Duke Law School began as a department of Trinity College--the original name of what later became Duke University. The school closed and reopened twice after its establishment in 1868 before becoming permanently revived in 1904. Duke Law's biggest academic strengths are environmental law and intellectual property law. The environmental law department runs a clinic, as well as publishes the Duke Environmental Law & Policy Forum.

Joint degrees are a big focus of Duke Law; the school collaborates with Duke's other graduate schools to offer about a dozen formal programs, as well as to allow students to craft their own by concurrently applying to two programs. Along with the University of Paris and Sciences Po in Paris, Duke Law has a three-year JD/MA in global business law that prepares students to take the bar exam in France. Other dual degrees include an accelerated JD/MBA (offered in seven semesters instead of the usual eight) and a JD/MA in environmental management.

In Vault's surveys, students comment on the collegial atmosphere fostered by the lack of class statistics and the college town feeling of Durham. Career prospects center on BigLaw firms in New York, Washington D.C., and California, but some students stay in the state as well. Law student activities often merge with the large undergraduate population in Raleigh (home of North Carolina State University), Chapel Hill (University of Carolina at Chapel Hill) and Durham, particularly where Duke basketball is concerned.