The Best Apps for Law Students
Are you just starting law school? There’s an app for that! In the past, new law students were taught that beginning law school meant investing in a few essential books and supplements. A good law dictionary, hornbooks, and casebook supplements were typically on every law student’s first-semester shopping list. But now, rather than buying stacks of books, you can achieve the same levels of preparation through several apps made for law students. Many law school apps are free (ask your law librarian for help). Other law school apps may require payment, but oftentimes even those are less expensive than the hardcopy books of the past. Here are 6 apps that can help you prepare for a successful year of law school.
- Black’s Law Dictionary (or any law dictionary)
Black’s is the standard in law dictionaries. A law dictionary is a non-negotiable part of any law student’s library, either in hard copy or digital form. No matter how well-versed in the law you may be before entering law school, you will undoubtedly come across words you’ve never seen before as you read cases and statutes. It’s vital that you understand what those words mean, so that you can understand what you are reading and be fully prepared when called on in class. This is why a law dictionary is one of the best apps for law students that you can download. Black’s costs about $54; if that is outside your budget there are free options you can download instead, like NOLO’s Plain English Law Dictionary.
Law Dojo is a fun and challenging app to help you prepare for law school. It will test your knowledge on basic law and civics and introduce you to material that you’ll need to become familiar with in law school. Many students enter law school without a basic understanding of civics and general legal concepts, so this app will help you get a head start. And the bonus is it’s fun! There are free and paid options for this law school app.
Flash cards are a great study tool for law school. Quizlet is a free app that can allow you to make your own cards, share them, view cards made by others, and have access to your cards wherever you are. Quizlet flashcards will mainly help you with memorization, although you can create some to test your ability to analyze as well. For flashcards with short hypos, which test your understanding of legal concepts and real-world application, check out the Law in A Flash app, which is an extension of the traditional flash card series used by law students for generations.
Organizing your notes in law school is vital. Evernote is a great app to help you do just that. With Evernote, you can add things to your class notes, like pictures, pages from the web, checklists, and more. It will also sync across all of your devices which makes it easier for you to access your notes and study from anywhere. There are free and paid versions of this app.
Paper planners are great, but sometimes they can be impractical. My Study Life is a great organizational tool for law students. Time management is a skill you will need to develop in law school and continue throughout your career. Procrastination is the enemy of a successful law student! It’s important to give yourself enough time to prepare for class, read and brief your cases, and review notes every week. You’ll also need to schedule time for outlining and studying as the semester progresses. The My Study Life app allows you to organize your classes, assignments, and exams. You can also set reminders, track your progress on assignments, and find the perfect time to study using this app.
Law school is stressful. It’s important to set yourself up for success in law school both academically and mentally. A good meditation practice can help with that. Headspace is just one of many apps that can help you make sure to set aside time each day to reset and de-stress. You can follow a program for daily accountability, do short meditations specific for certain situations, listen to sleep stories to help you calm your mind at bedtime, and much more. Headspace has a limited free version, and a fuller paid version (as do many similar apps such as Calm and Insight Timer). However, for a completely free version you can try the Healthy Minds Program app or UCLA Mindful.
