How Advising Works

DROP-IN ADVISING

Drop-in advising is available to all students and alumni and is designed for quick questions that take no more than 15 minutes to answer. 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 process, you are encouraged to schedule an advising appointment.

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 APPOINTMENTS

Advising appointments are only available to students and alumni who are in the process of applying to law schools. These are appointments in which you can discuss your strategy in detail and receive advice and recommendations. Refer to the Advising Unavailable information above for dates on which you cannot schedule an appointment.

The Summer 2025 advising schedule begins on Monday, May 12^th and will end on Friday, August 22^nd.

HOW TO SCHEDULE AN ADVISING APPOINTMENT

Summer (Deferral) Applicants

STEP 1:
You MUST complete the Deferral Program Pre-Law Advising Form before scheduling an appointment. After you complete the form, you will be sent instructions on how to schedule an advising appointment.

STEP 2: 
If you would like to have your essays and/or résumé reviewed by Dean Barley, you can find instructions on the process here.

Fall Applicants

You MUST have received your LSAT score to be eligible for a one-on-one advising appointment.

STEP 1:
After receiving your LSAT score(s), you MUST complete the Pre-Law Advising Form before scheduling an appointment. After you complete the form, you will be sent instructions on how to schedule an advising appointment.

STEP 2: 
If you are essays and/or résumé reviewed by Dean Barley, you will find instructions on this process here. Please understand that Dean Barley cannot read every essay that you will write for every law school to which you will apply. So, please choose one or two  essays that you think are representative of your writing for your law school application and you will have apply the feedback that she gives you about that essay to the rest of your essays.

WHEN ARE THESE ADVISING RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU? 

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

* 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