611AB.01 Readings in Ethical Issues in National Security Law

This seminar is a one-credit, pass-fail seminar that will meet at least six times over the course of the 2022–2023 academic year. The seminar is designed for students with an interest in U.S. national security law practice issues, and especially students with little or no background in the area.

It will introduce some of the ethical issues confronting young lawyers as they try to navigate today's national security environment as a military or civilian attorney practicing in the U.S. government, a member of a law firm, or as a counsel for a corporation or non-governmental organization.

We will consider, for example, how the existing rules of professional conduct may (or may not) apply in the national security law setting and examine specific cases of problematic behavior by lawyers. We will also address the practical issues of dealing with clients in high-stress situations, as well as the "work-life" balance in this area of practice.

The instructor will use episodes from his more than 46 years as a lawyer (including more than 34 in the military) to illustrate issues and offer practical advice.

The curriculum will include a film and readings across various case studies, law journal articles, and other relevant material. The instructor may augment his own experience with guest discussants. During the 2022–2023 academic year, the seminar will place special emphasis on the challenges presented by the integration of artificial intelligence into the national security enterprise.

Students are required to read three books for discussion: Paul Scharre’s Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War; P.W. Singer’s Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution, and William P. Barr’s One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General.

The meetings for the fall of 2022 will take place from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the Sunday afternoons of September 11th and October 2nd and November 13th. The session on November 13th will go from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. as we will show the movie, Eye in the Sky, and have a discussion about it. The dates for the spring of 2023 are tentatviely set for January 22nd, February 12th and March 5th. Students are asked to reserve January 29th as a make-up date if needed. All dates are subject to change.

The sessions of the seminar (except for the movie session which will take place at the Law School) will take place at Maj. Gen. Dunlap’s home (about ten minutes from the Law School), with Mrs. Dunlap being the hostess. Refreshments and snacks will be served.

Special Notes:

Special Notes:

*Year-Long Course

Fall 2022

Course Number Course Credits Evaluation Method Instructor
611AB.01
Course Credits
Reflective Writing
Class participation
Charles J. Dunlap, Jr.
Sakai site: https://sakai.duke.edu/portal/site/LAW-611A-01-F22
Email list: LAW-611A-01-F22@sakai.duke.edu
Course
Course
Degree Requirements
Course Requirements - JD
Course Requirements - LLM
Course Requirements - Public Interest
Course Areas of Practice
Course Areas of Practice