If you are a lawyer, law firm owner, or advocate and are looking for a laptop for yourself or firm, then you are in the right place. We have prepared a list of the best laptop brands and laptops for lawyers.
Laptops have gained immense popularity in recent years. They are in great demand for any professional from any profession, and so the lawyers.
You need to choose a machine with excellent storage capacity, sufficient RAM, and outstanding internet connectivity.
The lawyers also need a great battery life because they may need to use it for long hours. It will help if you buy something powerful, high performing, and best-in-class. Simply
Recommendations for Best Laptop for Lawyers
A dependable laptop is something every modern lawyer needs; however, getting the right one is tricky. There are many out there, and each accompanies its attributes and qualities.
In the below table of the best laptops for lawyers, have a quick look and choose one for you. We hope it’ll help everyone.
Either one is a law school student, a professional lawyer, working in a small law firm, as a solo attorney, higher court advocate, or a solicitor.
You can choose a cheap, affordable notebook or a MacBook for you after reading the guide as well, the one that works for you and your firm in the best way.
| IMAGE | PRODUCTS | FEATURES | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Apple MacBook Air | Display: 13 inch RAM: 8GB Storage: 256GB SSD Battery: Up to 15 hours | |
 | HP 15 Laptop | Display: 15.6 inch RAM: 8GB Storage: 256GB SSD Battery: Up to 8 hours | |
 | ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 | Display: 13.3 inch RAM: 16GB Storage: 1TB SSD | |
 | Razer Blade 15 | Display: 15.6 inch RAM: 16GB Storage: 256GB SSD | |
 | HP Pavilion Gaming | Display: 15.6 inch RAM: 8GB Storage: 256GB SSD | |
 | Lenovo ThinkPad | Display: 14 inch RAM: 16GB Storage: 1TB SSD | |
 | HP Pavilion 15 | Display: 15.6 inch RAM: 16GB Storage: 512GB SSD Battery: Up to 8 hours | |
 | Apple MacBook Pro | Display: 16 inch RAM: 32GB Storage:1TB SSD Battery: Up to 8 hours | |
 | ASUS VivoBook 15 | Display: 15.6 inch RAM: 8GB Storage:512GB SSD | |
 | MSI Prestige 14 | Display: 14 inch RAM: 16GB Storage:512GB SSD |
The American Bar Association recommends laptop usage rather than desktop.
A report published by ABA(American Bar Association) has pointed out the adoption of technology or shift of technology, especially hardware, software, legal specific software, and ebooks. It has been pointed out that
- The majority of attorneys use a laptop for their legal work. In the last year, 53% of respondents stated that laptops were their primary work device.
- Cloud based softwares like Cilo is also being used and has been increasing since last year.
- In a survey conducted last year by ABA about cloud-based legal software usage, states that 60% lawyers used cloud based softwares to do their legal work.
- According to a CNBC report, 23% of legal work performed by lawyers can be automated with the help of existing technology.
- Due to Covid-19 pandemic, legal experts are taking recruitment exams online. For instance, the State Bar of California conducted a Legal Specialist Examination online last year.
The above-mentioned facts show that a laptop is a core and vital component for to-be lawyers or professional lawyers. A lawyer must have a laptop in order to be one step ahead.
Technology and Legal Firms : Legal Tech
There are plenty of tools that have been developed for lawyers and clients to support them in legal matters.
Legal services are now being provided more efficiently, at a lower price, and to a higher standard with the help of a variety of technologies. The use of natural language processing (NLP), artificial intelligence (AI), and robotic process automation (RPA) facilitates this process.
The legal technology market has gained influential growth in the last 5 years with its powerful tools.law
What is the scope of legal tech startups and software?
According to Forbes and a survey of Future-ready lawyers’ points.
- Forbes reported in 2018 that legal tech investment had grown 700% since 2017, and it would have tripled in comparison to this year or by 2025.
- Approximately 72% of respondents/lawyers in a Wolters Kluwer survey expressed concerns over the complexity and volume of documents they have to analyze.
It is pretty much clear that legal tech is leading and will lead law firms in the future. It would be a wise decision to build the capacity of lawyers with the latest legal technologies.
And all this starts with the latest laptop and a lawyer’s will to learn.
Can legal technology replace lawyers or Law firms?
It is quite a tricky and straightforward question and needs full intention. As legal technology is relying on AI (artificial intelligence )and cloud computing to lead lawyers, no doubt it has a tremendous future.
Before answering, let’s have a look at some AI facts.
- AI based softwares are currently working in a more supportive role for lawyers. They use machine-learning algorithms to revise and analyze documents to get certain data and facts. As a result, lawyers can make accurate decisions based on the data.
- In most cases, AI automates the most mundane parts of their work. Thus, lawyers are able to focus on other projects and goals.
So after reading these points, we can safely say that lawyers who use legal AI will replace those who do not, but will not replace lawyers.
What are some best and famous legal software?
These softwares are divided into 4 categories like specialized practice,case/practice management, docket/calendaring softwares and conflict checking.
Here is the list of top legal software.
- MyCase – practice management
- Clio – Cloud based contract management software
- Litify
- Loio Solutions
- Legal Files- legal practice management software.
Which laptop is best for a lawyer—a MacBook or a Windows laptop?
Simply speaking, it is a more personal choice than a technical one. The Windows OS is being used on almost 75% of the world’s PCs. While 16% laptops are run by MAC OS.
You can do everything either with a Macbook or Windows based laptop.
MacBooks are expensive, while Windows laptops are quite flexible, from low budget to high budget laptop.
For lawyers, is a Chromebook a good laptop?
Remember, the Chromebook is different from Windows and MacOS laptops. It has a Chrome operating system and works differently.
It is advised that a lawyer should prefer a Windows laptop or MacBook, as they are more powerful and customizable.
You can go for a Chromebook if you
- Mostly use cloud based legal softwares
- Don’t have enough budget, yes they are inexpensive
- Doesn’t run too many applications simultaneously
- Law school or university student
- working as a law intern at a law firm, etc.
1. Apple MacBook Air- Best Laptop for Law School Students
The Apple MacBook Air is one of the most modern laptop for law students and lawyers according to Quora as well. It has a unique design and comes with a 13-inch retina display. Besides that, the specifications are excellent.
The latest 8-core CPU enhances its speed to a whole new level. As a result, you can easily surf the internet, conduct research and analysis of legal problems, or note down essential trial points without any hassle.
It has an excellent battery life of up to 18 hours, and law students can easily use it in their class on a single charge.
The Apple MacBook Air has 8 GB RAM combined with 256 GB SSD storage, and it enables the laptop to run almost every important program within a concise time frame. The keyboard gives a smooth feel and works perfectly.
Overall, it is one of the most helpful and best laptops for law students in the market today. You can check Quora for this purpose, people highly recommend MacBook for students.
2. HP 15 Laptop – Best Laptop for Advocates
If you have taken admission into a law school and you are badly in need of a budget-friendly laptop, I suggest you buy the HP 15 laptop. This outstanding laptop has excellent features. So, it’s a perfect move for law students to invest in it if they are not high on budget.
It is thin and lightweight, and you can easily carry it from one place to another.
The laptop with a 15.6-inch display comes with an 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor. It is durable, expeditious, and effective in carrying out various tasks with no difficulty. The device has 8GB RAM along with a 256GB SSD.
It is more than sufficient to run heavy programs. The laptop comes with a battery life of up to 7 hours and a 1-year limited warranty.
Last, it is one of the most powerful and best laptops for lawyers and advocates.
3. ASUS ZenBook Flip 13- Best 2-in-1 Laptop for Law Students and Lawyers
The ASUS ZenBook 2-in-1 Laptop is one of the best laptops for law students and lawyers. You can use this 2-in-1 device both as a laptop and a tablet.
It has an Intel Evo Platform Core i7-1165G7 processor and 16 GB of RAM, which is ample for a lawyer to do his routine task effortlessly and comes with 1TB SSD of a solid-state hard drive, great to save essential documents. It also delivers a stable data transfer.
The laptop has a sharp 360° Ergo Lift hinge design that provides the kickstand up to 170 degrees of movement, due to which you can quickly change its display to any angle you wish, so you can quickly view your client’s documents.
You can use Google Drive and Dropbox if you want to save all your documents and files online. As it is 2 in 1 notebook, so it is the best tablet for lawyers as well.
The device has a sleek and lightweight aluminum body at only 2.87lbs. It has an impressive battery life of up to 14 hours which is more than enough for law students and lawyers.
4. Razer Blade 15 – Best NoteBook for Legal Practitioners
Razer Blade 15 is no doubt one of the best notebooks for lawyers as it features a 15. 6 full HD thin-bezel display. It comes with an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD. The 256 GB hard drive is sufficient to save all your legal files, documents, etc.
Razer is one of the most compelling laptop brands for making powerful machines. With Razer Blade 15, it has come up with a device that is even more powerful and multifunctional than its preceding models.
It comes with a backlit keyboard and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics. The keyboard is fast and responsive, and you can type longer documents with ease. You can also use video conferencing software on this device like Zoom.
Zoom is popular software that allows face-to-face meetings with your clients while working remotely or from home.
The Razer Blade 15 comes with the latest connection compatibility for all kinds of hardware. It is a compact and highly functional choice for lawyers.
5. HP Pavilion 15“- Best Affordable Laptop for Lawyers
If you have a limited budget and want to buy the best affordable laptop for Business lawyers, I suggest you check out HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop. It comes with an Intel Core i5-9300H processor, 8 GB SDRAM, which gives you powerful performance and seamless computing in your daily work.
The display size is 15 inches. It provides plenty of viewing space and a maximum screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels which deliver a decent enough display result. The battery life of this device is 10 hours.
Some other features include 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C ports, three USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a multi-format SD card reader, and a 720p wide vision HD webcam. It runs on Windows 10, and you can easily install legal task management software like Clio, ProofHub, and MyCase on this device.
We suggest you use Trello if your project and task management are simple and straightforward. Overall, it has impressive features, which makes it an excellent laptop for lawyers.
6. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 – Best Laptop for Small Law Firm
If you are a lawyer and looking for the best laptop for small law firms, Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the most suitable laptop. It has a 10th Gen Intel i7-10510U processor and 16 GB RAM. The 16 GB of RAM allows you to do any task with ease.
It comes with a 1 TB PCIe SSD, enough for small law firms to keep all critical data safely and securely. The system boots up quickly and allows faster data transfer.
Small firms can use Conga composers to create perfect template digital documents. It is one of the most popular legal document management software, which allows you to generate new documents with ease.
The laptop comes with an excellent 14- inches display to comfortably read documents and a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
The operating system available in this laptop is Windows 10 home and comes with plenty of connectivity options such as 2 x USB-C 3.2, Intel Thunderbolt 3, 2 x USB 3.2, and HDMI 1.4.
7. HP Pavilion 15 – 11th Gen CPU- Best Laptop for Solo Attorney
HP Pavilion 15 captivated many due to its excellent attributes. The laptop comes with 15.6 inches screen size and 1920×1080 pixels of screen resolution.
A Full HD IPS micro-edge display allows you to focus on the assignments and case trial points. The backing of 16 GB RAM combined with a 512GB SSD offers a significant speed during multitasking. The storage space is also more than enough to accommodate large case files or videos, etc.
It uses the most recent release by intel i.e. 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor. The speed is more than enough to run cloud-based legal practice management software like Clio without any lag and problem.
It has a good battery life of up to 8 hours, so if you are a solo attorney who travels a lot and is looking for a laptop with decent battery life, it is the best option.
Overall, HP Pavilion has decent performance and is one of the best laptops for a solo attorney.
8. Apple MacBook Pro – Best MacBook Laptop for Professional Supreme Court Lawyers
Any lawyer in the contemporary world should have a laptop like the Apple MacBook Pro. It comes with a 9th-Gen Intel i9 processor having 8-Cores and turbo boosts it up to 2.3GHz clock speed.
The device has a stunning 16-inch Retina display, an ultra-fast SSD, and the battery life lasts up to 10 hours.
You can quickly go through any spreadsheet or case file with the upturned-T cursor keys. Its magic keyboard will give you an active, smooth, and pleasant typing experience.
The MacBook has powerful thunder-bolt 3 ports appropriate for quick charging and data transmissions with ultra-high and strong bandwidth speed.
It has 32GB RAM along with 1TB SSD. The RAM and storage capacity is sufficient for lawyers. They can store large files and can run apps and case-management or scheduling software like Westlaw Legal Calendaring software effectively.
The software allows you to sync new meetings and deadlines with your Apple calendar in no time. It measures 4.1 x 13.1 x 17.5 inches and weighs about 7.85 pounds.
Overall it is one of the best MacBook laptops for lawyers because it has everything a lawyer needs to handle workload efficiently in the macOS, plus aspiring students of law to become a professional lawyer also prefer MacBook Pro for themselves.
9. ASUS VivoBook 15 – Best Laptop for Solicitors
With a fantastic NanoEdge bezel display and lightweight design, the ASUS VivoBook 15 has several great features. It is the most compelling laptop, packed with superb style and performance. The processing power of ASUS VivoBook 15 is amazing.
It comes with an Intel Core i5-1035G1 CPU that makes multitasking a completely smooth experience. The 8GB RAM and 512 GB SSD storage ensure faster loading times and allow you to save indefinite data.
It is thin and lightweight, which will help while you are traveling. You can use software like Google Meet for video calls with your staff and clients. It has 15.6- inch display and a typical 1920×1080 pixels resolution.
ASUS has a battery timing of 10 hours which is good enough for a solicitor. It runs on Windows 10 and comes with a good array of ports such as USB 3.2 Type-C, USB 3.2 Type-A, USB 2.0, and HDMI.
Overall, ASUS VivoBook 15 is one of the best laptops for solicitors in the market today.
10. MSI Prestige 14 – Best Laptop for Public Attorneys
If you are looking for the best laptops for attorneys, then MSI Prestige 14 is the most suitable laptop for you.
It is a lightweight laptop with an excellent keyboard to help you draft your legal documents or letters. The device does not fall short of performance.
An Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics, and 16 GB of RAM provide a steady user experience.
The 512GB NVMe SSD is sufficient to handle your workload as a part of a law firm or an attorney. It has a 14-inch 4k display and comes with a resolution of 3840×2160 pixels.
The keyboard is easy to use and has ample space between keys to help you type even faster and easily while using this laptop.
The battery timing is also incredible and decent even when you are using law-practice software such as Microsoft Team and Slack. It will last 16 hours, which is enough for attorneys.
How to Select Best Laptop for Lawyers- Buyer Guide
This comprehensive buyer’s guide can help you make a knowledgeable decision based on your demands and priorities.
The essential factors that you need to consider before buying the best laptop for lawyers are as under:
Processor
A lawyer should consider buying a laptop with the latest generation processors because it will help to get enhanced speed and performance.
We recommend the AMD processor, 8th generation, or the latest Intel Core processors because they allow you to do maximum work with ease.
RAM
RAM is another essential factor to consider if you want a smooth user experience. A lawyer needs to save legal documents, run case file management software.
The laptop should have at least 8 GB of RAM. We recommend that you should have at least 16 GB of RAM, so you do not have to make space for more data again and again.
Storage
The third important factor is storage; consider a laptop with SSD storage because it performs faster than standard hard drives.
As solicitors have a lot of data like case history, a database of previous case decisions and research work on them, national & international legal books, case studies, etc.
That’s why a laptop should have a minimum of 256 GB SSD storage.
Although, we recommend that you have at least 512 GB SSD storage and 1 TB is preferred to store all the important data without any problem.
Battery life
Whether working as a solo attorney or in a law firm, one should purchase a laptop with long battery life, such as 8-10 hours.
Although if you had a chance to buy 12+ hours, grab it. It will help you to do maximum work on a single charge.
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
The primary purpose of lawyers is case studying, lawsuits, preparing arguments, and surfing the internet. So we don’t think that lawyers need to give special attention to graphic processing units.
If you want an all-rounder device only, then you should select the GPU attentively.
Display/LCD Monitor
The LCD monitor should have at least a 13-inch display because a lawyer needs to create high-quality legal documents. We recommend you should buy a 14-17 inch display because it will give a great user reading and viewing experience.
Operating system
Laptops use various operating systems. Every operating system is beneficial in its own way. Please choose the one that is easy to use for you and user-friendly. Usually, Windows 10 or macOS are preferred, and the majority of lawyers prefer Windows-based OS.
What Minimum and Recommended Specifications are Required?
Purchasing a laptop is a huge investment, so a lawyer should have a clear idea about all the essential aspects to consider.
The minimum and recommended laptop specifications for Lawyers, attorneys, or solicitors are as under:
| Features | Minimum | Recommended |
| Operating System | – | Windows 8,10 Pro, or 11 Pro MacOS 10 or 11 |
| RAM | 8GB | 16 GB |
| Processor | Intel Multicore Processor | Latest Gen Intel Core i3, i5, i7, or i9 |
| Screen Size | 13.3-inch FHD | 15.6-17 inch FHD IPS quality |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD | 512 GB SSD or 1 TB preferably for Professional Supreme Court Advocates |
| LCD/LED Monitor Resolution | LCD 1024×720 | LED, OLED with 1280×720 or 1280×1024 |
FAQs
1. What is the best laptop for solo lawyers?
A lawyer needs a laptop for creating legal documents, keeping the client’s data and contact information. We consider any laptop with an i5 processor and a minimum of 8 GB RAM a good laptop for lawyers.
In this article, Apple MacBook Air is the best notebook for solo attorneys.
2. What laptop brands do lawyers prefer?
When it comes to brand, most lawyers are unaware of that. While speaking technically, each laptop brand has its own pros and cons.
We recommend any brand among Dell, HP, Microsoft Surface, Lenovo or MacBook by Apple.
Like Few law students attend online classes to take lectures on Zoom or others can use Apple MacBook Air .
3. What laptop should I buy for law practice?
If you are looking for a laptop for law practice, we suggest buying a laptop with good specifications. If you can afford high specs laptop then go for HP Pavilion 15 or ASUS VivoBook 15.
Even you can use the above mentioned laptops to study until your Ph.D degree.
4. Are 2-in-1 laptops great for lawyers?
Yes, most lawyers love 2-in-1 laptops. Try to consider a premium brand if your pick is a 2-in-1 laptop like Asus ZenBook Flip 13 is the best 2 in 1 laptop for lawyers.
5. Is the MacBook a good choice for lawyers?
5. From where can one learn to use legal software?
It is not a big deal. As part of your onboarding process, many legal software and services companies offer comprehensive training. You will be able to learn more about the features of the software and ask questions at the same time.
Conclusion
In this article, we have suggested the best laptop for lawyers, and we hope that our suggestions will help you get the right laptop for you.
Purchasing a laptop is not something simple, especially when the user does not know anything about it. Many attributes must be taken into consideration while acquiring the one for your needs.
There are many options accessible when it comes to purchasing a laptop for lawyers. In this article overall, Apple MacBook Air is the winner, top choice and HP Pavilion 15 is runner up.
Harry Harris is passionate tech explorer and writer. He loves to PC build (pre-built and custom), gadgets, hardware component studies. He uses his knowledge to guide naïve users to purchase best-ones. Currently holding Bachelors degree in Computer Science from University of the Punjab.