Duke University - Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

Bench and Bar Peer Resources

These former Duke students have volunteered to be contacted by current students.

Please feel free to directly contact those below:

Yeney Hernandez

Yale Law '12

yeneyhernandez@gmail.com

Frank Hollerman

Columbia Law 12

olekinderhook@gmail.com

Josh Parker

University of Chicago Law

joshparker@uchicago.edu

Bench and Bar link here:

http://dukegroups.duke.edu/prelaw/

Prelaw Advising Office

The Prelaw Advising Office advises students and alumni from Trinity College and the Pratt School of Engineering who are interested in law school. 

Admission to law school is determined mainly by undergraduate grade point average and the score on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). Extracurricular activities should be a part of an applicant's college experience, and recommendations may be required, but only in marginal cases do they influence admissions decisions.

There is no defined program of prelaw  courses and study at Duke, but there is a prelaw process. Being prelaw at Duke means discovering oneself, defining one's life goals, determining a preferred life style, and developing a strategy for realizing these aspirations. A prelaw student also learns that law school and the practice of law aren't much  like their television or movie versions, and discovers that skills like research, negotiation, and mediation are usually more important than skill at oratory.

The Prelaw Advising Office sponsors programs and distributes information to all students considering careers in law. All prelaw students are invited and encouraged to join the undergraduate prelaw society, Bench and Bar,  which offers a variety of programs and activities.

Appointments or questions

  • walk-ins normally: Monday through Thursday 3-4 pm and Friday 2-3 pm

    Prelaw Handbook

    PLEASE LOG IN ON BOTTOM OF PAGE TO ACCESS HANDBOOK

Prelaw Calendar of Events


Letter of Recommendation and Evaluation Service


(1) What is the Evaluation Service?   


The Evaluation Service is a new way for law schools to learn about the skills and attributes applicants possess. Evaluators are invited by applicants via e-mail to electronically provide ratings on both cognitive and non-cognitive skills that have been identified as important to success in law school, using a rating scale that represents degrees of a particular characteristic. Evaluators can also include free-form text comments. (source LSAC News)


(2)Do schools require applicants to use the Evaluation Service?


Applicants can find which method is being used by the individual schools by reviewing the information found on the LSAC site under “Letters of Recommendation and Evaluation Service” and then going directly to the following link: http://www.lsac.org/JD/apply/cas-lor-evaluations.asp Each fall LSAC is given updates by the law schools regarding the number of LOR’s or evaluations to be used that year.


(3)Is there any advantage to using the Evaluations rather than the standard Letters of Recommendation?


No, at this point it is just a matter of preference on the part of the applicant and the requirements of the school.  If the applicant is applying to one school that requires only LORs and to another that has a mix of requirements then the candidate needs to obtain the appropriate number of each.


(4)Can a recommender do both a Letter of Recommendation and an Evaluation?


Yes, a recommender can do both a Letter and and Evaluation if they are willing to do so BUT applicants must not assign both to a single school since schools want to hear from different individuals based on the number of LORs/Evaluations they require, prefer or accept.


(5) Can applicants have some recommenders send letters to LSAC and others use the on-line evaluation forms?


Yes, unless a school specifically states that it wants Evaluations only.


NOTE: Applicants must still assign Letters/Evaluations to specific law schools in order for the law school to receive them.


Gerald Wilson, Duke University, with special thanks for their contributions to Anne Brandt (Law School Admission Council), Mary A. Tetro (NC State) and Heather Struck (Cornell University)


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