How Advising Works

DROP-IN ADVISING

Drop-in advising is available during the academic year to all students and alumni and is designed for quick questions that take no more than 10 minutes to answer. No appointment is necessary and the best part is you can take advantage of drop-in advising as often as you'd like! This is the best way for those who are not yet applying to law school to get your questions answered. Current applicants who have quick questions can take advantage of drop-in advising as well. If you have a long list of questions, you can visit drop-in advising as many times as necessary to get your questions answered. If you are a current applicant with detailed questions about your law school application, you are encouraged to schedule an advising appointment.

*Note: The Office of Pre-Law Advising will be closed from Wednesday, April 23^rd - Friday, May 8^th. Drop-in advising will end for the fall semester on Tuesday, April 22^nd.

INFORMATION SESSIONS

Information sessions are the best way to get information about being a pre-law student at Duke and they cover everything from deciding whether law school is the right path for you to reviewing financial aid offers from law schools (and everything in between). These sessions are offered throughout the academic year through the Bench & Bar Undergraduate Pre-Law Society and the Black Pre-Law Society. Be sure that you are connected to Bench & Bar and/or the Black Pre-Law Society so that you don’t miss them!

ADVISING FOR APPLICANTS

GROUP ADVISING

Your advising experience begins with group advising in the spring. Group advising for those applying in Summer and Fall 2026 begins on January 14, 2026. These group advising sessions will prepare you for one-on-one advising appointments when your applicable advising window opens. Those who attend group advising will have priority in scheduling one-on-one advising appointments.

One-on-one advising for Summer 2026 applicants begins on April 1, 2026. The application advising window for Summer 2026 deferral program applicants is April 1 - July 1, 2026, with post-application advising appointments available as needed through July 30, 2026.   

One-on-one advising for Fall 2026 applicants begins on May 11, 2026. The application advising window for Fall 2026 applicants (those applying to matriculate in law school in Fall 2027) is May 11 - December 4, 2026, with post-application advising appointments available as needed between January 6 and April 21, 2027.

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In collaboration with the Office of Health Professions Advising, the Office of Pre-Law Advising now offers Duke NetID sponsorship to alumni who graduated more than one year ago. This is a critical process to facilitate our alumni's ability to access the resources on this website that require a NetID login. The Box folder that we previously maintained to give alumni access to the information that requires a NetID login will be eliminated and you will now be able to access these resources directly from our website. NetIDs are deactivated one year post-graduation. If you are applying to law school and graduated more than one year ago, use this form to request a NetID extension: https://duke.is/ppa-netidextension.

one-on-one ADVISING APPOINTMENTS

Advising appointments are only available to students and alumni who are in the process of applying to law school.  The steps that you need to take to schedule such appointments are outlined below.

STEP 1:

If you will be applying to law school in the Summer or Fall 2026, your first step is to complete the Intent to Apply Form. Submission of this form will make you eligible for one-on-one application advising. If you have already applied to law school in Fall 2025, you do not need to complete the ITAF to schedule a post-application appointment. 

STEP 2: 

Attend all Spring 2026 group advising sessions on the APP track. Your attendance at these sessions will allow you to get the most out of your one-on-one advising experience. Those who attend will be given priority in scheduling one-on-one advising appointments.

STEP 3: 

Read the Rules of Engagement for Pre-Law Advising Appointments. This page provides a detailed explanation of the process for scheduling pre-law advising appointments, so please read it in its entirety. 

STEP 4:

If you desire feedback on any of your law school application materials, read the Instructions for Résumé and Essay Review. You MUST follow the instructions outlined here in order to have your law school application materials reviewed.

Seniors applying after graduation

If you are a senior who will be applying to law school after graduation, you are eligible to schedule a one-on-one advising appointment with Dean Barley during your final semester. If you are graduating at the end of the fall semester, you can schedule an appointment anytime after fall break. If you are graduating at the end of the spring semester, you can schedule an appointment at any time after spring break. If you are graduating at the end of the summer, you can schedule an appointment during the last three (3) weeks of Summer Session II.

You MUST complete the Graduating Senior Info Form BEFORE this appointment. This form is designed to capture your thoughts about your Duke experience and your future legal career at the end of your Duke journey. Your responses will be provided to you when you enter the law school application cycle, not only to refresh your memory but also to help you understand your own post-graduation growth.

If you have applied to law school this cycle, you can schedule the appropriate applicant advising appointment with Dean Barley. If you are not a graduating senior, you can bring your questions to Dean Barley during her drop-in advising hours above.

WHEN ARE THESE ADVISING RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU? 

Below is a chart that should be helpful in knowing when advising resources are available to you:

* during the spring semester if applying to a deferral program or in the upcoming fall cycle
** if applying in the fall cycle or to a deferral program over the summer
*** when applying to law school