Dear
Prospective Students:
As you are preparing to come to law school, we want to suggest that you give
some thought to sharpening or developing your computer skills.A major part of the practice of law is the
development and use of your written communication skills; almost all lawyers
regularly prepare written briefs, memoranda, contracts, and other legal
documents.
As a result, at Appalachian
School of Law we provide our students with intensive training in the legal
reasoning, research and writing skills necessary to be successful at the
practice of law. One of the tools
necessary for providing effective written communication in the modern practice
of law is a computer with a word processing program.
As
you might expect, to successfully complete the writing assignments that are
given in law school, most students find that they need access to a computer
and some level of mastery of word processing software. Although ASL does not currently require
incoming students to purchase a computer (and the school does provide free
student access to a limited number of computers in the library), we do strongly
recommend that students acquire a computer if they do not already own
one.
In
choosing a computer, students face a bewildering array of choices. Keep in mind that you will be using the
computer primarily to do word processing, so the availability of various
multimedia functions, while fun for playing games, may not be necessary -- but
do be sure that the computer you choose meets the requirements of the word
processing program that you intend to use.
Since
computer technology seems to be continually advancing (and prices seem to be
continually dropping), the best rule of thumb seems to be to shop around
carefully and to buy as much computer as you can reasonably afford at the
time you need one (to ensure that it doesn't become obsolete too
quickly). Once you have purchased a
computer, try to avoid looking at later computer advertisements that show you
how much less you would have paid or how much more you would have gotten if
you had only waited. The following additional suggestions may be helpful:
Desktop
or laptop, operating system
Desktop computers are generally cheaper
than laptop computers with similar features; however, the portability and
convenience of a laptop computer allow you to take notes on your computer in
class and work on assignments in the library, should you choose. If you think these features would be useful
to you, you may want to consider a laptop. Despite their popularity at some schools and colleges, we strongly
recommend that you do not buy a Mac; almost all law firms run PC
computers, and you will need to make that transition sooner or later.Your computer should be running Microsoft
Windows 2000 or XP Professional.
CPU
speed
The speed of the central processing unit (CPU) of the computer is
one measure of its performance. Faster
(larger numbers) is generally better. A minimum speed of 900 MHz (megahertz) is required by some software
programs; many models currently available have speeds of 1 GHz-2.4 GHz
(Gigahertz) or higher for a reasonable price.
Memory
(RAM)
The computer's performance is also improved by having more memory
or RAM (random access memory: the storage location in the computer where it
holds programs as they run); current programs usually require at least 256 MB
(megabytes) of memory, but at least 512 MB or more is preferable. More memory will often improve the
computer's performance more than a faster CPU.
Disk
Space
Computer software and data files are stored on hard disks in the
computer; again, more space is better.Given the large size of current software programs, the computer should
have a minimum of 10 GB (gigabytes); 20 GB, 30 GB, or larger would be
preferable.
Other
hardware
The computer should also have a CD-ROM drive (most software is
now distributed on CD-ROM, so you need a CD-ROM drive to install it), and you
should also have a good quality printer capable of providing professional-looking
output; a laser printer or a quality ink-jet printer will do (color printing
is probably not necessary). You should
also consider a backup device as a precaution against loss of your files
(either a tape backup, a ZIP or similar large-capacity drive, or a CD-ROM
writer; backing up data on floppy drives is impractical due to the size of
programs and files). Your computer
should have a modem (56k) if you plan to access the Internet off-campus
(there are several internet service providers in the area). If you purchase a laptop
and plan to access the school's network, you will also need a network
card. Contact Brian
Ratliff, the Director of Information Services at the
school, at bratliff@asl.edu or by phone
at (800) 895-7411 for details.
One
good source of information about computers, including product reviews and
price comparisons, is the Cnet website at http://www.cnet.com
or the Price Watch website at www.pricewatch.com.
We do not recommend buying non-retail items (esp RAM and Processors) from
pricewatch. If you have any questions feel free to contact us.
Software
The primary piece of software that you will be using is a word processing
program. If you do not already have
it, you should acquire a recent version of either Corel WordPerfect (which
comes in the Corel Office suite) or Microsoft Word (which comes in the
Microsoft Office suite). Do not expect
to use Microsoft Works, which is often pre-loaded onto new computers; it will
be inadequate for your needs in law school.
If
you are already proficient in either MS Word or WordPerfect, you probably
should not change programs at this point you don't need to be learning a
new program at the same time you are starting law school if you can avoid
it. If you have no experience with
either, you will need to choose one, and you should begin learning how to use
it as soon as possible. Many lawyers,
paralegals and legal secretaries prefer WordPerfect for creation of legal
documents because it allows better formatting control of the finished
product; however, a number of law firms have switched to MS Word because it
has more of the word processing market share in the non-legal community. Both programs have become similar over the
years; my experience, however, has been that MS Word users are often more
frustrated than WordPerfect users by a number of the tasks required for
papers turned in for law school classes. Academic versions of these programs (actually the full version of the
software without a paper manual) are available at many college bookstores at
greatly discounted prices.
You
will also want to have an Internet browser program and an e-mail
program. Windows computers come with
Internet Explorer (a browser) and Outlook Express (an e-mail program) already
loaded; a number of other browsers (such as Netscape) and e-mail programs
(such as Eudora) are also available commercially or by download over the
Internet. You will be given more
information about network and e-mail access when you arrive in the fall. Finally, it is highly recommended that you
have anti-virus software, such as the McAfee or Norton anti-virus programs,
and backup software to use with the backup device mentioned above.
Required
skills
You will need the computer skills described below to
function well in law school.If you do not already have these skills, I would suggest that you
spend some time before classes start looking at one or more of the numerous
books available for novice users (such as the famous "for Dummies"
books, which are often quite helpful), and practicing with your computer if
possible. Unfortunately, there isn't
enough space in this letter to provide you with specific instructions;
however, the school will provide computer training sessions during and
following orientation.
General
skills
- how to turn your computer on and off
- how to use the keyboard and mouse
- how to use Windows Explorer to navigate the computer's file system
- how to start programs such as your word processor
- how to open and close files
- how to save and retrieve files
- how to rename files and how to save a file under a new name
- how to select a particular printer to use
- how to operate your Internet browser and e-mail programs
- how to download a file from a website
- how to send and receive a file as an e-mail attachment
- how to use any anti-virus or backup software that you have.
Word processing skills
Written assignments in
law school must usually be typed, and, like documents filed in courts, are
often subject to very specific formatting requirements. As a result, you need to know how to
accomplish the following tasks with your word processor:
- Be
able to set the font to Times Roman and the font size to 12 point (the
default in MS Word is 10 point)
- Be able to set the margins to 1 inch
- Be able to double-space the document
- Be able to indent and single-space individual paragraphs within a
double-spaced document
- Be able to number the pages
- Be able to indent the first line of each paragraph by .25 of an inch
- Be able to create a header or footer with your name and other
information in it
- Be able to spell-check the document
- Be able to save the document
- Be able to save the document as a new file under a different name
- Be able to print the document using your primary printer or an
alternate printer
- Be able to open an existing document
- Be able to insert the section symbol into a document
- Be able to turn off automatic spelling and punctuation
correction
- Be able to boldface, underline or italicize type
It
may also be helpful to know how to cut, copy and paste text in the word
processor, and to know how to find and replace text.
Again,
if you do not have these skills before coming to law school, we will have
computer training sessions to help you.€
Additional, advanced skills (such as tables of contents and tables of
authorities) can be learned later.
To
sum up, you can expect to use computers and word processing software as a
necessary tool in law school and later in the practice of law. If you do not already have the hardware,
programs and skills described above, you may want to seriously consider
spending some time before school preparing. If you have specific questions about computers, you can contact Brian
Ratliff, the Director of Information Services at the law
school, by e-mail at bratliff@asl.edu
or by telephone at 800-895-7411. If
you have questions about financial aid issues, including the availability of
financial aid for purchasing a computer, contact the Student Services office
at the law school by e-mail at vkeene@asl.edu
or by telephone at 800-895-7411.
We
wish you the best of luck in your law school experience, and look forward to
assisting you in starting your new career.
Home | FAQ | Contact Information | News and Updates
ASL
HOME