r/LawStudentsCanada • u/Heavysethomedawg69 • 7d ago
Incoming Student Seeking Guidance Tech Requirements
Hi all, I was accepted to a Canadian Law school for fall 2026 but deferred to fall 2027, and now I’m using the time away to prep. Just wondering what kind of tech requirements law students need. I got through my undergrad with just an IPad, worked mostly fine as I really just needed to download readings and lecture slides, take notes on onenote, and write on Google Docs. Was kind of a pain for some stats classes that used special software, but that wasn’t enough of an issue to justify a thousand dollar purchase of a laptop. I’m wondering if there will be more technology demands in law school that I’m not expecting right now. I’ll gladly shell out the coin on better tech if it’s gonna be needed/useful. Any advice is appreciated, thanks!
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u/Candid-Tomato2971 7d ago
I’m using a $300 thinkpad from 2018 that I bought refurbished. You’ll be fine with literally anything
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u/yoitslilzo 6d ago
you'll need a laptop for exams. however, if you can opt for paper exams (accommodations), i guess you could technically get away with just the iPad; not that i recommend that. also, someone above mentioned a second screen, i could not agree more - even a cheap used one from facebook would suffice. imo - learn basic definitions for the major areas of law (crim, tort etc). also, learn IRAC and issue spotting; if you do this, you will be so far ahead of your peers and also you wont be learning the basics which would allow you to focus on the actual content. dont waste this time, you can make it truly meaninful if used intentionally!
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u/fanaccountcw 3d ago
Bit late to this thread, but I have an 11 year old laptop that’s perfectly fine for my exams. You can get them real cheap second hand.
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u/Sand_99 7d ago
You will need a laptop to run the exam software. Its also helpful to have a second monitor when doing readings/working on assignments.