PUBLISHED:January 20, 2008

Ana Santos '08

Interview With


Name: Ana Santos
LLM 2008
Exchange Student, Fall 2005
Home: Portugal
Law School: Catholic University




  1. You were an exchange student at Duke of Fall 2005, what brought you back to pursue the LLM this year?The people and the place. Needless to say, Duke has an outstanding faculty and great facilities, but in 2005 I also found out that the human environment was excellent and that I actually enjoy this peaceful, green life that Durham has to offer.
  2. What have you been doing after you returned to Portugal from Duke?I graduated from my home university and then I did their LLM program, the first ever to take place in Portugal. And then I packed and came back as soon as I could.
  3. You are an accomplished literature writer in Portugal with four books published.  Did you write more books or do you have any new book in mind?  What is it about?My last book was published in 2004. It usually takes me a long time to develop new literary projects. I have been busy with articles for newspapers and I have also translated a couple of books into Portuguese, among which Umberto Eco’s Turning Back the Clock. I have got a lot of ideas for future books, but they will have to wait until I am finished with my legal education.
  4. Last time when we interviewed you about your post-graduate plan, you said you might work as a Portuguese lawyer.  Now you are pursuing an LLM at Duke and in the meantime teaching law in your university during Fall Break.  What made you decide to choose a career in academia over practice?Intellectual Property. I fell in love with this area during my first time here at Duke and I want to learn as much as I can about it. Teaching gives me the opportunity to keep studying and researching and, as I recently found out, it is extremely interesting and rewarding to be on the other side of the room, preparing and instigating discussions, sharing my thoughts and getting new ones in return.
  5. Compared to your experience as an exchange student, what do you feel is the biggest difference of being an LLM student at Duke?Actually, I don’t think that there is any significant difference, except for the length of the program. Exchange students really do half an LLM – and that is perhaps the reason I enjoyed my exchange program so much.
  6. What is your plan after receiving your LLM from Duke?Going for the PhD…