on the comedy television series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1982–1985), ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), ''The New Adventures ...
* Happy R. Perkins, '80 – former Vice President and General Counsel,
GE Energy GE Power (formerly known as GE Energy) is an American energy technology company, owned by General Electric. Structure As of July 2019, GE Power is divided into the following divisions: * GE Gas Power (formerly Alstom Power Turbomachines), bas ...
* Monty Sarhan, '99 – Publisher and CEO, Cracked Magazine * Gao Xiqing, '86 – Vice Chairman, President, and Chief Investment Officer of the
China Investment Corporation China Investment Corporation (CIC) ( Chinese: 中国投资有限责任公司; pinyin: ''zhōngguó tóuzī yǒuxiàn zérèn gōngsī'') is a sovereign wealth fund that manages part of the People's Republic of China's foreign exchange reserves. ...
Military * Dan McCarthy, '83 – JAG Chief Prosecutor, United States Navy Sports *
Jim Drucker use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = ...
(born 1952/1953), former Commissioner of the
Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball mi ...
, former Commissioner of the
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
, and founder of NewKadia Comics *
Drew Rosenhaus Drew Jordan Rosenhaus (born October 29, 1966) is an American sports agent who represents professional football players. He owns the Miami-based sports agency Rosenhaus Sports, and has negotiated over $7 billion of NFL contracts. Early life and ...
, '90 – Sports Agent/Owner of Rosenhause Sports *
Jay Bilas Jay Scot Bilas (born December 24, 1963) is an American college basketball analyst who currently works for ESPN. Bilas is a former professional basketball player and coach who played for and served as an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke Uni ...
, '92 – ESPN Commentator and Former Duke Basketball Player and Coach *
Quin Snyder Quin Price Snyder (born October 30, 1966) is an American basketball coach who most recently served as the head coach for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After being named a McDonald's All American as a high school pla ...
, '95 – Head Coach,
Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...
* Zachary Kleiman, '13 - General Manager,
Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...
Arts and Entertainment * Ben Fountain, '83 – Novelist, '' Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk'' * Keith Lucas, attended – Academy Award-nominated writer and producer of '' Judas and the Black Messiah'' *
Bascom Lamar Lunsford Bascom Lamar Lunsford (March 21, 1882 – September 4, 1973) was a folklorist, performer of traditional Appalachian music, and lawyer from western North Carolina. He was often known by the nickname "Minstrel of the Appalachians." Biography B ...
, 1913 – Folk musician *
Teddy Schwarzman Edward Frank "Teddy" Schwarzman (born May 29, 1979) is an American film producer and former corporate lawyer. He is the founder, president and chief executive of Black Bear Pictures, whose productions include the 2014 film ''The Imitation Game''. ...
, '06 – Academy Award-nominated film producer, ''
The Imitation Game ''The Imitation Game'' is a 2014 American historical drama film directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Graham Moore, based on the 1983 biography '' Alan Turing: The Enigma'' by Andrew Hodges. The film's title quotes the name of the game c ...
'' (son of Stephen A. Schwarzman) *
Angela Seo Hyunhye Seo, professionally known as Angela Seo, is a South Korean multi-instrumentalist and vocalist best known for her role in American experimental band Xiu Xiu. Seo joined Xiu Xiu in 2009, and has contributed to every studio project by the ba ...
, '15 - Avant-garde musician best known for her work in experimental band
Xiu Xiu Xiu Xiu ( ) is an American experimental band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of Stewart (the only constant member since formation) and Angela Seo. The band's name co ...
*
David H. Steinberg David H. Steinberg is an American writer, director, and producer for film and television. He wrote the screenplays for ''American Pie 2'', '' Slackers'', ''National Lampoon's Barely Legal'', and '' American Pie Presents'': '' The Book of Love'' ...
, '93 – Writer/Director for film and television Miscellaneous * John H. Adams, '62 – Founding Director,
Natural Resources Defense Council The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a United States-based 501(c)(3) non-profit international environmental advocacy group, with its headquarters in New York City and offices in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Bo ...
* D. Todd Christofferson, '72 –
Apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...
,
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
* Matt Jones, '03 – radio host and controlling owner of
Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg. ...
*
Jeffrey Lichtman Jeffrey Harris Lichtman (born June 5, 1965) is a New York-based criminal defense lawyer. Early life and education Jeffrey Lichtman was born on June 5, 1965, in Newark, New Jersey, United States. He grew up in Clark, New Jersey. He attended Emor ...
, '90 – Prominent criminal defense attorney * Arlinda Locklear, '76 – lawyer, the first Native American woman to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court * Gary Lynch, '75 – Chief Legal Officer, Morgan Stanley *
Tucker Max Tucker Max (born September 27, 1975) is an American author and public speaker. He chronicles his drinking and sexual encounters in the form of short stories on his website ''TuckerMax.com'', which has received millions of visitors since Max lau ...
, '01 – Humorist and entrepreneur (associated with "
fratire Fratire is a type of 21st-century fiction literature written for and marketed to young men in a politically incorrect and overtly masculine fashion. The term was coined following the popularity of works by George Ouzounian (writing under the pen n ...
") *
Charlie Rose Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American former television journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show '' Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg LP. Rose also co- ...
, '68 – journalist/TV host of the ''Charlie Rose Show'' on PBS * Michael P. Scharf, '88 – professor of law and director of the Frederick K. Cox International Law Center at
Case Western Reserve University School of Law Case Western Reserve University School of Law is one of eight schools at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. It was one of the first schools accredited by the American Bar Association. It is a member of the Association of American ...
Fictional * Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie,
USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...
, portrayed by Catherine Bell on '' JAG'', earned her law degree from Duke University School of Law. *
Sam Seaborn Samuel Norman Seaborn is a fictional character played by Rob Lowe on the television serial drama ''The West Wing''. From the beginning of the series in 1999 until the middle of the fourth season in 2003, he is deputy White House Communications Di ...
, portrayed by
Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and podcast host. He made his acting debut at the age of 15 with ABC's short-lived sitcom ''A New Kind of Family'' (1979–1980). Following numerous television roles in ...
on ''
The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...
'', graduated from Duke Law School.


Deans of Duke Law School

*1850 – 1882,
Braxton Craven Braxton Craven (August 22, 1822 – November 7, 1882) was an American educator. He served as the second president of the institution that became Duke University from 1842 to 1863 and then again from 1866 to 1882. The institution was known as Unio ...
*1891 – 1894, A.C. Avery *1904 – 1927, Samuel Fox Mordecai *1927 – 1930, W. Bryan Bolich (acting) *1930 – 1934, Justin Miller *1934 – 1947, H. Claude Horack *1947 – 1949, Harold Sheperd *1949 – 1950, Charles L.B. Lowndes *1950 – 1956, Joseph A. McClain Jr. *1956 – 1957, Dale F. Stansbury (acting) *1957 – 1966, Elvin Latty *1966 – 1968, F. Hodge O'Neal *1968 – 1970, A. Kenneth Pye *1971 – 1973,
Joseph Tyree Sneed III Joseph Tyree Sneed III (July 21, 1920 – February 9, 2008) was a Republican United States Deputy Attorney General and then a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for nearly 35 years until his de ...
*1973 – 1976, A. Kenneth Pye *1976 – 1977, Walter Dellinger (acting) *1978 – 1988, Paul Carrington *1988 – 1999,
Pamela Gann Pamela Brooks Gann served as the fourth of five presidents of Claremont McKenna College in California. She became president on July 1, 1999, and served until June 30, 2013. She was succeeded by Hiram Chodosh on July 1, 2013. On May 15, 2012, sh ...
*1999 Clark C. Havighurst (interim) *2000 – 2007, Katharine T. Barlett *2007 – 2018,
David F. Levi David Frank Levi (born August 29, 1951) is a United States jurist and former Dean of the Duke University School of Law. From 1990 to 2007, he was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Calif ...
*2018 – present, Kerry Abrams


References


External links

* {{Coord, 36.0013, -78.9447, region:US-NC_type:edu, display=title Law, School of Educational institutions established in 1868 Law schools in North Carolina Duke University campus 1868 establishments in North Carolina