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Duke Law’s hooding ceremony honoring the Class of 2016 takes place on Saturday, May 14, the culmination of a series of events celebrating students from around the United States and the world who are finishing their law school careers.

Two hundred and twenty-one JD graduates will be hooded. Fourteen are also graduating with an LLM in international and comparative law, and five will also receive an LLM in law and entrepreneurship. Nineteen JD graduates also pursued degrees from other Duke graduate schools and departments while completing their JD studies.

Ninety-seven lawyers from 41 countries, including the Law School’s first students from Mongolia and Cuba, will graduate with an LLM in American law. Three lawyers will receive the SJD, the highest degree in law.

Eighteen sitting judges will receive a master’s degree from Duke’s Judicial Studies program. Each of the judges has completed a thesis following two consecutive summers of coursework focused on analytical skills and research approaches pertinent to the study of domestic and international judicial institutions and other aspects of judicial practice and efforts at reform.

Journalist and talk show host Charlie Rose ’68 T’64 will address the graduates during the hooding ceremony.

Also speaking will be Richard Lin and Dai Tajima, who were selected by their fellow students to represent the graduating JD and LLM classes, respectively. Judge Johnnie B. Rawlinson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will speak on behalf of federal, state, and international jurists completing the Master of Judicial Studies program.

The hooding ceremony takes place at 5:30 p.m., in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Duke University’s West Campus, preceding Sunday’s larger graduation ceremony for the entire university, and following two days of events for the class of 2016.

On Thursday, the Law School will host a graduation gala for students and their families at 7 p.m. in Star Commons. On Friday at 5 p.m., the annual graduation barbecue will take place at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, and at 7 p.m. international LLM graduates and their families are invited to Star Commons for a candlelight dinner.

Saturday’s hooding ceremony will be immediately followed by a champagne toast in Star Commons.

See the full schedule of graduation events

Learn more about Duke Law's 2016 graduates

• Duke Law welcomes JD class of 2016
• Duke Law welcomes international LLM class of 2016
• Duke Bar Association honors students, faculty, organizations with D.O.N.E awards
• Kim, Pearson featured among outstanding third-year law students | Tipping the Scales
• Taylor ’16 argues federal appeal in Third Circuit
• Kay LLM ’16 examines attitudes towards attacks in Paris and Beirut
• Pearson ’16 named to committee studying recognition for Julian Abele
• Video interview with Peter Filholm LLM ’16
• Video interview with Veronica Orantes LLM ’16
• Jaep ’16 testifies before Pennsylvania legislative committee about health care policy report
• Jindal ’16 discusses Wrongful Convictions Clinic work
• Showalter ’16 and Mohs ’15 win 2015 Deans Cup; Showalter named best oralist
• Morgan Abbott ’16
• Trevor Kiviat JD/LLM ’16
• Dyna Zekaoui JD/LLM ’16
• Rebecca Cooper ’16 | Civil Justice Clinic
• Michael Steele ’16 | Children’s Law Clinic
• Ward ’16 prevails, Carles ’16 also praised for superb advocacy in Hardt Cup final