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How to do I apply?

To apply for the JD/LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship program, candidates complete the regular JD application and indicate their intent to enroll in the JD/LLMLE. No additional application materials or standardized testing are required.

For incoming JD students who did not apply to the dual program at admission, 1L students may also elect to add on the dual degree before mid-October. This process involves speaking with the Program Director (individually or by attending an interest meeting), speaking with academic affairs and financial aid, and indicating their interest via written statement to the Program Director. 

How much will the dual JD/LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship cost?

The dual JD/LLM degree programs at Duke Law have a base tuition of $89,950 for 2024-2025. For additional information, review all Tuition & Fees.

Similar to Duke in DC and the Duke-Leiden Institute in Global and Transnational Law, for the one week entrepreneurial immersion, students are responsible for travel and housing costs.

What unique courses and experiences are part of this dual degree?

1L JD/LLMs in Law & Entrepreneurship take their first entrepreneurship class in Wintersession and then take Business Associations in Spring semester (in lieu of Property Law, which is taken by JD/LLMLEs in Fall of 2L).

After 1L, dual degree students enroll in the Entrepreneurship Immersion course, Advising the Entrepreneurial Client, a unique academic experience that includes a startup immersion in a technology hub in the United States.

In the past, students have ventured to Silicon Valley or New York City to meet with VCs, law firms with entrepreneurial practices, and Duke alumni at innovative companies, such as VRChat, Apple, Grammarly, PayPal, Atlassian, TIDAL, IDEO, Cabify, Dropbox, Box, Facebook, Google, and Square. Students also have individual networking opportunities and attend a reception with local Duke Law alumni and faculty.

Read more about the unique components.

What courses are required?

Review all JD/LLMLE Requirements.

Am I allowed to take classes outside of Duke Law?

Yes, up to three classes may be taken outside of Duke Law, with permission from Academic Affairs. 

How is the JD/LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship different from the JD/MBA that Duke Law offers?

The LLM in Law & Entrepreneurship is an advanced legal studies program designed for students who want to be entrepreneurial lawyers. While it provides students with a deep immersion in certain fields of business study, those areas will be covered from a lawyer’s perspective. We want our students to understand the business issues and the innovative mind, but this is not a business degree. All of the core courses in the program are taught by law faculty and are principally focused on helping you acquire a deeper understanding of the applicable substantive law and the professional skills needed to lawyer effectively in an entrepreneurial context.

What jobs do graduates of the program have?

Since graduating the first class of JD/LLM in Law & Entrepreneurship alumni in 2016, the majority of alumni have been hired by law firms who serve emerging companies, especially in the New York and Bay Area markets. Other alumni have found employment at firms here in the Triangle or abroad. Several years after graduation, some alumni have transitioned to positions in-house as counsel at high-growth tech companies.