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This fall, Duke Law School welcomed 89 international students from 41 countries and territories into the LLM Class of 2025. The majority come to the program with professional experience in legal settings – many having already worked as law firm associates or as in-house counsel, judges, prosecutors, government officials, and academics. Four members of the class talk about their background and interests, why they chose to come to Duke Law School for their LLM and how they plan to use their enhanced legal training after they graduate.

Medhaka Fernando earned his Bachelor of Laws at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s top law school, in September 2016. Following graduation he worked at the South Asian Center for Legal Studies, then clerked for Janak De Silva, now a justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. Fernando then spent three years as state counsel in the Attorney General's Department of Sri Lanka, representing government departments and public corporations in courts of first instance and provincial appellate courts in civil litigation, and more than two years in the Court of Appeal, the country’s second highest court, where he worked on litigation related to administrative law and as a member of representing state entities in international investment arbitrations and international commercial arbitrations. He also served on teams representing Sri Lanka in trade negotiations with Thailand and India. 

Why did you decide to pursue an LLM, and why did you choose Duke Law School?

I decided to pursue an LLM at this stage in my career due to the value it would provide for my work as a State Counsel in Sri Lanka. With increased responsibilities being placed on me as a State Counsel during the past three years, I strongly believe that an LLM was an opportunity for me to step back, evaluate, and if necessary, reassess my journey as a legal professional. My hope is that an LLM would enable me to evolve my outlook towards the law in general, improve my analytical skills and knowledge, help me grow as a legal practitioner and take empathetic decisions. I pursue these goals in the hope that they would better allow me to serve the public of Sri Lanka in my capacity as an officer of the State.

I was especially attracted to Duke Law due to its broad curriculum and vast experiential learning opportunities. Duke Law offers courses such as International Arbitration and several courses on International Trade Law which fall into my practice area as a State Counsel. Almost as importantly, I was thrilled to see that Durham in general and Duke specifically is a very green neighborhood close to nature. The prospect of being able to learn in a campus which had its own garden (Duke Gardens) and forest (Duke Forest) was a key factor which made me choose Duke Law. 

I am also the recipient of the Judy Horowitz Scholarship this year, and this was also one major reason why I decided to study at Duke Law. 

How do you plan to use your law degree after you graduate?

Sri Lanka envisions becoming a powerful regional economic hub in the future by leveraging its unique territorial position in the Indian Ocean. With this objective in mind, Sri Lanka has passed several laws to attract foreign business associations and investors. A strong legal framework which can offer robust and efficient dispute resolution mechanisms to foreign business associations and investors would be essential for Sri Lanka to attain this goal. 

I will be tailoring my LLM courses on the broad areas of international arbitration, transnational litigation, legal remedies and international trade law in the hope that I will be able to contribute meaningfully towards Sri Lanka's future, especially in my role as a State Counsel (government attorney). 

Are you involved in any student groups or extracurricular activities? How do you like to relax?

I intend to be involved in the Duke Immigrant and Refugee Project in some capacity and explore the work of the Duke Chapter of the American Constitution Society. I also intend to hike in and around Durham and Raleigh, especially after enjoying a hike at Eno River State Park. Additionally, I look forward to visiting the Duke Performing Arts Theatre and watching a Broadway show. I have already made plans to watch a favorite band of mine named the Piano Guys at DPAC this month. I am a huge fan of the sci-fi and fantasy genre, and I spend my free time outside class catching up with many novels, movies and TV series related to this genre. I also enjoy spending time with (bugging) my wife during my free time!

Alexis Seye was born in France, where his Malian father was pursuing his legal studies, but grew up mainly in Mali after the family moved back to Bamako, its capital city. Following high school, Seye returned to France to study law at Université Jean Moulin Lyon III, earning a bi-disciplinary degree in law and political science as well as a master’s degree in international and comparative business law in its five-year program.

Seeking to further broaden his international experience, Seye spent his last year of law school in Vietnam and interned at YKVN, then a satellite office of White & Case in Ho Chi Minh City. There he worked with partner Eli Mazur ’02, a longtime attorney in Vietnam who has helped develop the careers of numerous international lawyers. Seye also completed a second internship at Kim & Chang, a top firm in South Korea.

Why did you decide to pursue an LLM, and why did you choose Duke Law School?

When I was in Vietnam at White & Case, my supervisor was an American-educated lawyer from Duke [Mazur]. I wanted to come back to Africa later on, and I wanted to work with both English-speaking countries and French-speaking countries. He told me an LLM will be the best path and will allow me to pass the bar. I always wanted to be a lawyer, so it made sense for me to keep going. And then when I learned that I could also be an American lawyer, I thought that it would be perfect for me to have those skills and also to practice English, especially written English. So it was the perfect opportunity for me, really. The main reason why I came here was because [Mazur] told me how amazing Duke was. I was admitted also to University of Southern California, but I thought Duke would be more academically challenging and therefore more interesting.

I think North Carolina is really nice. In France you don’t have campuses – it's like one building and that's all. So I wanted to try a huge campus with activities and the student life that we imagine as foreigners for the U.S. North Carolina is better for that than New York. When I went to New York I was like, ‘Oh, that's a really nice city. But as a student, that's not something I will necessarily enjoy.’ As a student, a smaller city makes it more enjoyable.

How do you plan to use your law degree after you graduate?

After finishing the LLM, I'm going to sit for the bar in New York and I will try to find a job in New York. New York, France, or the U.K. are my main choices, and I would like to work there for a couple of years, get some experience, and then go back to Africa. I think I want to work in finance because that’s what we need the most in Africa right now – we want to develop so we need people who are aware of how finance works.

My family has a law firm in Mali, and I would want to go back and work with them and be able to work with foreign investors to facilitate investments in Mali. For Western Africa, we have OHADA (Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa) law, and that allows for lawyers from different countries to work within other countries without any barrier. So you can actually be in one of these countries and work directly with the other countries.

Are you involved in any student groups or extracurricular activities? How do you like to relax?

I'm going to go to New Orleans for fall break but I need to go around North Carolina, for sure. I'm mainly going to the gym when I have some free time. I really like sports so that’s my main focus. 

I'm a research assistant for Professor James Cox. I'm also a staff editor for the Duke Journal of International Comparative Law. And I joined a couple of associations, like the Black Law Students Association and the Middle Eastern and North African Law Students Association, to meet people. That’s the most interesting part about studying in the U.S. – all the opportunities you have around the class and outside of it.

We have great teachers and everything has been amazing. One thing I love the most is that everybody in the class is really driven. For most of them, English is not their native language, so they have to learn English and they are making a lot of sacrifices to be here. So everybody’s really driven, open-minded and interested in others. That's a really healthy environment. And all of their stories are so interesting. Everybody has such a unique and interesting path. I played golf for the first time with two Japanese students that were teaching me how to do it. Those kinds of things do not happen normally, but that’s what’s amazing about it!

Britney Slimovitch says she's always been deeply committed to advocacy, with a passion for dismantling systemic barriers and criminal justice that began long before starting law school at McGill University in Montreal. Early in her studies, Slimovitch worked on policy reform initiatives with Canadian federal law enforcement, and later with NGOs, to help reintegrate incarcerated individuals. After completing her college studies, she worked as a rehabilitation assistant at a youth detention center, which she says deepened her resolve to advocate for those most vulnerable to systemic bias and injustice.

That passion for reform and civil rights work informed her studies at McGill, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in civil law and a JD. Her commitment and experience in social work and welfare led to an internship at the Public Defender’s Office in Memphis, where she saw firsthand the inequities of the U.S. justice system. Slimovitch also served as a clerk at the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals and at the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.

Why did you decide to pursue an LLM, and why did you choose Duke Law School?

I chose to pursue an LLM at Duke Law to further specialize in criminal law, policy, and civil rights advocacy. I wanted to gain skills and knowledge for my criminal and public interest law practice. I also wanted to gain the skills and establish the groundwork for my future, more specialized practice, where I would like to focus more on civil rights advocacy and litigation, mainly in the realm of criminal justice-related issues around the country.

Duke Law also offered me a unique opportunity to learn from renowned faculty with professional and academic experiences I dream of achieving one day. Unlike any other LL.M. program, Duke Law offers a unique chance to learn in the classroom and through a multitude of fieldwork opportunities. I was greatly interested in learning about and how to conduct effective civil rights advocacy, policy reform, and federal public interest work.

How do you plan to use your law degree after you graduate?

While in college, I was deeply involved in volunteer work. It became apparent to me that, without an effective voice in society, people are denied access to their full rights. This is especially true in the criminal justice system, where institutional barriers limit the opportunity for those accused or convicted of crimes to meaningfully self-advocate. This insight was the foundation of my legal career: using my education, experiences, and skills to help amplify the voices of those too often silenced by the system and advocate for meaningful change. 

Are you involved in any student groups or extracurricular activities? How do you like to relax?

I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work closely with faculty, including my mentor and supervisor, Professor James E. Coleman. In addition to academic opportunities, I have gained practical public interest law experience, working with Duke Law’s Innocence Project. I am very eager about my work with Duke’s Decarceration Project, where I advocate for clemency and parole for people in prisons and jails around North Carolina. I am also actively involved in Duke Law's Pro Bono program, including participating in an upcoming week-long trip to Wilmington, North Carolina, to work with Second Chance Wilmington and Legal Aid of North Carolina.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time at Duke’s recreation centers with my LLM colleagues from across the world, as well as JD students and other Duke students. I profoundly enjoy the vibrant community at Duke, participating in the Run Club, the Women Law Students Association, and the Texas and North Carolina Law Clubs. I have been fully embracing the North Carolina experience, from beach trips to hiking adventures in the mountains to road trips. I have been loving going to Duke football games and am greatly looking forward to upcoming out-of-state games I will also be traveling to! I am eagerly awaiting the start of basketball season – I am committed to attending as many games as possible, including away games.

Alex Young grew up in rural northwest Auckland, which helped foster an interest in environmental issues that he brings to his studies and practice of law.

Young holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and bachelor of science in geography from the University of Auckland. After graduating from law school he served for two years as a Judges’ Clerk at the High Court of New Zealand (Te Kōti Matua o Aotearoa), the nation’s superior court, which he calls “a rewarding opportunity to peer behind the judicial curtain and be involved in a wide range of criminal and civil proceedings.”

Following the clerkship, he practiced at Wilson Harle, the leading specialist litigation firm in Auckland. There, he says, he was able to indulge his broad legal curiosity on a variety of matters, including maritime disputes and casino regulation. 

Why did you decide to pursue an LLM, and why did you choose Duke Law School?

I was fortunate to have encouragement from my former professors and several of the judges and lawyers that I worked for to apply for postgraduate legal study and scholarships. I was very grateful to be awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and the Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation Te Pai Tawhiti Postgraduate Scholarship, which in addition to support from Duke Law School has facilitated my attendance at this institution.

I first learned about Duke’s program after speaking with former LLM candidates from New Zealand. They could not have commended Duke more highly, and after speaking with Dean [Oleg] Kobelev, I was sold. Duke really cares about and heavily invests in the quality of an LLM candidate’s experience. That personal touch, combined with the excellent learning opportunities and unique college feel that Durham provides, has made this a wonderful experience.  

How do you plan to use your law degree after you graduate?

I hope to continue practicing as a litigator but aim to broaden my practice to include some environmental matters. I enjoy research and writing and have a particular interest in the role of wetland restoration in aiding society’s adaptation to the effects of climate change. This is an area I aspire to continue to research and write in.

Are you involved in any student groups or extracurricular activities? How do you like to relax?

I love to run – although my enthusiasm should not be equivalated with competence – and Durham has some amazing trails. Duke Law School has an active running club that I have enjoyed being a part of.

On the academic front, I have a passion for environmental legal scholarship and am working as a staff editor on the Duke Environmental Law & Policy Forum. When I don’t have my nose in a book, I am a keen fly fisherman and windsurfer. I look forward to getting into western North Carolina and going fly fishing during the break.