Introduction
If you’re a new or incoming law student and you own an iPad, you may be wondering how to use an iPad for law school. Don’t have an iPad yet or you’re on the fence about getting one? Read this blog to find out if you should buy an iPad for law school. Maybe you’re not the most tech-savvy (and that’s okay. Apple created the iPad to be very user-friendly) or you’re just looking for new ways to leverage your device. Either way, here are some ideas on how to use an iPad for law school so you can be the academic weapon you’re always meant to be:
Digital Planning
Jump into the world of digital planning with your iPad (if you haven’t already) and let me be your guide. It’s life-changing, truly. Especially in law school where everything depends on time management, prioritizing tasks, and staying on top of your classes and extracurricular activities. With digital planning, your options are virtually endless. Keep track of classes and meetings with a virtual calendar like Google Calendar, complete action items using a to-do list app like MinimaList, create a study schedule with a productivity app like Notion, and plan your entire day with a digital planner!
Check out: Law School Digital Planner
Digital Notetaking
One of the main uses of an iPad is digital notetaking. Seriously, ditch the physical notebooks and make the switch to taking your notes digitally with an iPad and Apple pencil. Not a fan of handwritten notes? Grab a keyboard for your iPad and type up your notes instead. Not only is it better for the environment but also easier and more efficient. Think about it: no more ripping using white out, or rewriting notes from scratch. You can simply cut, copy, paste, undo, redo, and rearrange your notes as desired.
Reading
For some law students, physical textbooks are a must. But a really good way to make use of an iPad in law school is to buy and read e-textbooks. E-textbooks are becoming more and more popular and every textbook nowadays generally has an electronic version (for cheaper too). So you should consider switching to e-textbooks and doing your readings on the iPad. That way, you also don’t have to carry heavy law textbooks around. If you’re a commuter, this is a huge plus! Reading on the iPad isn’t limited to e-textbooks either. A lot of professors assign articles and law journals that can be accessed online. Instead of printing those out, read them on the iPad and freely highlight and write on the margins!
Organization
All that said so far, the iPad is amazing for organization. Instead of having several notebooks and binders, physical textbooks, and loose pages, keep everything in one place: your iPad. Go digital. Scan documents, buy e-textbooks, take notes digitally. If you don’t have enough storage, subscribe to a cloud storage service like Google Drive or iCloud Drive. Access all your documents wherever you are. By keeping everything on your iPad, avoid misplacing handouts, forgetting textbooks, creating clutter with stacks of used notebooks/binders, etc. and stay organized.
Studying
The iPad is your best friend when it comes to studying. Besides having access to all your notes and readings in one place, there are thousands of study aids and resources that you can take advantage of with an iPad. From productivity apps like Forest to keep you from getting distracted, to flashcard apps like Quizlet that help you memorize tricky latin phrases, and notetaking apps like GoodNotes for recording lectures, whatever you need to study, there’s an app for that.
Legal Research and Writing
Have a legal brief or research paper to write? Use an iPad to help you get it done. Recent developments with the iPad has made it so powerful that it’s practically a mini computer. And while it’s not quite a true replacement, it’s definitely good enough for legal research and writing purposes. Research a case or legal article on Chrome or Safari, or an app like Westlaw and type up that brief or research paper using a keyboard that you can connect with your iPad.
Job Search Preparation
Ultimately, your goal as a law student is to secure a job after graduation (assuming you intend to graduate and practice as a lawyer). And one of the things that can be really helpful as you strive towards that goal is having an iPad. You can use an iPad during your job hunt as a law student in many ways. For example, you can use it to take notes during networking events, revise your resume and cover letter, sign documents electronically, etc. If you’re participating in the law student recruit, an iPad can be a great investment for this reason.
Conclusion
There are many ways to use an iPad for law school. This blog has gone over some of them including using an iPad for digital notetaking, reading, studying, organization, legal research and writing, and job search preparation. There are many more (e.g. using an iPad as a second monitor during exams if your law school allows for it). You just have to be creative. So if you’ve been thinking about getting an iPad for law school, you have all the reasons and this is your sign to do it!