Imagine you are practicing the legal proceedings in the courtroom, and your laptop running important files shakes you up and down with embarrassment while hanging, slow processing, and low battery issues.
You know! You are a brilliantly skilled lawyer or law student. But factually, your machine could have left no blocks to save yourself from a professional humiliation. You also know how important it is for you to have a durable and performance-oriented machine to be a master of your field and subjects. It’s not a revelation, but a naked truth that the best laptop for law students and lawyers is the ultimate need in this regard.
Well, enough of the story, truthfully; sorting out a best lawyer laptop from a humongous laptop market seems not less than a daring task. As today’s computer machine is more expensive, more featured-packed, and fancier, budget-conscious or power-hungry users may find the wrong machine out of thick air.
However, if you are much curious about what criteria I have and you should consider the best notebooks for law school and college, let’s find out.
Hustling For A Best Laptop for Law Students and Lawyers? Hold your Horses A bit Back!
Dealing with software like MyCase, LegalFiles, PracticePanther, etc., is a routine job of a person with law majors. Though these aren’t complex resource-intensive apps, other tasks like Text editing/processing, research, management, and billing apps would be in your regular to-do lists.
You are getting me? Nah?
Let’s simplify it – Until unless there is no gamer or entertainer kid residing inside you, there will be no need for highly powerful machines available multi-thousand bucks. However, think of the nature of your work. You need a laptop that will be;
- Lightweight: that you can easily carry everywhere
- Long battery Life: that can ring freedom bells for you from continuously remain stick with plug socket
- Good Keyboard: Makes your word processing and text editing like a sweet cream
- Respectable Processing: No, I am not underestimating this part; it’s equally essential like all other perks. The Intel latest G series and older U series processors can do the task.
So let’s set criteria for these standards:
Weight is an Issue here: Whether you are a law student or a professional working at The Tinker Law Firm PLLC, forget about regular/static desk work. Embrace it; there will be lots of travel/commuting activities come your way.
Whether you have to go to your office, somewhere to attend seminars/meetings, courts, or somewhere else, a heavy chunky laptop will be more than an additional responsibility on your shoulder apart from the case you are dealing with.
Yes! Modern machines are dieting and coming with much reduced thickness and weight, don’t fall for fanless laptops as there will be performance issues. A fan laptop between 2lbs to 4Lbs will not be a burden at all. If you are looking for a 17-inch workstation, it will definitely cross this mark. Otherwise, there are plenty of 15-inches notebooks in this category.
Long Battery Life, Never Misses out this Factor: Days are gone when 4-6hrs battery backup used to be considered as out of this world feature. As professional lawyers or law students have to utilize their machine in every sort of circumstance, it’s necessary to have a gadget that can produce long battery sessions.
For this factor, consider a machine with up to 8hrs. However, you can also go above this, like 11-14 hours battery backup without knifing down the performance part. Devices like Asus Zenbook, Macbook, Surface Laptop, and LG GRAM stand on the highest note in this category.
A Good Keyboard Makes your Life Easy: Non-numeric or Numeric keyboard laptops, all choice is yours according to your preferences. However, as you have to deal with lots of text blocks and plots, try choosing a best word processing laptop that should be designed with optimal key travel distance (+1.2mm), good typing responsiveness and backlit as an additional topping.
I agree! Laptop manufacturers mostly neglect the keyboard part, but some machines like DELL Inspiron 5520, MacBook, and Lenovo Yoga series come with a good keyboard.
High-End Graphics, Make it an Optional Case: High-end graphics result in serious budget raises. IRIS graphics has greatly overcome the Intel UHD series. However, again, if a gamer resides inside you or a part-time content creator, vlogger, editor, opt for a machine that comes with a dedicated GPU, good IPS display, and brightness above 300nits average.
Otherwise, you mainly have to deal with text documentation; a mediocre display machine Like Acer Aspire 5 will also work like a charm.
Apart from these factors, Port selection, notebook size, processing level, and budget can also be your secondary points to choose a good lawyer laptop.
Best Laptops for Law School and Students
1. Asus Zenbook 14 UX425EA – Best Laptop for Lawyers
Specification: CPU: Intel Core i7-1165G7, 8GB RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, Ports: MicroSD reader, USB-A 3.2 Gen. 1, HDMI, 2x USB-C w/ Thunderbolt 4, Display: 14” Full HD NanoEdge Display, Battery: Upto 13+Hrs
Why should one buy this? If one asks me what this machine is all about. I would say elegance, advanced performance, battery longevity, and feather-light on your shoulder. And the 2nd question, what this machine isn’t all about? Considering the XPS, Spectre, Blade, MacBook, it’s not THAT financially premium than its counterparts. So, for users who look for great value without breaching the 1000$ bucks, here is your answer – simple and straight.
Who’s it for? Content creators, professionals, Intermediate gamers, travelers, writers
Why we picked ASUS Zenbook UX425EA? Looking at the specs, performance, and budget, ASUS Zenbook asked us – is it necessary to be expensive as a premium machine? Is it? And we were headed up sharply to say NO. But wait here, we wouldn’t make things flashier. The metal chassis rigidity is somewhat meager considering its competitors; however, this acts as a blessing in disgrace as it’s as light as the LG gram 14. On the other hand, the unavailability of a 3.5mm audio jack really surprises us.
Do you want to save your soul from plastic materials? Here is the Zenbook with a metal chassis finished with a matte coating to make things extra exquisite. The plot twist is also here as you will feel hinges and lid could have been more better considering its competitors.
However, this ends up into a blessing for lawyers, travelers, and students as it only weighs around `1.17kgs, nearly equal to LG Gram 14.
The Asus Zenbook comes closest to the Yoga slim 7 in many departments, and the display is one of these. Both machines’ panels are the same, but Zenbook edges out the competition with a matte finish. The brightness closely hovers over 300nits, and PWM flickering isn’t in its ingredients. A joyful update, though.
Matte finish with good brightness performance- are you getting what does it mean? A much more useful outdoor experience.
On the other hand, the keyboard design isn’t much different from the previous model. The keys are big, travel distance is somewhat shallow, but you won’t find any trouble typing tons of words.
But our favorite element here is the horizontally aligned home, page end, up, and down keys, blessing us with the much-needed convenience without costing an arm or leg. We don’t know if you love the ASUS Screenpad technology or not, but the technology and innovation lovers who love to play with lots of widgets and shortcuts will positively love this.
Being the best laptop for law school and students, the newer 11th generation processor doesn’t take a big processing step up from the previous generation. Yet, it steals the show with Intel IRIS graphics that surely kill the need for discrete low-end GPUs like the NVIDIA MX series.
A lawyer with an additional personality of DOTA 2 fanboy, Vlogger, and photographer will be relieved with this machine.
Things look really promising on battery life if you can’t afford LG Gram, Microsoft SurfaceBook, Huawei Matebook, or Apple Macs. With delivery over 11+ hours, this being the best laptop for law students and lawyers, you can blindly put trust in this machine.
- Great battery life
- Futuristic 2x thunderbolt ports
- Robust performance with Intel IRIS graphics takes the lead on many integrated and dedicated GPUs.
- Metallic matte finish
- Responsive keyboard and wider touchpad
- Thinnest bezels with matte-finish IPS display
- One of the lightest machines in the market
- Less rigid than its competitors
- Fans are a bit louder
2. Microsoft Surface Pro 7: Best Tablet for Law School
Specification: CPU: Intel Core i7, i5, i3, 4-8-12GB RAM, 128GB-1TB PCIe SSD, Ports: MicroSD reader, 1x USB-A, 1x USB-C, Display: 12.3″ PixelSense Touch-Screen, Battery: Upto 10+Hrs
Why should one buy this? Surface Pro 5 was quite a significant hit, then we saw the 6th version, and here is the 7 with improvements in the processing, battery, and speed department. Though it doesn’t show a notable performance upshift from its previous model, Microsoft has launched this machine with an 11th gen processor to give a reason for performance hunters about their buying decision. On the whole, this tablet for law students and lawyers will serve your purpose.
Who’s it for? Lawyers, students, casual content creators, home users.
Why we picked Microsoft Surface Pro 7? It’s a naked truth the 7th edition doesn’t whistle significant changes from previous models. However, the 10NM processor is the primary reason to include this machine in our list. This doesn’t help a big performance boost yet, it stays here for battery gains, display performance, and better connectivity. And don’t forget, it’s just 796g to carry in your bags and hands freely.
The design doesn’t get a whole refresh as we see old-school thick bezels guarding the 12.3” IPS display. The keyboard standardly hinges with the tablet, and you won’t find any fancy stuff here.
But the keyboard performance is free from any lag; keys are crispy, big, and settled through the optimal distance between each other. But if we take it as a full-fledged laptop, the tablet keyboard connection flawlessly brings the law school students an ultimate typing experience.
And the display part, the MS SurfaceBook has the brightest display setup, covering an averagely 480nits. The IPS display has over 94% sRGB coverage, good contrast ratio, and viewing angles, but it loses momentum with a glossy finish. It would have been an admirable job by Microsoft to grant a matte-finish display as an upgrade.
On the other hand, 10NM with IRIS Plus graphics is a good combination for all law enthusiasts who keep content creation, casual gaming, and rendering as a side hustle. As we said, the performance boost isn’t much significant but adds real battery value.
As 10NM is a low-power consuming chip, you will find SurfaceBook killing 9+ hours on aggressive and 10+ hours on middling needs. Such battery life surely helps you to keep you connected with your profession and academics on the go.
- Passively cooled engine
- Though a non-refreshed display panel, still worth the value
- Addition of Type-C port for power delivery
- Responsive and detachable keyboard
- Extremely lightweight and improved battery life
- The enhanced performance boost from the previous 12Nm processor
- Wi-Fi 6 support
- No major upgrades from the previous model
- Old-school design
3. Dell Inspiron 14 5406: Best Notebook for Law Student with Great Security Features
Specification: CPU: Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor, 12GB RAM, 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, Ports: 2x USB Type-A 3.1, 1x USB Type-C 3.2, HDMI 1.4, SDCard, Display: 14.0-inch FHD IPS LED-Backlit Touch Display, Battery: Upto 8+Hrs
Why should one buy this? Though this model gets a newer iteration with 11th generation processors, you still find an excellent keyboard design, a robust security feature with a fingerprint scanner embedded on the power button, and some weight reduction for easy portability. Nonetheless, it’s not the best on the display equation; it comfortably waves green flags for the lawyers who are looking for a convertible touchscreen with an advanced chip under 1000$ bucks.
Who’s it for? Students, home users, professionals, writers, travelers
Why we picked Dell Inspiron 5406? It isn’t a machine with a strong portfolio in all departments. But what we see impressive is the security and outstanding keyboard design for typists like authors and lawyers. Along with this, it’s not the lightest machine in the market but got trimmed further in weightage, featuring only 1.72kgs. Honestly speaking, the 5406 isn’t the best in the convertible category, but for lawyers who seek easy portability, security, and subtle performance, this latest machine flawlessly ticks all greens.
Though it’s a 14-inch notebook that comes with a non-numeric keyboard, you get one of the best keyboards on the market. The optimal key distance, clicky feedback, and backlit feature make it a strong player for all types of typing situations.
Moreover, the design remains the same, carrying the previous version chassis – an exquisite modern design and robust materials. The plastic + aluminum material doesn’t make a difference in the market but gets a further reduction of weight to 3.5+ lbs (1.72kg).
It isn’t a feather touch considering the 14-inch notebook category, but it definitely won’t twinge your wrists and shoulder while you are on the go.
If you ask about the prominent point of this machine, we find it carrying its legacy of good security. The fingerprint scanner in the power button is hell responsive and accurate. It’s small in size, but this trivial issue remains behind when you get your purpose done seemingly.
So, being a professional or practicing lawyer, you get tight security against the foul attempts accessing your machine.
And the processing performance, what can I tell you more above 11th gen i7 chip coming with IRIS graphics. Not a powerful beast, but a highly stable machine for daily home and office work with much cooler operations.
The display is the weakest point here with aggressive PWM flickering, but you get excellent viewing angles, good brightness, and a highly responsive IPS touchscreen for daily entertainment.
While you get a good amount of value in almost every department, the battery follows the same pattern. Under the hood, it doesn’t have a gigantic battery, but 48Whr decently covers 8+ hours on medium brightness settings and moderate multi-tasking. Factually, battery numbers aren’t “That” impressive, but you easily cross the stream.
- A good design followed by a chic thin bezel IPS display
- Build quality is supreme
- Good connectivity with WiFi 6
- Decent battery hour count
- The best keyboard design in the convertible category
- Stable performance against upper-moderate multitasking
- Weights less than the previous model
- Good and accurate fingerprint scanner
- Display performance is somewhat ordinary
- No design upgrades.
4. HP Pavilion 14-DH2021NR: Best Law School Laptop with Stable Performance
Specification: CPU: Intel Core i5-10210U Processor, 8 GB Ram, 512 GB SSD, Ports: 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen1, 1x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen1, HDMI 1.4, Multi Format SD, Display: 14.0-inch FHD Touch Display, Battery: 41Whr, 3-Cell Upto 8+Hrs
Why should one buy this? HP is a great consumer brand, Right? So, if you love good Spectre and Envy, but pricing bars you to fulfill your dream of owning a good HP machine, this Pavilion is the veracious alternative. Though it’s not the trendy slimmest machine in the town, don’t worry! HP gives a reason to smile with the most consistent performance, respectable battery life, and superb display performance. However, it’s overall a plastic body, but maybe this move is made to make it lightweight even with a thick chassis.
Who’s it for? Professionals, students, mediocre budget consumers, travelers, and beginner content creators
Why we picked HP 14-DH2021NR? The 14-inch notebook category is getting more traction than the 15-inch. So, wandering in this category, we find the HP-14 as a good budget machine with the most robust processing performance among its competitors. Moreover, it ticks all the criteria checks of being a best laptop for law students. However, the build quality is something that dents its reputation, but that’s because of a typical “Budget” constraint.
Though it’s 20.5MM thick, you get a reduced weight of 1.58Kg from its counterpart Dell Inspiron 5406. The body is all plastic, and that’s a bit disappointing when you look for a premium finished laptop. But then, the plastic material doesn’t look flimsy, and it’s durable enough for longer periods of usages.
So overall, it could be a handsome choice hanging onto your shoulder or playing in your hands.
Dell mostly produces reliable-designed keyboards. HP is also not coming slowly in the race. The keyboard has thick keys with soft pressing and a reasonable key travel distance. The responsiveness is not compromised at any angle, and you get comfortable typing for longer sessions.
However, the backlit is an optional part here, and you only get an upper variant of this machine.
While we picked this machine from the 14-inch category, it has a subtle processing performance among its competitor Acer spin 5, Yoga c740, and others. It’s a good machine with decent 10th generation i5 and i7 chips for daily home-workplace responsibilities but comes at the cost of average heat management.
Sadly, the emissions are poor when it comes under load.
Furthermore, we were impressed with the display performance. The IPS display has good sharpness and contrast levels; also, the non-detection of PWM flickering amazed us. So, for users with the most sensitive eyes and health issues, this is a treat for you. Nonetheless, if you look at the sRGB percentage, you get the ordinary 50%.
On the whole, casual gaming, imaginary content creation can easily be done with this machine.
While talking about battery life, the sentiments remain on the high nodes as this machine has a 9+ hour doable when it comes to battery backup. The battery size is still the same as 41Whr, but middling brightness and web surfing bring you to this count. Besides, 7+ hours is still a solid platform for FHD playbacks.
- Excellent display performance
- Much lighter weight
- Consistent performance
- Good typing performance
- All-okay connectivity with Wi-Fi 6 support
- The battery supplies adequate backup
- All plastic body makes it build quality an average grade feature
- No stylus pen included – “Budget Issues” behind it.
The Bottom Line – Picking the Winner here!
So folks, are you still confused about which best machine should park at your desks? You’ll get plenty of options with tons of reasons in or against the favor of any device. But we have to understand the psych of a machine for a particular purpose. So let me help you in this regard.
So, Asus Zenbook 14 is my clear winner, and I would like to recommend it as the best laptop for law students on my list. Being logical, it is almost a perfectionist if you don’t go too technical. I mean solid hardware configuration, stylish, traveling oriented, tons of battery juice, and good typing experience; this is what you want commonly in a regular office and home usage machine? Asus adequately has it all. And above all, this will also not make your bank scream as it’s a decently budget laptop considering its specs.
However, the ASUS isn’t a convertible Law Student Laptop. If you like more flexible stuff, Microsoft SurfaceBook 7 is the answer here on the second spot. Yes, we can’t say it’s a full-fledged laptop due to some legitimate reasons, but it does the purpose. It’s super lightweight, incurs extended battery life, supports the latest chipsets, and comes with USB-C type.
So, you want to enjoy the professional + fun of computing in one package; this can be the best lawyer laptop without a doubt.
Apart from these, you can check out other laptops for law school according to your preferences.
Bust the Myths, Not Your Mind – FAQs:
Is a MacBook Air good for Law School?
Yes, a MacBook Air is a good law school and student laptop, and we should have put it on our list. But, due to the budget being a vital point in considering a laptop for aspiring and professional lawyers, we preferred a comparatively low-budget option.
Does law school require a desktop?
It depends on Law schools. Some Law schools require students to get a laptop, and some already have a lab with desktop PCs, and they facilitate the users with their institution systems.
Do you need a laptop in Law School?
It is a compulsion in almost all law schools to own a laptop. Specifically, in these pandemic times, It becomes a dire need to get a laptop.