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Will Allred’s early passions – a deep interest in military history, a love of strategy board games, and a strong connection to the American values of freedom, democracy, and equality – pulled him towards military service.

“There was a layer of values discussion that went into all of my studies of American military history. That sense of values, who are we as a country and what do we stand for, were things I wanted to put myself in a position to fight for,” said Allred.

Allred is one of 244 students in Duke Law’s JD class of 2026. The members of this year’s 1L class hail from 35 different U.S. states and territories and eight foreign countries. More than half of the class identify as women, and 49% are people of color, the highest in the Law School’s history.

A Texas native, Allred studied history and Japanese at the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in the top of his class before moving to North Carolina to serve as an infantry officer at Camp Lejeune. But it would be several thousand miles away from home that he first felt inspired towards a career in law.

Allred’s platoon was deployed in Okinawa, Japan, at the time of the January 6 Capitol riot, an event he says sparked an interest in continuing to serve his country through a legal lens.

“In military service, there is a lot of sacrifice and training that goes into protecting these values that we talk about. Things like democracy: what the people choose is what represents them in government,” he said. “Any form of law that has to do with connecting the will of the people with who represents them in our government, that feels like an extension of the military oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.”

Allred is excited to explore opportunities to engage with election law at Duke Law, such as working with the pro bono office, joining the American Civil Liberties Union, and taking the Appellate Litigation Clinic.

Allred lives in Durham with his wife, Marcelle, who recently graduated from Duke University’s physical therapy program. When he’s not studying, he’s taking care of his dog Leo and cats Stevie, Stella, Krewe, and Onyx (a stray that often visits his back door), exploring Durham’s small business scene, or designing wargame strategy boards to be used as military training guides.

“Recently I designed a set of rules for a Risk-style wargame with the intent to put it in the hands of company or platoon commanders, squad leaders in the fleet Marine force so they could have a realistic model for practicing tactics,” said Allred. “It seems like it’s starting to make the rounds!”

Allred plans to continue his military service with the North Carolina Army Reserve as he pursues his law degree at Duke.

Lisette León jokes that it was her mother’s obsession with a television program she described as the “Latin version of Judge Judy,” that inspired her decision to pursue a law degree, but truly, it was deeply rooted in her family values.

“I grew up low-income in an immigrant household, and the area I grew up in in California was predominately comprised of immigrants from Mexico and the Philippines. I think because of that I saw a lot of injustices, specifically in terms of employment and labor rights violations. Once I went to college, I realized not everyone has to face these issues, and it’s so common in my community,” said León.

León attended Harvard University, studying government with a secondary focus in ethnicity, migration, and rights. During her time at Harvard, León worked in two legal clinics, the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau and Bay Area Legal Aid, focusing on combatting racial biases and systemic injustices against marginalized groups.

After graduating in 2021, she worked as a legal assistant at Milbank LLP in New York where she worked on a class action case involving incarcerated New Yorkers’ access to medical care. León was awarded the Milbank 2022 Pro Bono Award for her contributions.

It was this experience that solidified her desire to expand access to legal aid resources for all individuals. When applying to law schools, Duke Law’s public interest programming stood out to her, as well as the school’s strong emphasis on community building.

“Something I’m really excited to get involved in is [the Latin American Law Students Association]. I think being on the east coast, leaving my community which is homogenously Mexican, I was really homesick. My Latinx community at Harvard really carried me through those tough times, so I’m excited to get to know everyone here and cultivate a similar, strong community bond,” she said.

León also hopes to contribute to immigrant rights pro bono projects at Duke Law, push herself to further develop her public speaking skills through experiences like Mock Trial, and get involved in the clinics.

“A big reason why I came to law school is because I’ve had such great experiences in legal clinics in the past and I wanted to have the skills to be able to do more,” she said. “Kindness and compassion are two large pillars in lawyering for me. It’s important to remind ourselves in the legal aid space that often times these people are coming to us in some of their worst times of their lives, so I think as I go through and become a lawyer, those are two qualities I want to keep close.”

Outside of her studies, León is getting into Formula 1 racing and getting back into weightlifting. And León has set her sights on attending every Duke-UNC matchup at Cameron Indoor Stadium while she’s a student here.

“I’m excited to let myself get swept up in the ‘Cameron Craze’ and not miss out on the student experience. If I can leave Duke and say I preserved my sleep, preserved my friendships, and made more friendships within the law school community, I’ll be really proud,” she said. 

Rohen Sukkawala says he never imagined himself in law school. He graduated in 2020 from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was interested in healthcare before transitioning to a business administration degree.

Sukkawala, now enrolled in Duke Law’s JD/LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship program, worked in finance after graduation before starting his own business providing administrative and operational support to small business clients. That experience provided him with an inside look at how attorneys play a critical role in company operations, which inspired his law career.

“I interacted with a lot of attorneys, which was an unexpected but fascinating aspect of the job. I realized that I wanted to be more involved in the legal side of business, so I took the LSATs and applied,” he said.

Returning to an academic environment after owning his own business has been a nice change of pace as he continues to explore his interests in law.

“It’s nice to be back in a space where you have time to think and learn, as opposed to just doing. Law is still new to me, but my areas of interest right now are in business transactions,” he said.

Sukkawala is excited to take part in the Start-Up Ventures Clinic, which will be built into his course track in the JD/LLMLE program. Working in the clinic appeals to his hope to help companies of all sizes.

“As an attorney, you have the ability to help people on such an intimate level. There are a lot of important legal needs that don’t get met simply because good lawyers are expensive, so I plan to incorporate significant pro bono work into my career,” he said.

Sukkawala is also looking forward to joining the South Asian Law Students Association, exploring more of Durham with his wife, Marrina, and little dog, Ginger, and becoming a Duke fan.

“By the end I hope to have built a community here and stay connected with the school afterwards,” he said.

While completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia, Jonathan Mondrey, Jr., experienced a lightbulb moment. On track to study medicine, he enrolled in an introduction to law course.

“I was pre-med, but I was realizing that wasn’t really something I wanted to do at all. Then I took this course, and it opened everything up for me. It was the first time I really felt passionate about something, about my future in terms of my career,” said Mondrey.

Between his third and fourth year of undergrad, Mondrey shifted academic gears and turned his focus toward honing a key skill of lawyering: becoming a big people person, but in an unconventional way.

“Instead of getting an internship for a firm pushing papers all day, that summer I became an orientation leader. It was kind of goofy, but I loved that because I’m a goofy person. I knew it was going to put me in uncomfortable positions, with super long days, and put me in front of hundreds of students every day,” he said. “That work experience changed me. I don’t get nerves anymore, I can push through hard moments, and leading up into law school I wasn’t scared to come here and reach my goals. I know Duke is the right place for me.”

The right place to study, and the right place for a big fan: Mondrey came to Duke for basketball camp when he was young and was immediately attracted to the campus, the team spirit, and Durham community. He said his acceptance to Duke Law was a moment he won’t forget. It felt full circle.

“It always came back to Duke. I feel very comfortable here, mainly because of the people. It’s not just about being a student here, it’s about being a person. It’s always ‘How are you?’ ‘Where are you from?’ Knowing that everyone has my back is really comforting, and Durham reminds me of Richmond a lot. It feels like home,” said Mondrey.

Mondrey is digging right into the community in and out of his studies at Duke. He is a member of the Black Law Students Association and plays regular pick-up basketball games with members of the Duke Bar Association.

He says he’s looking forward to joining Duke Law’s Sports Entertainment Law Society to build on his passion for sports and to further his passion for people by participating in pro bono opportunities.

“Law is supposed to be that one area of society that, regardless of whatever race, religion, identity, or background we come from, we are all supposed to be treated as equals. It’s important for those in the legal profession to strive towards making that ideal of equality a reality in whatever line of work we pursue,” said Mondrey. “I love people. It’s one of the main reasons why I wanted to become a lawyer. I want to change this robotic view some people have of attorneys and show through my work that I really care about what I do and who I do it for.”

Julia Benbenek found a passion for law while on the mock trial team at her high school. The art of debate – the malleable nature of language and resulting interpretations that make waves in the implementation of law and politics – was something she wanted to be part of.

Benbenek graduated in 2021 from Georgetown University, where she studied international politics with a concentration in international law and Spanish.

Her professional experiences span from producing intelligence reports for the Washington-based firm The Counterterrorism Group and writing news articles for the Polish American Congress, to conducting legislative research and leading groups on tours of the U.S. Capitol while interning with the U.S. House of Representatives.

Before coming to Duke, Benbenek worked as a legal assistant for a firm that specialized in international trade and security.

“I am really interested in exploring international arbitration in law school, which I think might be an area of similar subject matter in terms of that international scope but requires a bit more of that unique problem-solving element that I felt lacking in transactional and regulatory work,” said Benbenek.

In pursuit of this interest, Benbenek is pursuing a JD/LLM in International and Comparative Law. The dual-degree program will include an opportunity to spend her 1L summer in the Duke-Leiden Institute in Global and Transactional Law in The Hague, a global hub of international legal institutions, both factors that made Duke the perfect choice for Benbenek, she said.

“When I came to admitted students weekend, it was the camaraderie among the students here that sold me on this experience. I already have so many mentors, the older students are so eager and willing to lend their support and advice to younger students. It’s a unique environment here that I’m excited to be part of,” she said.

Throughout her next three years of study, Benbenek hopes to get involved with student organizations like the Moot Court Board, Christian Legal Society, and International Law Society, work on the Duke Journal of International and Comparative Law, and serve on pro bono projects. A long-time competitive athlete, she is excited to play tennis with her classmates as well as join the Duke Law softball team.

“I don’t have any softball experience,” she said, “but I think it will be a great opportunity to have an evening during the week where we all get out on a field, run around, and have fun with it.”

While she grew up in the Chicago area and spent the last few years studying and working in Washington, Benbenek has dived right into the transition to southern living.

“I’m a self-proclaimed city girl, but I am appreciating the slower pace of life, and definitely the warmer weather. As a Chicago native, I should be better at handling the winters, but I’m not, so this is great! And the people are just so inviting and kind,” she said.

With a group of others, Benbenek looks forward to weekly dinners at new locations throughout Durham to take full advantage of the top-ranked food scene.

“I will feel most fulfilled about my time at Duke if I look back on the experience as balanced: knowing I did my absolute best in academics without sacrificing my sleep, my exercise, my friends; if I met as many people as I could; if I learned from my peers, got out and explored this area with them, and involved myself in the clubs and organizations I was interested in,” she said.