Duke 1L (soon to be 2L) taking questions Forum

[mottainai]

also, while everyone (including me) bitches about duke parking, if you buy a green zone parking pass (which is basically all 1Ls park unless they get a chem lot carpool pass), in the very worst case, you have to walk about 12 minutes to school. duke parking is terrible, but i mean if you budget time accordingly im sure it wouldnt be all that bad

Yeah, I figured that would be the case. Thanks, and I'll be purchasing that green zone pass. When you say to budget time to park, how much time are you looking at? There's bad, and there's really fucking bad, so I'd just like to get a sense of the degree of badness.

[lawyerwannabe]

As long as you get to school before 11 (which you probably will be forced to based on your schedule) you do not need to budget any time to park. The time that you need to make sure you build into your routine is the walk to the law school. Depending on where you park and how fast you walk, it will probably take 8 - 12 minutes.

[Funkycrime]

At the risk of sounding like a douchebag, how is the dating and party scene?

all questions are welcome, as long as youre not trying to be a dick, which it doesnt seem like you are trying to be.

either way, party scene is great. i would say a very respectable # of people know how to play hard but get their shit done and stay on top of things. the work/life balance is solid if you want it to be.

dating...

I remember when we first got to duke during a panel discussion 2Ls and 3Ls mentioned that people would start dating during the first semester and break up around 1st semester finals time. HAH…now that did not happen. I can think of a couple that started dating in the beginning and is still dating. Other people sort of coupled up a bit as the year wore on. Also, in terms of young people in our class (as in 22-25ish) I only know a few people off the top of my head that were married by the end of 1L year (to people not in our law school).

“dating scene” is very broad…if you have more specific questions id be happy to answer them.

I appreciate the response! I'm becoming more and more certain that Duke is the place I want to be.

[bsc89]

How is the diversity at Duke Law School?

[WhiteyCakes]

_

[whosonfirst]

At my UG, biking was a pretty solid and popular option for people that wanted to live ~15-20min walking distance from central campus and avoid driving to school. Is that something a lot of Duke students do? I'd still have a car for groceries, dry cleaning, etc. that above posts mentioned - just wondering if biking is preferable to parking as my UG also charged ridiculous prices for parking permits

[rickgrimes69]

At my UG, biking was a pretty solid and popular option for people that wanted to live ~15-20min walking distance from central campus and avoid driving to school. Is that something a lot of Duke students do? I'd still have a car for groceries, dry cleaning, etc. that above posts mentioned - just wondering if biking is preferable to parking as my UG also charged ridiculous prices for parking permits

Don't bike unless you live around Erwin. I see bikers on Academy all the time and constantly wonder how they don't get hit.

[WhiteyCakes]

As a guy with kids, a big concern of mine is being able to find substantive summer work without going to a major city like NYC (can't just pick up and leave my family for 3 months). How much does this limit me if I went to somewhere like Duke, which isn't in a major city. I'm concerned both with possible summer and post law school employment issues

[AllDangle]

Do any of you have experience with the Governor Apartments (run by Trinity Properties) or heard anything about them? I am looking to live alone and these were right in my price range. I visited and they were a bit older but the one bedrooms has hardwood floors, washer/dryer, and water was included in rent.

[moonman157]

Someone mentioned that NY is by far the biggest market for Duke, but do you think not being a feeder school to NY in the way that NYU and even Cornell has affected placement there? My goal is definitely NYC biglaw, but I really like a lot of things about Duke. I'm just worried that going to a non-NYC focused school will put me at a disadvantage. Thanks!

[dabbadon8]

Someone mentioned that NY is by far the biggest market for Duke, but do you think not being a feeder school to NY in the way that NYU and even Cornell has affected placement there? My goal is definitely NYC biglaw, but I really like a lot of things about Duke. I'm just worried that going to a non-NYC focused school will put me at a disadvantage. Thanks!

Duke is a NYC focused school. OCI is mainly NYC biglaw offices. If you bid decently you could easily get 20+ NYC screeners.

[beachbum]

As a guy with kids, a big concern of mine is being able to find substantive summer work without going to a major city like NYC (can't just pick up and leave my family for 3 months). How much does this limit me if I went to somewhere like Duke, which isn't in a major city. I'm concerned both with possible summer and post law school employment issues

So you're essentially looking for a job in the Research Triangle? Do you have NC ties? Raleigh-Durham just isn't a huge market, and the few biglaw shops in town tend to be very selective. I think you'd absolutely be fine staying in the area your 1L summer (there are a good number of PI/smaller firm opportunities available), but if you're looking to grab post-graduation biglaw/biggov/prestigious PI in the area of your law school, you'd probably have a much easier go of things if you attend a school in a major city.

Someone mentioned that NY is by far the biggest market for Duke, but do you think not being a feeder school to NY in the way that NYU and even Cornell has affected placement there? My goal is definitely NYC biglaw, but I really like a lot of things about Duke. I'm just worried that going to a non-NYC focused school will put me at a disadvantage. Thanks!

Duke is a NYC focused school. OCI is mainly NYC biglaw offices. If you bid decently you could easily get 20+ NYC screeners.

Credited. I will add that you have to have a plausible reason for wanting NYC; in my experience, New York isn't the "catch-all" market that TLS claims to be. But if you want NYC, and you can tell employers why you want NYC, then you should be fine.

[moonman157]

As a guy with kids, a big concern of mine is being able to find substantive summer work without going to a major city like NYC (can't just pick up and leave my family for 3 months). How much does this limit me if I went to somewhere like Duke, which isn't in a major city. I'm concerned both with possible summer and post law school employment issues

So you're essentially looking for a job in the Research Triangle? Do you have NC ties? Raleigh-Durham just isn't a huge market, and the few biglaw shops in town tend to be very selective. I think you'd absolutely be fine staying in the area your 1L summer (there are a good number of PI/smaller firm opportunities available), but if you're looking to grab post-graduation biglaw/biggov/prestigious PI in the area of your law school, you'd probably have a much easier go of things if you attend a school in a major city.

Someone mentioned that NY is by far the biggest market for Duke, but do you think not being a feeder school to NY in the way that NYU and even Cornell has affected placement there? My goal is definitely NYC biglaw, but I really like a lot of things about Duke. I'm just worried that going to a non-NYC focused school will put me at a disadvantage. Thanks!

Duke is a NYC focused school. OCI is mainly NYC biglaw offices. If you bid decently you could easily get 20+ NYC screeners.

Credited. I will add that you have to have a plausible reason for wanting NYC; in my experience, New York isn't the "catch-all" market that TLS claims to be. But if you want NYC, and you can tell employers why you want NYC, then you should be fine.

What would you say is a compelling reason for wanting NYC? I don't have strong ties to the city, I've just been there a lot, and absolutely love it (it also doesn't hurt that basically every major firm is there). How would I describe this to sound convincing?

[beachbum]

What would you say is a compelling reason for wanting NYC? I don't have strong ties to the city, I've just been there a lot, and absolutely love it (it also doesn't hurt that basically every major firm is there). How would I describe this to sound convincing?

The more specific you can get, the better. Be able to tell your interviewer why exactly you love the city and want to be there; if the opportunity presents itself, name drop a little (such as a favorite restaurant or hangout) to show familiarity. Basically, just show them that you've invested yourself in the market. If you can (honestly) tell them that you're only bidding on New York firms, that'll be a big plus. If you can talk knowledgeably about city news and events, that's another plus. Throwing in something about the work in New York (such as the unparalleled M&A work) is fine, too. There isn't really a magic formula, and the "ties" test for NYC is unquestionably easier than it is for secondary markets and smaller major markets (like Chicago). But - for most firms, anyway - the test still exists.

My problem was that my resume screamed "Midwest." And, though I had visited a few times, my knowledge of New York probably wasn't as good as it should've been. (And, if we can be honest, I really was bidding New York as a backup.) So the "why NYC?" question came up in just about every interview. And my response probably wasn't as convincing as it should have been.

[BigZuck]

I will go ahead and ask for the sake of the new cycle/most up to date perspective:

How is Duke's placement in California? And how is its placement in Texas? I ask because the "most firms at OCI are New York firms" thing makes me wonder.

[curious66]

I will go ahead and ask for the sake of the new cycle/most up to date perspective:

How is Duke's placement in California? And how is its placement in Texas? I ask because the "most firms at OCI are New York firms" thing makes me wonder.

Wondering the same thing here. Any insight would be helpful. Also, what are the job prospect likes for a 1L summer job?

[moonman157]

What would you say is a compelling reason for wanting NYC? I don't have strong ties to the city, I've just been there a lot, and absolutely love it (it also doesn't hurt that basically every major firm is there). How would I describe this to sound convincing?

The more specific you can get, the better. Be able to tell your interviewer why exactly you love the city and want to be there; if the opportunity presents itself, name drop a little (such as a favorite restaurant or hangout) to show familiarity. Basically, just show them that you've invested yourself in the market. If you can (honestly) tell them that you're only bidding on New York firms, that'll be a big plus. If you can talk knowledgeably about city news and events, that's another plus. Throwing in something about the work in New York (such as the unparalleled M&A work) is fine, too. There isn't really a magic formula, and the "ties" test for NYC is unquestionably easier than it is for secondary markets and smaller major markets (like Chicago). But - for most firms, anyway - the test still exists.

My problem was that my resume screamed "Midwest." And, though I had visited a few times, my knowledge of New York probably wasn't as good as it should've been. (And, if we can be honest, I really was bidding New York as a backup.) So the "why NYC?" question came up in just about every interview. And my response probably wasn't as convincing as it should have been.

Thanks! Though it does have me a bit worried, since TLS CW has it that you don't need ties/a compelling "Why NYC?" I guess it's always good to have that in your mind though!

[beachbum]

I will go ahead and ask for the sake of the new cycle/most up to date perspective:

How is Duke's placement in California? And how is its placement in Texas? I ask because the "most firms at OCI are New York firms" thing makes me wonder.

I wasn't targeting either of these markets, so my advice here is pretty limited. But, while the majority of OCI firms were NYC offices, there was still a healthy representation from other markets. California seemed to be represented pretty well. I know we had a bunch of Texas firms, too. (FWIW, one of my buddies is SAing in Texas this summer, and another is SAing in California - though he didn't get his position through OCI.) I believe Duke also sponsors an On-Tour interviewing program (basically a supplement to OCI) in one of the big Texas markets (I think Dallas?) and one of the big California markets (LA, if memory serves). I participated in the Chicago On-Tour program last year and found it very helpful, so I imagine its counterparts in TX and CA are pretty solid, too.

Wondering the same thing here. Any insight would be helpful. Also, what are the job prospect likes for a 1L summer job?

If you're asking about 1L biglaw, your chances are probably a little better than you'd think. Of course, luck plays into this as well. If you're from a secondary market that hires 1Ls (e.g. many Southern and Midwestern markets), you're in luck. It seems like we had a good bunch of 1L SAs, though I'd say the good majority were in secondary markets. (I actually received interview requests from just about every firm in my secondary market, but had already accepted a non-biglaw position elsewhere.) If you're gunning for a 1L SA in a major market, then you're going to have to crush those first semester grades and/or have some awesome connections.

Otherwise, 1L summer can be a great opportunity to try something different (PI, gov, judicial internships, etc.), before heading down the biglaw track.

[beachbum]

Also, I just want to throw out there how awesome it is (seriously) to have a dominant sports team to root for. The culture here is incredible: Everyone (students and alumni) is really excited to be a blue devil. And I have to believe the basketball tradition factors into this quite a bit. (If you follow the team and happen to be interviewed by an alum who also follows the team - and we have a lot of alums at OCI - just shooting the shit about Coach K et al can make for an awesome interview.)

Anyway, just wanted to throw that out there. I'm very happy with my law school decision, and the culture/alumni network here is a big part of the reason why. And, well, I'm now a lazy, lazy 2L - so I have plenty of time to watch basketball. Go Devils.

[whosonfirst]

Can anyone comment on Duke grads placing into the Attorney General's Honors program? Do a lot of students apply or is BigLaw the preference? Of those that apply, how many do SLIP? Is the OCS really helpful to students who are interested in these programs or are these students more or less on their own? Any information is appreciated, thanks in advance!

[scifiguy]

http://dukelawpetition.blogspot.com/

Have students at Duke been rallying behind the DLS tuition petition at all?

[beachbum]

http://dukelawpetition.blogspot.com/

Have students at Duke been rallying behind the DLS tuition petition at all?

Honestly, I hadn't even heard of it until the ATL story. And, except for the day or two when the ATL story was news, I haven't heard of it since. But if it means less debt, I'm all for it.

[whosonfirst]

Can anyone comment on Duke grads placing into the Attorney General's Honors program? Do a lot of students apply or is BigLaw the preference? Of those that apply, how many do SLIP? Is the OCS really helpful to students who are interested in these programs or are these students more or less on their own? Any information is appreciated, thanks in advance!

Sorry to repeat the question but any help would be appreciated! I'm just curious to know if any 3Ls this year are going into the program or if they're entering clerkships with the intention to apply afterwards. If you could talk about the help Duke has/hasn't been in helping you get there, it'd be much appreciated!

[06102016]

..

[beachbum]

1. You guys know anyone with a midsize or big dog? I'm strongly considering Duke and we have to find a place that can accommodate us and our dog.

2. I don't see a lot of TLS posters from Duke. You guys have any guesses as to why that is?

3. How are the clinical offerings? For people who have done them, have they given you good experience and/or good topics to discuss in interviews?

1: I have a small dog, and one of my buddies has a midsize dog (which will probably become a large-ish dog). Most apartments around Duke are fine with dogs, and the area tends to be pretty dog-friendly.

2: It's certainly curious. I'm sure part of it has to do with our small class size. And we have plenty of lurkers. But I'm not sure why we don't have more regular posters. Maybe too busy watching basketball?

3: Haven't taken a clinic, so I'll leave this to someone else.