You are basically about to adopt a child. The relationship between a law student and their laptop is one of love, growth, learning, and mutual support. You will protect it, you will learn about it, and you will learn from it. 0Ls should go out and get their laptops now so they have time to set them up, catch any early problems, and get used to using a different computer before it could cause a problem.
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p style=”clear: both”>Spend Up Front You might be tempted to go cheap. Generally, you don’t need a super powerful laptop for law school. All you’re doing is word processing, email, web browsing, maybe a presentation, and storing music and photos. But resist the temptation. Spend a little bit for a higher quality notebook. A $600 laptop is going to be excessive heavy, might have some quirks that make it difficult to use, and will not stand up well to the wear and tear a law student puts on a laptop. Buy something solid that has a good chance of lasting three years.
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p style=”clear: both”>Protect and Be Gentle Do not throw your laptop willy-nilly into a backpack or locker. Law students are hard on the physical structure of a laptop. More and more laptops never travel more than 50 feet from the desk they live on. Law students cart theirs to multiple class rooms, coffee shops, the library, each other’s apartments. Be gentle with the laptop and spend a bit to protect it. Buy a bag or backpack with a laptop sleeve, and consider a case. I’m a big fan of the Timbuk2 Laptop Messenger Bag, which I still cart to work every day.
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p style=”clear: both”>Choose Software First, Hardware Second Too often, people dive into the Mac vs. PC debate based on the quality of the hardware or the operating system itself. Instead, look at the pieces of software you might want to use, and then make a decision. If you’ve read a bunch of reviews or tried OneNote before and have decided it’s the best note-taking option for you, then the decision is made (yes, yes, you can always virtualize OneNote on a Mac). If you’ve look around and know that you need something like OmniFocus to manage actions, then you need a Mac. Don’t buy an operating system and then have to settle for software you really aren’t happy with.
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p style=”clear: both”>Size Matters Unlike the monster desktop replacement notebook that never leaves a desk, the law student’s laptop is truly portable. That means it can be too big. It also has to support a lot of typing (often under extreme time pressure). That means it can be too small. Buy the smallest, lightest notebook you can comfortable type on.
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p style=”clear: both”>Consider Two I’ve covered netbooks before, so check out that article. The idea of having two computers, one that is designed to be light and mobile and one that functions as a home base is becoming more attractive and viable. Consider buying a netbook for notes, exams, and web browsing, and a desktop to act as a back-up for the notes and for working on more typing-intensive tasks like writing papers or crafting outlines.
Like most things in law school, resist the temptation to follow the herd. As long as the laptop gets the job done, it doesn’t need to be that fancy or the same trendy brand as everyone else. Above all, get something you enjoy using. If I told you the number of hours you’re going to spend staring at that screen, you’d probably have a seizure. Make them as enjoyable as possible.
