Constitutional, statutory, and regulatory law provide the legal and policy frameworks for the work that many people are engaged in, particularly those who work in Washington, D.C.  Duke Law’s D.C. Summer Institute on Law and Policy is designed to address the educational interests and needs of professionals who work in regulatory or policy-making fields and seek to better understand and operate within these frameworks.  Undergraduate students and recent graduates who are considering a career in law or policy will also benefit from these targeted courses.

Courses will be held each evening from Monday to Thursday for a two-week period.  Two courses will introduce participants to U.S. constitutional law; the first will analyze the American constitutional structure, and the second will examine select constitutional rights.  Others will focus on such timely subjects as health care law and the impact of the Affordable Care Act, environmental law and hydraulic fracturing, national security law and foreign policy, business law and financial regulation, legislation and statutory interpretation, and federal policymaking.  The program is open to lawyers, legislative aides, federal agency employees, nongovernmental analysts, journalists, graduate and professional students, college juniors and seniors, and others.

Why Washington?

As the seat of governmental power in the United States, Washington is the perfect setting for an institute that offers both theoretical and practical insights into how the law affects—and is affected by—every aspect of policymaking at the federal level.  To enhance the classroom experience, the academic program will draw upon the expertise of Duke Law School’s nationally prominent faculty as well as the unique resources available in Washington.