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Duke PreLaw Fellowship Program

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The Duke Prelaw Fellowship Program is a four-week residential program that aims to introduce talented rising college sophomores and juniors to the study of law and to the legal profession.

PreLaw Fellowship Program students

Twenty-four (24) students will be selected for this summer’s cohort of Fellows, with the ideal candidate being a student with demonstrated interest in pursuing law school who is ready to work hard, engage in coursework, and is interested in the access this program provides towards preparing for a legal education.

We encourage applications from students who attend colleges and universities in the Southeast region of the United States, although students from colleges in other regions may also apply. Applicants from communities that have been historically underrepresented in the legal profession are especially encouraged to apply. We actively recruit students who attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACUs), and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). In addition, we encourage applications from first-generation college students, students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, and students enrolled in community colleges who plan to transfer to a four-year institution. In keeping with Duke Law School’s mission, we also encourage applications from students who are interested in advancing equal justice in society, and those who have been exposed to a variety of experiences and perspectives that may enhance their ability to effectively serve diverse communities.

As a leading law school in the South, Duke considers the program a significant opportunity to encourage larger numbers of students in the region to not only consider law school, but to be prepared to pursue it successfully.

How to Apply

The 2025 Prelaw Fellowship Program application is pending and will be released in January of 2025

Eligible Students

The Duke PreLaw Fellowship Program is open to students who have completed their freshman or sophomore years at four-year colleges and universities, technical colleges and community colleges. Eligible students will have completed between 24 and 60 credits. The program focuses on attracting promising students from groups historically underrepresented in the legal profession, first generation college students and those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as students facing other significant barriers to entering the legal profession.

Application Instructions

Submit the following items in one PDF document via email to dlpp@law.duke.edu with your name in the subject line. Recommendation letters may be sent by the recommender via email (dlpp@law.duke.edu) with your name in the subject line. Please wait until you have all items before submitting your material. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed and will be removed from consideration.

Completed 2025 PreLaw Fellowship Application
Resume
Copy of official undergraduate transcript(s)
Two recommendation letters (at least one should be from a faculty member)
Two original short essays (limited to 500 words each). Select two of the following prompts:
- A) What does the rule of law mean to you, and what special background or experiences do you have that may help you contribute to its advancement or that underscores its importance to you personally?
- B) Perseverance is one of the keys to success in law school and ultimately life. Discuss a time when you faced an obstacle, setback, or failure. How did it affect you? What lessons did you learn? What was the outcome?
- C) Exposure to a diversity of perspectives and experiences can enhance one’s ability to deliver effective professional services. Please describe any opportunities you have had to serve clients or your community, either through work or on a volunteer basis, and how your own exposure to different perspectives and experiences helped you.

Selection Process

Applications will be reviewed holistically by evaluating each student’s academic promise, volunteer and/or work experience, and commitment to the Duke Prelaw Fellowship Program. Finalists may be contacted for an interview via Zoom. Interviews will be conducted by invitation only.

Program Costs

All programming, room and board, books, and course packets will be provided free of charge. Attendees will receive a stipend of $1,000 for participating in the program.

2024 Sponsors

In this section

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Office of Diversity Initiatives

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"Oftentimes in minority communities, the access to resources, opportunities or information is not as readily available as it can be in other communities. There is a strong push to make sure that students of color and students from lower economic backgrounds are made aware of the opportunities that they can have and are made aware that law school is something they can do." (excerpt from LSAC Shifting the Dynamics of the Legal Profession)

The Office of Diversity Initiatives works with students, student organizations, administrators, and faculty on efforts to enhance inclusivity and diversity at the Law School. Staff members maintain connections with minority alumni to promote opportunities for engagement with Duke Law and facilitates connections that benefit current and prospective students.

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The Duke PreLaw Fellowship program: Laying the groundwork for professional success

Twenty-three rising sophomores and juniors from colleges and universities comprise Duke’s PreLaw Fellowship Program in 2023. Students take a wide variety of classes, including but not limited to, civil rights law, contracts, criminal law, critical race theory, property law, and legal writing. Participants also receive LSAT preparation and gain insight and advice on applying.