There used to be no legal-specific software for Macs, but that has changed over the past three to five years. Moving on to software, the biggest hurdle for Mac-using lawyers is the limited amount of legal software available for the Mac. (It’s not the latest version of Acrobat, but that would cost you $449 on its own.) What About Software? The ScanSnap can be found for around $400 at some online retailers, and it comes with a full version of Adobe Acrobat Professional Version 9. But the Retina display will eventually make its way into every Mac laptop, so save your money for another year or two.ĭo yourself a favor and also pick up a Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M (“M” is for Mac) scanner while you’re buying hardware. The Retina display of the new 15-inch MacBook Pro is incredibly tempting, since it makes a huge difference in reading documents on the screen. Stick with the 13-inch MacBook Air, which starts at $1,199. You could get by with the 21-inch iMac, but I always advocate for more screen real estate.įor a Mac laptop, I used to recommend the MacBook Pro, but today’s MacBook Air is plenty powerful for anything a lawyer needs to do. The iMac has everything you need in one svelte package. Some will argue for the much-less-expensive Mac Mini, which starts at $599, but you have to supply your own monitor, keyboard and mouse. And remember it’s easy to hook up a large external monitor to a laptop when you’re sitting at your office desk.įor a Mac desktop, I recommend the 27-inch iMac, which starts at $1,699. But laptops are obviously more versatile if you travel and need the computing horsepower. I’m seeing more folks today choose a desktop because they use their iPad when they’re out of the office. The first main decision is whether you need a desktop or laptop. However, many people appreciate the limited selection so they don’t have to choose among umpteen brands and wade through unlimited options. Of course, you don’t have a lot of choices when you’re shopping for a Mac. And a lot of lawyers and their families use Macs at home and desire the same for their office. There’s nothing wrong with using Windows, but some lawyers dare to be different with a Mac. Some blame the “ halo effect” of the iPod, iPhone and iPad-in that once folks experience the Apple ecosystem, they want the same for their computer systems. This got us wondering, if you had the chance to pick all new technology, might you choose a Mac this time? We asked Brett Burney, who runs Macs in Law, for a primer on setting up a Mac law office. We’ve had some terrific responses, including litigator John Snyder’s checklist. We’ve been talking a lot these past few weeks about how much it costs to start a solo practice from scratch. An updated version of this post can be found here at “Still Want an All Mac Law Office? What You Need and How to Do It.”
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