News

A year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Duke University’s founding is beginning Tuesday, Jan. 9 with a special event for the Duke community in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke University was established in 1924 when James B. Duke, through the Indenture of Trust, designated a gift that transformed Trinity College into a comprehensive research university. The celebration of the Duke Centennial is a historic opportunity to recognize Duke’s extraordinary past, communicate the impact of the present, and look toward the potential of Duke’s future. The Law School will commemorate this milestone with a variety of activities, including a special issue of Duke Law Magazine to be published in the spring.

“We are proud and excited to join in Duke’s Centennial Celebration this year,” said Kerry Abrams, James B. Duke and Benjamin N. Duke Dean of the School of Law and Distinguished Professor of Law. “James B. Duke’s vision for this university and for the teaching of law remains an inspiration as we embark on our second century.”

Law had been taught at Trinity College and its predecessor Normal College since the 1850s. But the Indenture of Trust identified law as one of four professions, with preaching, teaching, and medicine, that “by precept and example can do most to uplift mankind,” and thus should be a priority for Duke University.

Over the last century, Duke Law School has grown, adding students, faculty, and staff, and relocated several times before landing in its current home at the corner of Science Drive and Towerview Road in 1963. The Law School has also transformed from a regional institution primarily serving North Carolina and the Southeast to one with national and international prominence and more than 12,000 alumni worldwide.

The curriculum has expanded with the addition of LLM and SJD degrees in addition to the traditional JD and dual degrees at the Law School and with other Duke schools and departments. Extracurricular activities have grown to include law journals, moot court competitions, pro bono groups, and student organizations.

The Law School has also expanded its impact on the community through its clinics, which provide legal services to clients who couldn’t otherwise afford a lawyer and hands-on learning to students under the supervision of faculty. The site of the nation’s first law school clinic in 1932, Duke now operates 12 clinical programs in areas ranging from immigration and health law to entrepreneurship and the environment.  

For more information on Duke’s Centennial Celebration, visit https://100.duke.edu.