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Employment Data

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Employment opportunities available to graduates of Duke Law School consistently rank among the nation’s best and most prestigious. 

Graduating students go on to positions with a wide range of organizations around the United States and abroad, including law firms, businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits, as well as judicial clerkships and academic employment.

As of March 17, 2025, 99% (274/277) of the Class of 2024 was employed in long-term, full-time positions that required bar passage or were "J.D. Advantage." Two of these were school funded.

If you are considering law school, we encourage you to use the data available to compare institutions and ask detailed and probing questions that will help you make the most informed decision based on your career goals and aspirations.

Employment Ten Months after Graduation

The chart below shows the numbers of Duke Law students in various types of employment ten months after graduation. This information is reported annually to the American Bar Association (ABA) and the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). Data reported to the ABA may be downloaded in full for the Class of 2022, Class of 2023, and Class of 2024.

 

  Class of
2024
Class of
2023
Class of
2022
Total Graduates 277 238 214
Employed 275 233 212
Bar Passage Required 271 226 204
JD Advantage 1 3 6
Professional Position 0 0 0
Other Position 0 0 0
Law School/University Funded 3 4 2
Undeterminable 0 0 0
Enrolled in Graduate Studies 0 1 0
Employed - Start Date Deferred 0 1 1
Unemployed - Not Seeking 0 1 0
Unemployed - Seeking 0 2 1
Employment Status Unknown 2 0 0

Visit the ABA website for term definitions.

Short-Term and Law School/University-Funded Positions

  Class of
2024
Class of
2023
Class of
2022
Not School Funded Short-Term 0 0 0
Law School/University-Funded      
   - Short-Term 1 0 0
   - Long-Term 2 4 2

Employment Type

Duke Law graduates find employment in all sectors of the legal profession and beyond.

  Class of
2024
Class of
2023
Class of
2022
Law Firms 218 173 156
Solo 0 0 0
1-10 0 3 2
11-25 1 2 1
26-50 1 4 1
51-100 2 5 2
101-250 7 6 7
251-500 19 13 11
500+ 188 140 132
unknown 0 0 0
Business and Industry 1 4 3
Government (includes Military) 9 6 8
Public Interest 10 14 8
Clerkship 37 35 36
Education 0 1 1
Other/unknown 0 0 0

*This table includes short-term and Law School/University-funded positions to align with the ABA Employment Summary reporting. Below is the breakout of the employment type for the law school/university-funded positions.

Law School/University Funded Positions

  Class of
2024
Class of
2023

Class of
2022

Government 1 Long-term; 1 Short-term    
Public Interest 1 Long-term 4 Long-term 2 Long-term

Clerkships

Many Duke Law students secure clerkships each year. Below are the numbers of alumni that were in clerkships ten months after their graduation.

Graduates Clerking 10 Months
After Graduation
(% of Total Class)
Class of
2024
Class of
2023
Class of
2022
Federal Courts 29/277
10.5%
26/238
10.9%
25/214
11.7%
State Courts 8/277
2.9%
9/238
3.8%
11/214
5.1%
Other Courts 0/277
0%
0/238
0%
0/214
0%
Total by Class 37/277
13.4%
35/238
14.7%
36/214
16.8%

In addition to students who accept clerkships that begin after graduation, alumni also obtain clerkships that begin after a year or more of law practice in a firm or public sector position.  Duke Law provides comprehensive support to all students and alumni seeking clerkships.  Following are the numbers of all Duke Law graduates in clerkships by term:

Total Clerkships by Term Term
2024-25
Term
2023-24
Term
2022-23
Federal Courts 69 60 62
U.S. Supreme Court 2 0 0
U.S. Circuit Courts 21 19 20
U.S. District Courts 44 40 40
Other Federal Courts 2 1 2
State Courts 12 13 14
International Courts 0 0 0
Total by Term 81 73 76

Geographic Destinations 

Duke Law School has more than 11,000 alumni presently in all 50 states and in more than 70 countries around the globe. (Please note that percentages may not add up to 100 because numbers are rounded to the nearest tenth.)

% of Total Employed Class of
2024
Class of
2023
Class of
2022
Northeast
ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI, NY, NJ, PA, DE
126/275
45.8%
98/233
42.1%
84/212
39.6%
Mid-Atlantic
DC, VA, MD, WV
33/275
12.0%
36/233
15.5%
41/212
19.3%
South Atlantic
NC, SC, GA
31/275
11.3%
22/233
9.4%
21/212
9.9%
Midwest
OH, IN, IL, MO, KS, NE, IA, ND, SD, MI, MN, WI, KY
19/275
6.9%
11/233
4.7%

9/212
4.2%

South
TX, LA, MS, OK, TN, AR, AL, FL
34/275
12.4%
29/233
12.4%
26/212
12.3%
West
AK, HI, CA, NV, WA, OR, AZ, NM, UT, CO, WY, ID, MT
30/275
10.9%
34/233
14.6%
28/212
13.2%
International 2/275
0.7%
3/233
1.3%
3/212
1.4%

Most Popular Employment Locations

Duke Law graduates are employed throughout the United States and the world. The locations with the consistently highest concentrations of Duke graduates are listed below; other popular locations include Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, and Tennessee.

Class of 2024 % of Total Employed
New York 40.4% (111/275)
Washington, D.C. 10.5% (29/275)
California 9.1% (25/275)
North Carolina 8.0% (22/275)
Texas 7.3% (20/275)
Illinois 4.7% (13/275)
   
Class of 2023 % of Total Employed
New York 34.8% (81/233)
Washington, D.C. 14.2% (33/233)
California 10.7% (25/233)
North Carolina 8.2% (19/233)
Texas 5.6% (13/233)
Florida 4.3% (10/233)
   
Class of 2022 % of Total Employed
New York 31.1% (66/212)
Washington, D.C. 18.4% (39/212)
California 12.3% (26/212)
North Carolina 8.0% (17/212)
Texas 7.1% (15/212)
Massachusetts 3.3% (7/212)
 

Salaries by Sector (Long-Term, Full-Time Employed Graduates Only)

  Private
Practice
Judicial
Clerk
Govt., Public Interest, Military
Class of 2024      
(number reporting/total number in long-term, full-time category) 99%
217/218
97%
36/37
100%
18/18
75th Percentile $225,000 $82,000 $78,592
50th Percentile $225,000 $77,210 $72,000
25th Percentile $225,000 $74,539 $62,000
Class of 2023      
(number reporting/total number in long-term, full-time category) 97%
168/173
94%
33/35
85%
17/20
75th Percentile $225,000 $76,671 $74,553
50th Percentile $225,000 $73,572 $65,000
25th Percentile $225,000 $72,553 $55,000
Class of 2022      
(number reporting/total number in long-term, full-time category) 99%
154/156
100%
36/36
94%
15/16
75th Percentile $215,000 $75,833 $69,011
50th Percentile $215,000 $69,107 $60,000
25th Percentile $215,000 $66,000 $48,078

 


*

Per Interpretation 509-2 of Standard 509, law schools may choose to publicize additional employment outcome data beyond what the Employment Protocols require. This additional data, per Standard 509, must be “complete, accurate, and not misleading to a reasonable law school student or applicant.” Law schools are expected to use “due diligence in obtaining and verifying such information.” The following additional employment outcome data has not been, and will not be, audited by the ABA. It is meant to supplement the annual ABA Employment Summary Report, which reflects the employment status of members of each graduating class as of the annual Graduate Employment Status Date of March 15. Please reference the 3 years of employment outcome data posted on the ABA Required Disclosures webpage of each ABA-Approved Law School or at www.abarequireddisclosures.org

*

Duke University School of Law is approved by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association, 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654, 312-988-6738.