Duke Law Class of 2024

This year's LLM class speaker was Cathrine Rohde Kjaergaard.

Cathrine Rohde Kjaergaard grew up in Denmark and earned her first law degree from Aarhus University. During her law studies in Denmark, she was an exchange student at South Texas College of Law, Houston, Texas, and later the first intern at the Royal Danish Consulate General & Trade Council in Houston. She worked as an attorney in Copenhagen before coming to Duke Law, where she earned her LLM degree as well as the Certificate in Business Law. She plans to sit for the Texas Bar.

This year's JD class speaker was Esosa Asemota.

Esosa Gloria Asemota was born in North Carolina to Nigerian parents Ogie and Love Asemota. She was raised in the great state and went on to attend the University of National Champions (aka UNC-Chapel Hill), where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health in 2020. During her time at Duke, she served as the internal vice president of the Black Law Students Association and the social chair of the Duke Law Music Association. She was also a member of the Tricky Dick comedy sketch club and the Dean’s Advisory Council. After graduation, she will work for Freshfields in their New York office.

Duke Law Professor Emeritus Christopher H. Schroeder gave this year's Convocation address.

Christopher H. Schroeder, the Charles S. Murphy Professor Emeritus of Law and professor emeritus of public policy, joined the Duke Law faculty in 1979. He retired from teaching in 2020 and in October 2021 was appointed by President Joe Biden as assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). On his retirement from that position in July 2023, Schroeder was presented with the Edmund J. Randolph Award, the department’s highest honor, by Attorney General Merrick Garland in recognition of outstanding contributions over his career that included prior terms leading the OLC and its Office of Legal Policy (OLP). At Duke Law, Schroeder taught Property, as well as courses on Congress, federal policymaking, environmental law, and cybersecurity, among others. In 1998, he founded the Program in Public Law, now the Richard A. Horvitz Program in Constitutional & Public Law, to promote an understanding of public institutions, the Constitutional framework in which they function, and the principles and laws that apply to the work of public officials.

Public Interest and Pro Bono

A separate graduation ceremony was held on Friday, May 10 for students who earned the Certificate in Public Interest and Public Service Law. The program is designed for students who are committed to a legal career in public service. They must complete at least 75 hours of public service, as well as fulfilling other requirements. Thirty-one students completed the requirements, joining 149 graduates who have earned this certificate since the program started with the Class of 2018.

JD and LLM students in this graduating class completed 7,145 hours of non-credit pro bono work. These hours are primarily from student led Duke Law pro bono projects during the academic year, including trips over fall and spring break. Special plaques were awarded to 14 JD and LLM "Pro Bono All Stars," who were recognized for exceptional pro bono service throughout their time at Duke Law.

International Candlelight Dinner

This event, held on May 10 ahead of Convocation, proves to be one of the most special of the year, as the families and friends of international students travel from around the world to share in graduation.