LEAD Week
Duke Law's orientation program stays true to the School's message of lawyer education and professional development summarized in the Duke Law Blueprint to Lead, which distinguishes Duke Law for its focus on leadership training and development.
2020 Schedule of Events
EMBODY integrity, BUILD relationships
Dean's Welcome
11:00 - 11:15 a.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
Dean Kerry Abrams will welcome you to Duke Law and talk with you about success in law school, your career, and beyond.
Welcome to Duke Law
11:15 - 11:30 a.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Lewis Hutchison and the Office of Student Affairs will welcome you to the Law School.
Alumni Speaker
11:30 - 11:45 a.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
Venroy July ’07 will welcome the new students on behalf of Duke Law alumni. Mr. July’s diverse practice and experience has seen him advise clients operating in the government contracting, transportation, cybersecurity, banking and technology industries on an array of matters including equity and asset sales and purchases, debt offerings, and licensing transactions. While his practice focuses on larger transactions, he also regularly helps clients with other business needs, including various forms of loan transactions, compliance with U.S. securities laws and general commercial matters.
Break
11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
You’re welcome to take your break offline or join your classmates for lunch in the virtual Law School.
Student-Faculty Mixer
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Meet with members of the Law School community.
Break
1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. | Offline
Leadership, Community, and Belonging*
2:00 - 3:30 p.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
John Simpkins ’99 is a constitutional scholar and practicing attorney. He served in the Obama Administration as deputy general counsel for the White House Office of Management and Budget and general counsel for the U.S. Agency for International Development. After leaving government service, he joined Prisma Health as an executive and led collaborative, evidence-based efforts to promote health innovation, access, and equity in South Carolina’s largest private-sector employer. While serving in this role, Simpkins facilitated community conversations throughout the Upstate on racial equity in healthcare, housing, and education.
Meet your LEAD Fellow
3:45 - 5:00 p.m.
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 2020-2021 LEAD Fellows here.
*Indicates Professional Development course credit.
ENGAGE intellectually, BUILD relationships
Participation and engagement: How to succeed in class*
10:00 - 10:50 a.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
How you engage with and participate in a law school class may be very different from the classes you have experienced in the past. This session, led 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 and studying strategies for success in your first year*
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
Professor Casey Thomson will cover best practices for taking effective notes in class, and then discuss recommended strategies for using those notes to study in between classes. She will also explain some of the neuroscience behind why these strategies work.
Break
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
You’re welcome to take your break offline or join your classmates for lunch in the virtual Law School.ual Law School.
LARW
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. | Each LARW instructor will present the LARW class in their individual Zoom session. To get the link to your LARW Session, please log in to SakaI where you will find it on the Overview page.
LEAD Group Breakout Session
2:45 - 3:15 p.m.
Faculty Perspectives on Diversity and Legal Education*
3:30 - 4:30 p.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
John Simpkins '99, moderator
*Indicates Professional Development course credit.
SERVE the community, LEAD with intention
Coffee with Classmates
10:00 - 10:50 a.m.
Grab a cup of coffee (or tea!) and head over to the virtual Law School and get to know your classmates.
Wrongful Convictions Panel
11:00 - 11:50 a.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
Professors Theresa Newman, Co-Director, Wrongful Convictions Clinic and Jamie Lau, supervising attorney for the Wrongful Convictions Clinic, exoneree Dontae Sharpe, and Mark Rabil, the attorney for Darryl Hunt, will answer your questions about wrongful convictions.
Break
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
You're welcome to take your break offline or join your classmates for lunch in the virtual Law School.
LEAD Group Breakout Session
1:00 - 1:50 p.m.
The Honor Code & University Standards
2:00 - 2:50 p.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Lewis Hutchison will introduce the Law School community's expectations relating to the Honor Code and university standards.
LEAD Group Breakout Session
2:50 - 3:20 p.m.
Sexual Misconduct Prevention
3:30 - 4:20 p.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
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.
Introduction to the Goodson Law Library and Academic Technologies
4:30 - 5:00 p.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
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 to answer your questions.
DBA Trivia Night
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
ENGAGE intellectually, LIVE with purpose
Coffee with Classmates
10:00 - 10:50 a.m.
Grab a cup of coffee (or tea!) and head over to the virtual Law School and get to know your classmates.
Public Interest and Pro Bono Opportunities*
11:00 - 11:50 a.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
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.
Break
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
You're welcome to take your break offline or join your classmates for lunch in the virtual Law School.
Living with Purpose
1:00 - 1:45 p.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
QuiAnne' Holmes, Student Development Coordinator, for DuWell, will present concepts helpful during your time in law school and beyond.
LARW
2:00 - 3:30 p.m. | Each LARW instructor will present the LARW class in their individual Zoom session. To get the link to your LARW Session, please log in to SakaI where you will find it on the Overview page.
*Indicates Professional Development course credit.
EMBODY integrity, BUILD relationships
Dean's Welcome
11:00 - 11:15 a.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
Dean Kerry Abrams will welcome you to Duke Law and talk with you about success in law school, your career, and beyond.
Welcome to Duke Law
11:15 - 11:30 a.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Lewis Hutchison and the Office of Student Affairs will welcome you to the Law School.
Alumni Speaker
11:30 - 11:45 a.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
Venroy July ’07 will welcome the new students on behalf of Duke Law alumni. Mr. July’s diverse practice and experience has seen him advise clients operating in the government contracting, transportation, cybersecurity, banking and technology industries on an array of matters including equity and asset sales and purchases, debt offerings, and licensing transactions. While his practice focuses on larger transactions, he also regularly helps clients with other business needs, including various forms of loan transactions, compliance with U.S. securities laws and general commercial matters.
Break
11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
You’re welcome to take your break offline or join your classmates for lunch in the virtual Law School.
Student-Faculty Mixer
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Meet with members of the Law School community.
Break
1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. | Offline
Leadership, Community, and Belonging*
2:00 - 3:30 p.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
John Simpkins ’99 is a constitutional scholar and practicing attorney. He served in the Obama Administration as deputy general counsel for the White House Office of Management and Budget and general counsel for the U.S. Agency for International Development. After leaving government service, he joined Prisma Health as an executive and led collaborative, evidence-based efforts to promote health innovation, access, and equity in South Carolina’s largest private-sector employer. While serving in this role, Simpkins facilitated community conversations throughout the Upstate on racial equity in healthcare, housing, and education.
Meet your LEAD Fellow
3:45 - 5:00 p.m.
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 2020-2021 LEAD Fellows here.
*Indicates Professional Development course credit.
ENGAGE intellectually, BUILD relationships
Participation and engagement: How to succeed in class*
10:00 - 10:50 a.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
How you engage with and participate in a law school class may be very different from the classes you have experienced in the past. This session, led 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 and studying strategies for success in your first year*
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
Professor Casey Thomson will cover best practices for taking effective notes in class, and then discuss recommended strategies for using those notes to study in between classes. She will also explain some of the neuroscience behind why these strategies work.
Break
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
You’re welcome to take your break offline or join your classmates for lunch in the virtual Law School.ual Law School.
LARW
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. | Each LARW instructor will present the LARW class in their individual Zoom session. To get the link to your LARW Session, please log in to SakaI where you will find it on the Overview page.
LEAD Group Breakout Session
2:45 - 3:15 p.m.
Faculty Perspectives on Diversity and Legal Education*
3:30 - 4:30 p.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
John Simpkins '99, moderator
*Indicates Professional Development course credit.
SERVE the community, LEAD with intention
Coffee with Classmates
10:00 - 10:50 a.m.
Grab a cup of coffee (or tea!) and head over to the virtual Law School and get to know your classmates.
Wrongful Convictions Panel
11:00 - 11:50 a.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
Professors Theresa Newman, Co-Director, Wrongful Convictions Clinic and Jamie Lau, supervising attorney for the Wrongful Convictions Clinic, exoneree Dontae Sharpe, and Mark Rabil, the attorney for Darryl Hunt, will answer your questions about wrongful convictions.
Break
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
You're welcome to take your break offline or join your classmates for lunch in the virtual Law School.
LEAD Group Breakout Session
1:00 - 1:50 p.m.
The Honor Code & University Standards
2:00 - 2:50 p.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Lewis Hutchison will introduce the Law School community's expectations relating to the Honor Code and university standards.
LEAD Group Breakout Session
2:50 - 3:20 p.m.
Sexual Misconduct Prevention
3:30 - 4:20 p.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
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.
Introduction to the Goodson Law Library and Academic Technologies
4:30 - 5:00 p.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
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 to answer your questions.
DBA Trivia Night
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
ENGAGE intellectually, LIVE with purpose
Coffee with Classmates
10:00 - 10:50 a.m.
Grab a cup of coffee (or tea!) and head over to the virtual Law School and get to know your classmates.
Public Interest and Pro Bono Opportunities*
11:00 - 11:50 a.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
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.
Break
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
You're welcome to take your break offline or join your classmates for lunch in the virtual Law School.
Living with Purpose
1:00 - 1:45 p.m. | Visit the password-protected schedule for the event recording
QuiAnne' Holmes, Student Development Coordinator, for DuWell, will present concepts helpful during your time in law school and beyond.
LARW
2:00 - 3:30 p.m. | Each LARW instructor will present the LARW class in their individual Zoom session. To get the link to your LARW Session, please log in to SakaI where you will find it on the Overview page.
*Indicates Professional Development course credit.
Lawyer Education and Development (LEAD)
Duke Law's orientation program stays true to the School's message of lawyer education and professional development summarized in the Duke Law Blueprint to Lead, which distinguishes Duke Law for its focus on leadership training and development.
Welcome packet
- LEAD Week Required Assignments
- DukeCard Application
- Parking
- Campus Map
- Academic Technology Welcome Letter
- Goodson Library Welcome Letter
- Disability Management Systems Welcome Letter
- Career and Professional Development Center Welcome Video
- Counseling and Psychological Services Brochure
The LEAD Fellows
Learn about the LEAD Fellows Program