It is not really possible to separate 'classroom life' from 'extra-curricular life' at Duke Law School. What goes on outside of the classroom is important to the intellectual, personal and professional development of our students. The Law School offers an extraordinary range of activities, designed not only to provide relevant substantive information about law and the profession, but also to promote some of the most critical values of a professional legal education: appreciation and respect for diverse needs, interests and perspectives; self-knowledge; the responsible use of power; and a willingness to abide by the principles of civil discourse.

The Duke Law experience is enlivened by a diverse student body that brings together people of various social, ethnic, racial and geographic backgrounds. Through structured activities and informal encounters, students benefit from the experiences and perspectives of their peers on a daily basis. There are more than 30 student organizations at Duke Law School, running the gamut from the Duke Bar Association (the student governing body), six academic journals, award-winning moot court teams, and numerous other student organizations and clubs. Students who identify an opportunity to create a new group to enhance the life of the Law School take the initiative to form it, as Nicole Crawford '03 and Susan Wood '02 did in forming Lawyers as Leaders, a student group that encourages and supports leadership qualities in students in preparation for whatever paths their legal careers may take.

It is a rare day at the Law School when there is not an outside speaker, panel discussion, conference, symposium, town meeting, brown-bag lunch forum, faculty workshop or public lecture. Duke Law sponsors five named lecture series, and in 2001, Duke hosted the first-ever conference devoted solely to the topic of the public domain, drawing prominent figures across disciplines such as intellectual property, biotechnology, and constitutional law scholars, rock musicians and entertainment industry executives, among others — to examine how the public domain is defined and understood. In April 2002, the Law School's Center on Law, Ethics and National Security sponsored a conference bringing together the world's foremost experts to discuss legal, ethical and policy issues in the responses of the global community to the continuing threat of terrorism following the events of September 11th. James K. Pavitt, director of operations at the CIA, who rarely speaks publicly, delivered the keynote address — which has been discussed in academic, policy and political circles in days since.