Attorney Thomas Gutierrez Blog: Successful Law Practice Begins With X

Finding the best laptop for lawyers is critical for meeting ABA regulations, keeping up with client relationships, and furthering your legal practice. Lenovo’s ThinkPad laptops have long been a top choice for law professionals, and here’s why.

Running your practice efficiently requires technology that can keep up. For attorneys and other law professionals where going back-and-forth to court or taking your work with you is a regular occurrence, a desktop computer is out of the question. The portability of a laptop is a must, but there are also other considerations, such as security of client-sensitive data and reliable performance, that are essential for supporting a successful practice.

Our Pick for Best Laptop: Lenovo X1 Carbon

Ask the question, “Which laptop is best for lawyers?” and you’ll get many different answers. One of the top answers is our favorite, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon by Lenovo. The X1 Carbon is an Ultrabook, which is a class of business-ready laptops defined by a thin and light profile, superior portability, long battery life, and high-performance. It has the renowned durability of a ThinkPad and meets the requirements of a good laptop for lawyers and firms.

Whether Ultrabook or another laptop, any computer you choose should be a tool to streamline your firm’s day-to-day—not impede it. Make sure the laptop you pick meets your standards in the following areas.

Security

Cybersecurity is a hot topic in the law journals and with good reason. You’re likely going back and forth to the courthouse, client meetings, and your firm, accessing documents via the cloud or directly across your devices. Keeping your communications and data secure is Legal Tech 101—there can’t be a weak link in the tech line-up you use.

The X1 Carbon has enhanced security features to safe-house data and provide peace of mind. A built-in sliding webcam cover, ThinkShutter, eliminates the chance of any peeping Toms or accidental broadcasting. A fingerprint reader and facial recognition capability add biometric layers of security. Data is not only encrypted, but it’s also protected by FIDO authentication, which secures login credentials and transactional information.

Portability

Although files have largely gone digital, the legal space still requires more physical paperwork than most, and your laptop shouldn’t be a burden to carry around on top of that. Battery life and a thin, lightweight design are guaranteed by any Ultrabook and a must for any on-the-go law professional. We also consider durability in measuring the portability of a laptop, as the more a PC is transported, the greater the wear-and-tear.

Again, the X1 Carbon doesn’t disappoint. The thinnest and lightest of any laptop offered by Lenovo, the X1 Carbon weighs in at less than 2.5 lbs. A long battery life of up to 15 hours, along with RapidCharge technology to give you 12 hours of battery with just 60 minutes of charging time, means your laptop will keep up with you from morning meetings, afternoon trips to court, and late in the evening for client correspondence. Constructed from military-grade carbon fiber materials and a spill-resistant keyboard, the X1 Carbon is built to outlast.

Performance

The processor, memory (RAM), and hard drive are all important factors in a computer’s performance. Sifting through the tech specs can quickly become a headache, but there are some basic specifications to use as a guideline:

Intel i5 core processors will do just fine, though i7 is newer and faster (which may not be needed, depending on your level of use).
Opt for 16 GB RAM of memory or 8 GB at an absolute minimum.
A solid-state drive (SSD) is typically preferred over a traditional, spinning hard drive. A 256 GB SSD is the lowest you should go.

The X1 Carbon meets all of these requirements, with options of up to Intel i7 processing, 16 GB memory, and 1 TB solid state drive. In laments terms, it’s got the internal components for the speed and overall performance you’d expect from a laptop that’s been called, “the best business laptop” (Laptop Mag).

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to stretch your budget thin on the absolute best PC (or Mac) you can buy, but there are a few areas where compromise isn’t an option. Navigating these critical areas will help make the task of choosing the right laptop less daunting.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is now in its 6^th Generation, which can be purchased at here. Buying online will often save money, as manufacturers like Lenovo run regular ThinkPad deals and promotions throughout the year. American Bar Association members can also receive up to 25% off discounts on select Lenovo products.

Finding a laptop that meets all of your requirements, as well as complying with ABA standards, may seem time-consuming and tedious, but the right computer is critical to operating your legal practice and well worth the investment.

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