Student Email Frequently Asked Questions
I'm told the entering class (JD 2024, LLM 2022) does not have LAWnet addresses. Is that true?
That's true. Duke Law is no longer offering LAWnet addresses for incoming students. It was determined not to offer a lot of value while in school, and its forwarding model (auto-forwarding to a non-Duke address) has lost value, mainly because email systems have begun to reject auto-forwarded email as potentially forged. The JD 2021 class is the last group to have LAWnet addresses.
I'm confused - I have a LAWnet address as well as Duke addresses. Do I have to check multiple mailboxes?
You only have one mailbox to check. Email sent to a LAWnet address and any Duke email alias(es) will be delivered to the same Office 365 inbox.
What is my primary address, and what does it mean?
Duke directories show the primary address, and all email that is sent out from Office 365 will reflect the primary email address.
How do I change my primary address?
Students with LAWnet email addresses can change their primary address here: https://intra.law.duke.edu/mailforwarding/ (you must be on campus or using the Duke VPN to access this Intranet site). Use the OIT Self-Service site to change your primary address among Duke email aliases, if LAWnet is not primary.
Will a change in primary address be immediate?
Any change in the LAWnet system takes place overnight. Duke email alias changes also take some time to propagate. The global address list may take a few days to update on your computer or handheld device, so that may make it seem as if you're still using your old address. To reassure yourself, send email to see what shows up in the From address. (Note that the profile name in Outlook or other email applications may not automatically update, despite the fact that the email address has changed.)
How do I forward email from my Duke account to my personal account (Gmail, etc.)?
Please follow this link to set up email forwarding.
I see I can also change my LAWnet address - any reason I can't change my LAWnet address to superlawyer@lawnet.duke.edu?
Yes. LAWnet email addresses are meant to reflect the name and identity of the holder. We generally require at least a first initial and last name, but we do review each special request.
I am an owner or a moderator of a Duke Law email list, but can't access it any more since I changed my primary address.
Please contact helpdesk@law.duke.edu to have your new primary address added to the list; let us know if you want us to remove your old primary address at the same time.
Wait - I don't remember what lists I'm an owner or moderator for.
If you use an account that can send from your old primary address, send a plain-text message to sympa@law.duke.edu with "Which" (without the quotes) in the body. Otherwise, contact helpdesk@law.duke.edu with the old primary address and ask for the Duke Law email lists associated with that address.
I want to change my subscription to a Duke Law email list to my current primary address. How do I do that?
Send a plain-text message to sympa@law.duke.edu with the following in the body of the message:
unsubscribe [list name] [old email address]
subscribe [list name]
For example:
unsubscribe StudentOrganization john.q.smith@duke.edu
subscribe StudentOrganization
What happens to the LAWnet address after I graduate?
We are no longer allowing graduates to forward from their LAWnet address to external addresses, because auto-forwarding is becoming less and less successful. Please create your Alumni email address as soon as possible here.