How to Apply to Duke Law School LL.M. Program: Key Insights from the Dean of Admissions

Duke Law School regularly host webinars for prospective applicants during the application season, usually May/ June to mid-December. I attended one of them and decided to publish my notes. I wish more schools hosted webinars like this as I found the information quite helpful.

Please note that this does not constitute legal or admissions advice, nor does it imply an affiliation with the school, influence over the admissions process, or a guarantee of acceptance. These are my personal notes based on the webinar that Duke Law School conducted, and they are to be treated as such. Please apply at your own risk.

Preliminary Remarks

To successfully apply for Duke Law School's LLM program, it's essential to start your preparation and research approximately 1.5 years before your intended start date.

Applications can be submitted electronically via LSAC or by post. If you submit your application by post, you don't have to pay the application fee, only the postage costs.

Duke doesn’t offer fee waivers since you can apply by mail, and there will be no application fee. If you can't afford the cost of an application fee, ask yourself: is this the right time to do an LL.M.? Maybe you need to go work and make some money before applying.

Components of the Duke LL.M. Application

1. Duke Law Personal Statement

The personal statement is one of the most difficult documents to write and requires a fair amount of thought and planning. Start by carefully reading the application instructions. Use the statement to tell the admissions committee something relevant about yourself.

Reiterating your CV is not really additive. Most admissions officers will read your personal statement last, so presenting a compelling, thoughtful narrative that connects your background to your application is an advantage.

There is no formula for writing a good personal statement, but avoid long, winding paragraphs, as they are not enjoyed as much by the admissions committee.

2. Duke Law Résumé or CV

Usually, admissions officers review CVs first . A CV gives them a map of your experience. Many European applicants' CVs are long but lacking detail. Instead of generic phrases like "conducted legal research" or "worked on a case" - by virtue of your employer the admissions officer already knows that - tell them something specific. Make it short but relevant to your application.

3. Duke Law Letters of Recommendation (LoRs)

LoRs are a qualitative component of your application. Ask your recommenders minimum two weeks in advance—never within 24 to 48 hours. Give them a topic or a draft or an outline of your personal statement. It's good if the letter echoes the rest of the application. The recommender's status doesn't matter - the adcom is not admitting them, they are admitting you.

4. Transcripts and GPA

Duke Law School does not have hard GPA cutoffs.

Generally, the farther out you are from your degree, the less emphasis the adcom will place on your academic record. This means that you can compensate for academics with professional experience. Academics will still matter, but you will not be defined by what happened 15 years ago.

Keep in mind that each school has its own standards, and the applications are usually evaluated holistically. Duke admits only 10-15% of those who apply; if it just looked at numbers, they’d have to admit more people.

Duke Law Scholarships and Financial Aid

Educating a student at Duke costs more than what the school charges, and the gap is covered through charity.

Scholarship application is read after you've been admitted to the program, so you don't need to sell the adcom anymore on how brilliant you are. For the scholarship application, explain the financial gap you are facing between the cost of education and your available resources. If you ask for more than you need, you are putting yourself into a weaker position. You've got to be very specific: state, eg, how much parental support you have, and how much work experience you have, and how much you need. Talk about other funding avenues you've pursued. The admissions team uses this information to calculate the gap and the delta.

How to Choose LL.M. Programs

University rankings are often a mechanical measure generated by a third party who is trying to sell you something. Instead of relying solely on rankings, think of schools in terms of tiers. In the U.S., there are three tiers:

• Super-elite schools (top 5 to 8)
• Really excellent schools
• The next tier of strong programs

Consider the objective of your LL.M. and your medium- to short-term goals. If your goal is to stay in the U.S., be very cognizant of the tier of your chosen school. For instance, NYU, Duke, Columbia, and Chicago - there will be pretty much no difference for a New York law firm. In this case, your academic performance and the reputation of your law school are key. On the other hand, if you plan to return to a third country or your home country afterwards, ask what the school’s reputation is there.

JD vs. LL.M.

The value of a JD depends on where it is obtained. It also depends on where you come from - if you come from a common law system, an LL.M. is usually sufficient.