Life at Duke Law

2019 Schedule of Events

Tuesday, August 20: EMBODY integrity, BUILD relationships

Registration and Welcome Breakfast
8:00 a.m.
Third Floor Loggia and Star Commons

• Register on the Third Floor Loggia then join your LEAD Fellows and classmates in Star Commons for a light breakfast.

Welcome to Duke Law School
9:00 a.m.
Star Commons

• Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs William Hoye and the Office of Student Affairs will welcome you to the Law School.

Dean's Welcome
9:40 a.m.
Star Commons

• Dean Kerry Abrams will welcome you to Duke Law and talk with you about success in law school, your career, and beyond. 

Meet Your LEAD Fellow
10:30 a.m.
Various Locations (See Breakout Schedule)

• Gather with your LEAD Fellows to get answers to questions related to the schedule, parking, university resources, and things to do in Durham. You will participate in activities with this group throughout LEAD Week, and your LEAD Fellow will continue to act as an advisor and social activities planner for your group throughout your first year. You can read more about the 2019-2020 LEAD Fellows here.

Professionalism Luncheon
12:15 p.m.
Washington Duke Inn
Dine with members of the Law School community, including our featured speaker, Porter Durham ’85, AB ’83, P ’17, who will also lead students in the Duke Law School pledge. 
(If you would like to request a vegetarian/vegan entrée, please complete this form to receive a “vegetarian” card to set at your place setting.)

The Honor Code & University Standards
Cohort A: 2:00 p.m. - Room 3041
Cohort B: 3:30 p.m. - Room 3043

• Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Lewis Hutchison will introduce the Law School community's expectations relating to the Honor Code and university standards.

Introduction to Academic Technologies and the Law Library
Cohort B: 2:00 p.m. - Room 3043
Cohort A: 3:30 p.m. - Room 3041

• Staff from Academic Technologies and the Law Library will introduce you to research and technology services at the Law School; there will also be time available for individual assistance with completing the online computing orientation and/or a tour of the Goodson Law Library.

New Student Welcome Social
5:30 p.m. 
The Devil's Krafthouse

• Celebrate the beginning of your Duke Law experience. Hosted by the Law School Alumni Association and the Duke Law Alumni and Development office.

Wednesday, August 21: ENGAGE intellectually, BUILD relationships

Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m.
Star Commons

Class Preparation and Case Briefing*
Cohort A: 8:30 a.m. - Room 3041
Cohort B: 9:30 a.m. - Room 3043

• Being prepared for a law school class may be very different from the kind of daily academic preparation to which you are accustomed. This session, lead by Professor Joseph Blocher, is designed to make your faculty's expectation clear, and to provide instruction on how to meet those expectations so that you can be your most successful from the beginning. Please read Desnick v. American Broadcasting Companies in advance of this session.  
  • Assignments: Learn how to brief a case. 
    • You can begin to do this in a couple of ways.  “Open Book: The Inside Track to Law School Success”, Barry Friedman and John C.P. Goldberg, Second Edition, 2016, is helpful text that is often recommended by professors who teach Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing (LARW). If you are able to purchase the book before LEAD Week begins (perhaps through an online bookseller), we recommend that you read “Guide to the Book” (p. xix), and Chapters 5 and 6. We think you will benefit from reading the rest of this book as you move through your first semester, especially when you begin to outline your courses and prepare for exams. 
    • In addition (or in lieu of reading “Open Book”), you should read the introduction to Torts: Doctrine and Process (2016), Donald H. Beskind and Doriane Lambelet Coleman. Professors Coleman and Beskind have given us permission to post their very helpful guide to briefing cases on the LEAD Week website. The password to access this case was emailed to you.
    • Carefully read and brief the case. Professor Blocher will teach Desnick v. American Broadcasting Companies. You should brief the case before class using the tools you have learned from "Open Book” and the materials from Professors Beskind and Coleman.

Note Taking 101*
Cohort B: 8:30 a.m. - Room 3043
Cohort A: 9:30 a.m. - Room 3041

• Note taking can be a challenge for those not accustomed to the unique format of a typical law school class. Professor Casey Thomson will walk you through effective strategies to adapt your note-taking methods to succeed in this new environment.  

Sexual Misconduct Prevention
Cohort A: 10:30 a.m. - Room 3041
Cohort B: 11:30 a.m. - Room 3043

• Victoria Krebs, Associate Dean of Students for Title IX Outreach and Response, will provide a review of the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy to include prohibited conduct, reporting, and confidential support services. You should have received notification of a required online Title IX, Sexual Misconduct Prevention training module separately. You must complete this 1-hour online course before attending LEAD Week. More information on the prevention training modules can be found here.

Introduction to Academic Affairs and Professional Development*
Cohort A: 11:30 a.m. - Room 3041
Cohort B: 10:30 a.m. - Room 3043

• Assistant Dean Amanda Lacoff will provide a brief overview of academic advising, degree requirements, and resources. 
• Professor Don Beskind, Associate Dean Liz Gustafson, and the Career & Professional Development Center will introduce students to the Professional Development Credit required for graduation. The Credit is designed to help students maximize the value of their academic and professional experiences via the exercise of self-assessment practices and goal-setting to prepare them for entry into the legal profession.  
  • Assignment: Please come prepared with a brief description or definition of what professionalism means to you, both in the context of law school and as a lawyer after graduation. To provide some context for developing your description, you may wish to consult the Blueprint to LEAD here and the Law School’s mission statement and learning outcomes here, in addition to your own personal aspirations and ideals of professionalism. We will discuss your descriptions on Wednesday, August 21.

Lunch with Classmates
12:30 p.m.
Star Commons

Legal Analysis, Research and Writing Classes
LARW Sections 1, 4, 5, 8: 1:30 p.m. 
LARW Sections 2, 3, 6, 7: 3:15 p.m. 
Various Locations (See Breakout Schedule)

Diversity and Inclusion and our Community Part I *
LARW Sections 1, 4, 5, 8: 3:15 p.m. 
LARW Sections 2, 3, 6, 7: 1:30 p.m. 
Room 3041

• Ebony Bryant, Director of Diversity Initiatives, will show us how to support a respectful and inclusive learning environment while minimizing roadblocks.

Duke Bar Association BBQ
5:00 p.m.
Marcy's Garden

• Meet your Duke Bar Association (DBA) mentors and representatives over a meal in Marcy’s Garden (the front lawn of the Law School).

*Indicates Professional Development course credit.

Thursday, August 22: SERVE the community, LEAD with intention

Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m.
Star Commons

Screening of The Trials of Darryl Hunt
Cohort A: 8:30 a.m. - Room 3041
Cohort B: 8:30 a.m. - Room 3043

• As portrayed in this award-winning HBO documentary, Darryl Hunt was convicted of a rape and murder he did not commit and served 18 years in North Carolina prisons before being released in 2003 based on DNA evidence.

Wrongful Convictions Panel
Cohort A: 10:30 a.m. - Room 3041
Cohort B: 11:30 a.m. - Room 3043

• Exoneree, Howard Dudley, Mark Rabil, the attorney for Darryl Hunt, Professor Jamie Lau, supervising attorney for the Wrongful Convictions Clinic, will answer your questions about wrongful convictions.

Public Interest and Pro Bono Opportunities
Cohort B: 10:30 a.m. - Room 3043
Cohort A: 11:30 a.m. - Room 3041

• Assistant Dean Stella Boswell and Director Kim Burrucker from the Office of Public Interest and Pro Bono will introduce ways to contribute to the community through pro bono and public interest work.

Community Service Kick-off and Lunch
12:30 p.m.
Marcy's Garden

• Pick up your lunch in Star Commons, head to the front lawn to pick up your t-shirt under the tent, and then join your LEAD group for an afternoon of service. 

25th Annual Dedicated to Durham
1:30 p.m.
Locations Throughout Durham

• Work with fellow students, faculty, and administrators to make a difference in your new community. Be sure to bring closed-toe shoes and clothes that can get dirty.

Friday, August 23: ENGAGE intellectually, LIVE with purpose

Lunch with Classmates
12:00 p.m.
Please pick up your lunch on the Third Floor Loggia and join your classmates in the classroom where your next session will be held. 

Living with Purpose
Cohort A: 12:30 p.m. - Room 3041
Cohort B: 12:30 p.m. - Room 3043

• Tiarra Wade, Assistant Dean of Students for Duke Reach, and QuiAnne' Holmes, Student Development Coordinator, for DuWell, will present concepts helpful during your time in law school and beyond.

Legal Analysis, Research and Writing Classes
LARW Sections 1, 4, 5, 8: 1:30 p.m. 
LARW Sections 2, 3, 6, 7: 3:15 p.m. 
Various Locations (See Breakout Schedule)

Diversity and Inclusion and our Community Part II*
LARW Sections 1, 4, 5, 8: 3:15 p.m. 
LARW Sections 2, 3, 6, 7: 1:30 p.m. 
Room 3041

• Drawing from Wednesday’s session, Ebony Bryant, Director of Diversity Initiatives, along with Professor Lisa Kern Griffin and Professor Guy-Uriel Charles, will discuss classroom dynamics and how to use potential disagreements and conflict to work constructively with others for the benefit of the community.

LEAD Week Cookout
5:00 p.m.
Marcy's Garden

• Celebrate the end of LEAD Week and the beginning of law school with your fellow students, faculty, and administrators. 

*Indicates Professional Development course credit.