Employment Data
Employment Nine Months after Graduation
The chart below shows the numbers of Duke Law students in various types of employment nine months after graduation. This information is reported annually to the ABA and/or NALP, the Association for Legal Career Professionals.
| Class of 2010 | Class of 2009 | Class of 2008 | |
| Total Graduates | 213 | 219 | 207 |
| Employed | 202* | 209 | 203 |
| Bar Passage Required | 179 | 188 | 197 |
| JD Preferred | 21 | 20 | 4 |
| Other Professional | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Non-Professional | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pursuing Graduate Degree | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Unemployed - not seeking | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Unemployed - seeking | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Employment status unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*Nineteen members of the Class of 2010 were employed in short-term (under one year) positions as of Feb. 15, 2011. Eight of those were supported by a Duke Law-funded fellowship. Many of the graduates who were in short-term positions or who were unemployed as of Feb. 15, 2011, are known to have accepted long-term legal or professional positions since then.
Employment by Sector (Percentage of Employed Graduates)
Duke Law graduates find employment in all sectors of the legal profession and beyond. (Please note that percentages may not add up to 100 because numbers are rounded to the nearest tenth.)
| Class of 2010 | Class of 2009 | Class of 2008 | |
| Law Firms | 61.4% | 70.3% | 75.4% |
| Solo | 1.6% | 0% | 0% |
| 2-10 | 9.7% | 1.4% | .7% |
| 11-25 | 4.0% | .7% | 2.0% |
| 26-50 | 2.4% | 20.4% | .7% |
| 51-100 | 4.8% | .7% | 2.0% |
| 101-250 | 11.3% | 4.8% | 8.5% |
| 251-500 | 7.3% | 13.6% | 19.6% |
| 500+ | 58.9% | 75.5% | 64.1% |
| unknown | 0 | 1.4% | 2.6% |
| Business and Industry | 4.0% | 5.7% | 3.0% |
| Government | 10.9% | 2.0% | 1.5% |
| Public Interest | 5% | 4.0% | 3.0% |
| Clerkship | 16.8% | 16.7% | 16.3% |
| Academia | 2.0% | .5% | 1.0% |
| Other/unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Clerkships
Many Duke Law students secure clerkships each year. Some accept clerkships that begin after graduation, and some obtain clerkships after a year or more of law practice in a firm or public sector position. Duke Law provides comprehensive support to all students and alumni seeking clerkships. Following are the numbers of students in clerkships, by class and by term (term counts include graduating students as well as alumni).
| Class of 2010 | Class of 2009 | Class of 2008 | |
| Federal Courts | 27 | 26 | 29 |
| State Courts | 7 | 9 | 4 |
| Total by Class | 34 | 35 | 33 |
| Term 2010-11 | Term 2009-10 | Term 2008-09 | |
| Article 3 Courts (Supreme Court) | 40 (3*) | 37 | 39 |
| Other Federal Courts | 7 | 8 | 3 |
| State Courts | 9 | 11 | 5 |
| Total by Term | 56 | 56 | 47 |
*Six Duke Law graduates have accepted Supreme Court clerkships in recent years; three clerked on the high court during the 2010-11 term; one clerked during the 2011-12 term; and two will clerk (Emily Kennedy '10 and Katherine Yarger '08) during the 2012-13 term.
Geographic Destinations of Duke Law School Graduates
Duke Law School has approximately 9000 alumni presently practicing law in all 50 states and in more than 70 countries around the globe. (Please note that percentages may not add up to 100 because numbers are rounded to the nearest tenth.)
| Class of 2010 | Class of 2009 | Class of 2008 | |
| Northeast ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI, NY, NJ, PA, DE |
30.2% | 33.2% | 27.6% |
| Mid-Atlantic DC, VA, MD, WV |
16.3% | 19.6% | 20.7% |
| South Atlantic NC, SC, GA |
16.3% | 14.0% | 16.7% |
| Midwest OH, IN, IL, MO, KS, NE, IA, ND, SD, MI, MN, WI, KY |
5.4% | 6.1% | 6.9% |
| South TX, LA, MS, OK, TN, AR, AL, FL |
12.9% | 10.0% | 12.8% |
| West AK, HI, CA, NV, WA, OR, AZ, NM, UT, CO, WY, ID, MT |
16.8% | 15.4% | 15.3% |
| International | 1.9% | 1.4% | 0.0% |
Most Popular Employment Locations
Duke Law graduates are unusually widespread throughout the United States and the world. The locations with the consistently highest concentrations of Duke graduates are listed below; other popular locations include Florida, Texas, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Georgia.
| Class of 2010 | Class of 2009 | Class of 2008 | |
| New York | 22.2% | 24.9% | 20.7% |
| Washington D.C. | 15.3% | 17.7% | 18.2% |
| North Carolina | 13.8% | 11.5% | 9.4% |
| California | 10.9% | 11.5% | 10.3% |
Salaries (Long-Term Employed Graduates Only)
| Class of 2010 | Class of 2009 | Class of 2008 | |
| Percentage of Long-Term Employed Graduates Reporting Salary Data | 93% | 94% | 89% |
| 25th Percentile | $60,000 | $125,000 | $120,000 |
| 50th Percentile | $145,000 | $160,000 | $160,000 |
| 75th Percentile | $160,000 | $160,000 | $160,000 |
| Judicial Clerk (percentage reporting salary) | 100% | 89% | 82% |
| 25th Percentile | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| 50th Percentile | $57,400 | $55,000 | $53,000 |
| 75th Percentile | $60,000 | $58,000 | $55,000 |
| Private Practice (percentage reporting salary) | 93% | 100% | 96% |
| 25th Percentile | $140,000 | $145,000 | $145,000 |
| 50th Percentile | $160,000 | $160,000 | $160,000 |
| 75th Percentile | $160,000 | $160,000 | $160,000 |
| Government, Public Interest, Military (percentage reporting salary) | 83% | 74% | 70% |
| 25th Percentile | $40,000 | $49,300 | $50,000 |
| 50th Percentile | $55,000 | $55,000 | $53,000 |
| 75th Percentile | $62,000 | $58,000 | $55,000 |
