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.

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Summer Advising Image
 

SUMMER 2025 Drop-In Advising

 

Monday, May 12th - Friday, August 22nd

 

Drop-in advising will be available by appointment only to all students and alumni. Remember that drop-in advising is designed for quick questions that take no more than 15 minutes to answer.

  

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Advising Unavailable Test Image

Advising Unavailable

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

Although these dates are subject to change, Dean Barley is currently planning to be out of the office on the following dates this summer:

  • Monday, May 26th
  • Monday, June 16th - Friday, June 20th
  • Friday, July 4th - Friday, July 11th

Please plan accordingly for your advising needs. Any additions or changes will be announced via GroupMe. 

 


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 12th and will end on Friday, August 22nd.

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:

 

first-year students

second-year students

third-year students

fourth-year students

Duke graduate students

alumni

drop-in advising

X

                  X

                X

                  X

                    X

      X

information sessions

          X                  X                X                 X                   X      X

advising appointments

 

 

                X*

                 X**

                    X**

       X***

* 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