Here’s a fun topic for all the would-be lawyers and recent law school grads out there: what are your must-have school supplies for law school?
We’ve talked about a ton of law school-related things, including putting together a guide to law school resources for women, rounding up the best blogs for women law students, and even answering reader questions about what to wear to law school. That said, I don’t think we’ve talked about the best school supplies for law school!
Here are some of the things I would recommend that new law students stock up on for school:
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Bags for Law School: What to Carry to Class and OCI Interviews
Don’t kill your back — as we all know, law school books can be crazy heavy. I don’t recommend this for first-year students, but — sometimes, in law school, if I knew that there was only one or two decisions we’d be discussing in class, I would just print them out from Westlaw and bring the printouts with me.
(An idea for 2020: you could also just upload the cases into a digital journaling app, like Good Notes — that way you can still highlight and scribble notes on it as you go through class. Here are all of my tips for digital journaling.)
In any event, a laptop backpack is probably your best bet — these are some of our favorites if you’re looking for something polished enough that you can use during internships and summer associate events:
{related: here are all of our resources for summer associates!}
Stylish backpacks for work, pictured below: one / two / three / four (also: not pictured but great – also check out this line of waterproof backpacks!)
Of course, for interviews you may want to consider a simpler tote bag — depending on your system with casebooks you could also get one of these. If you’re going to want a rolling backpack for class (like these), look for a tote bag with a travel sleeve, like the ones from Lo & Sons — the travel sleeve really makes a huge difference!
{related: our best on-campus interview tips and resources}
Above, some of the best work totes for women in 2021: one* / two* / three / four* / five / six* (not pictured but also Tumi and Dagne Dover!)
* try this highly-rated organizing insert with some of the less structured bags…
{related: what to wear to law school}
School Supplies for Law School
{related: the best office supplies to get for yourself}
Some of the favorite pens and other writing utensils that readers have mentioned in the past include these…
As I’ve noted in the past, I love using pretty file folders… These can be hard to find online, but Target’s a good spot to look them (like the ones below from brands like Barker Creek and UBrands). (While you’re there, readers have also noted they love their Blue Sky planners!)
{related: where to get cute office supplies}
Random Other Must-Have School Supplies for Law School
Psst — check out all of our must-have school supplies for law school; some of the more random things are below (see the post for the fuller explanations!):
Some of my must-have school supplies for law school included a lot of things that are also great for business travel, including:
- An extra wall tap so you can “share” outlets without fighting
- a extra long charging cord for your phone, like these lightning chargers — a mobile charger with a USB tap is great also!
- noise canceling headphones (great for airplanes AND law school libraries!) (Nordstrom also has them if you have Nordstrom Notes to use or want to do a Triple-Point day!)
- velcro ties and cosmetics bags (control your cords!)
- a lightweight, bluetooth keyboard can help you take electronic notes without lugging a laptop around — if you’re working with tight desk space (such as on an airplane or train tray) I actually prefer to use my bluetooth keyboard instead of a laptop or Chromebook (or, fwiw, my Apple keyboard)
- an iPad (if you want to try to mark up cases and docs with digital journaling tools) or Kindle (less mark-up capability, but you can always send lengthy documents to your Kindle to save your eyes)
- an Apple pencil or dupe (I have no complaints on this $27 one!)
- (I also made major use of hornbooks like Glannon’s during law school (and even while during my pre-1L summer, dork that I am!)
Readers, what are your must-have school supplies for law school?
