Hey, friends! Sometime during 3L, I was on the phone with my mom and said something somewhat profound and a little bit humorous:

"You know, it's funny, but I think after almost twenty years of being in school, I've finally figured out what study tools work for me. And now I'm almost done"

The truth is, through years of college, my study habits have changed and developed, and I've really figured out what does and does not work for me. I wrote a post a couple of years ago about what supplies you should get for law school, and I stand by everything in there. I repeated some of the supplies here, but for a comprehensive look, check out that post too! And by now, I definitely have figured out what my favorite things are, especially for law school. So I thought I'd share some of those products with you! Below is my list of must-have supplies for school, with links to specific product recommendations if I have any. If you know of brands or products that you would rather use, choose those. These are just the ones I like As a note, these are affiliate links and I may receive some commission if you click or purchase any of these.

Technology Products

Laptop

I know very few people that got by without a laptop in law school - it's must for taking notes in class, doing research, writing papers, and even taking exams. You don't need anything fancy, but I would recommend something reliable that will get you through school without worrying that it will crash in the middle of writing a research paper or even worse, your final exams.

I went to law school in 2016-2019, so the exact models of computers I used aren't current, however, this HP Envy is basically an updated version of the laptop I had for all of college, 1L, and 2L years.

For 3L year and the bar exam I purchased a Microsoft Surface Laptop, which has lasted me all the way until 2024.

Between the two laptops, there is a decent span of price points. However, if you need something cheaper, I'd recommend something like this HP - I've typically had good luck with those.

Desktop Monitor

I got a curved monitor during 2L year, and I wish I would've purchased one sooner. It's a game changer to have two screens, and really helps your eyes to look at a bigger screen. It also helped me focus to sit and study at my desk rather than in bed. Bonus points: I got some simple computer games for stress relief and they were way more fun using a monitor! I'd recommend this Samsung curved monitor - it looked sleek and was really nice for what I needed, without breaking the bank.

NOTE: Don't forget to buy the right cord to connect your monitor to your computer, likely an HDMI or Mini DisplayPort-HDMI. It also helps to have a keyboard and mouse. You don't need anything fancy - here is a great basic set!

iPad - or other Tablet

In addition to my laptop, I added an iPad to my supply list 3L year and really loved it for its portability. I used it for taking notes in class, reading digital casebooks, and studying for the bar exam and the MPRE. This definitely isn't a need, but I found it to be a good tool to have when I could afford it.

Big, over-the-ear headphones
In law school, you're probably going to spend a lot of time studying in public. This might be at the library, in a coffee shop, in airports or train stations - basically anywehre you might have some down time. So you're probably going to want to have some headphones to cover up the noise around you. I spent the first semester of law school using my ear buds and after awhile, my ears started to hurt and I hated being attached by a cord. I decided to spring for some big, over-the-ear bluetooth headphones and they seriously changed my life! I loved them to drown out noises in the library, really focus in at home, and especially loved them for airplanes.

A lot of people really like Beats by Dre, which are a great option. However, here is a more budget-friendly option that I got and love.

Extra Phone Chargers

I cannot recommend this enough! I literally had four chargers during law school. One by my bed, one in my car, one at my desk, and one in my backpack for school. It's nice to not lose your charger taking it to and from every location you need, and it's nice to always have a full charge if you need it.

For your bed, I recommend getting an extra-long charger. I have an iPhone, so I use these chargers! For everywhere else, I find that the regular chargers are great - especially in the car, at your desk, or in your bag where you don't want a cord to take up a lot of space. You can even buy them in multi-packs!

Stationary and Writing Utensils

Highlighters

You will do a TON of highlighting in law school. Like way more than you actually think. I literally went through a highlighter a week in law school - no exaggeration. I have a couple of different product recommendations here.

For standard, yellow highlighters - my most used tool - I prefer Sharpie, thin, chisel-tip fluorescent yellow highlighters. I bought this 36-pack, because it made it so I wasn't running to the store for more every month. These are bright and thin, making it easy to highlight exactly what you want and the color is happy and stands out.
For colored highlighters, I recommend Sharpie Clear-View highlighters. (I really love the Sharpie brand, y'all.) I love the clear view because you can see what you are highlighting through the little window.
For gel highlighters, I actually recommend my only non-Sharpie favorite, Bible highlighters! These are a great price and are nice to use on books with thinner pages that ink highlighters bleed through. Sharpie and other brands have gel highlighters, but I've found that the bible ones are thinner and more accurate.

Pens

In my mind, pens are so personal. We all like what we like. And that's fine. Whatever you like, get a ton of your favorite kind of pen. I personally prefered the Pilot G2 Gel Pens for law school and bar prep. Lately as a practicing attorney, I've been using these cool fidget pens which have a really fine line and are beautiful to look at.

Notebooks

Some people prefer taking notes on their laptops. I personally believe that your in-class notes should be handwritten, because it helps retention and helps you focus. Thus, notebooks are SUPER important to me. However, even if you are someone who prefers to type your notes, make sure you at least have a notebook or two. You never want to be that person in class who has to ask around for a piece of paper if you need one. Plus, what if your laptop dies or something? Here are my all-time favorite notebooks. They are simple, but I love them. I would recommend them to anyone.

Food & Drink Items

Lunchbox

Law school is a lot like high school. You have lockers. All of your classes are with the same people. You might even have a lunch room. Our school had a cafe, a couple fridges, a couple microwaves, and eating utensils available. This was great, because although I lived close to school, going home was sometimes a hassle. So I brought either lunch or a lot of snacks every day. I bought a very simple lunchbox, similar to this one, and still use it to this day.

Water Bottle/Tumbler

I feel like on every suggested school supplies lists, the writer lists a water bottle. It's important to stay hydrated. But on top of that, whenever I was nervous about being called on in class, my throat would get SO DRY. So I was always grateful to have my water with me.

Water bottle preferences are personal, but I'd recommend something insulated and that will last either way. Favorites of mine are a Stanley Quencher, Hydroflask, or Owala water bottle.

Reusable Food Containers

I mean by now, you get the point. You're going to want to bring lunch, snacks, and possibly other meals to law school with you. So save the earth and bring your food in reusable containers in you lunch box. Here are some of my favorites:

This Pyrex set is my go-to choice for meal tupperware. I prefer the glass over plastic, because you can microwave it and it's a little bit sturdier. I especially like the different shapes and sizes in this set.

A salad container for you law schoolies who like your greens! We sold these at a retail store I worked at in high school, and I always thought they were school. On days where I want to take a salad, or honestly anything that has a sauce I want to keep separate until meal time, this is awesome.

And lastly, a to-go silverware set! In case your law school doesn't have cutlery... plus it's super cute.

Locker Snacks

Lastly, I'm a big fan on having snacks available at all times. Keep some snacks in your locker for an emergency sugar rush, or for days you didn't plan on staying for lunch but did anyway. I recommend keeping some fruit snacks for a quick grab between classes, or some macaroni and cheese cups for emergency meals.

Study Space Supplies

Amazon Echo Dot

During my 2L year, I decided to check out what all the buzz was about, and purchase an Amazon Echo Dot. Now, I absolutely love it and could not imagine a study space without it. It's so easy to just shout out an instruction to play music on Spotify, ask the weather outside right before you head to class and you're trying to pick a pair of shoes, or set a timer when you are trying to convince yourself to study for just 20 minutes.

A Good Lamp

One thing about law school is that your eyes will suffer. You'll spend so many hours staring at a computer screen or reading books, and vision headaches might become frequent. One way to combat that is to make sure you study and read in adequate light. my desk lamp was a lifeseaver. Luckily, I lived in an apartment that was furnished with a built-in desk and desk lamp. However, I found this great option that looks plenty bright, comes in several colors, and has a USB port for charging your phone! Great for small desk spaces.

Blanket

It's super important to be comfortable when you study. It makes things way more tolerable. I always had a blanket slung on the back of my desk chair to wrap up in when I studied. It was great for when the AC was running or just feeling cozy. If you're anything like me, you probably have a million blankets already you can use. But if you're anything like me, you never pass up on an opportunity to buy another cozy blanket.Lately, I've been a fan of this buttery soft one!

Desk

I think it's pretty obvious that you'll want a desk, but there are so many options out there. If you are on a budget, Amazon has some great options to fit any style - I'd personally snag this one for a budget friendly option that doesn't compromise on storage.

Worried about becoming a couch potato? I'd grab a standing desk that allows you the flexibility to study standing up.

And although I recommend studying at your desk, there will of course be days you want to study in bed, so I'd recommend finding a good laptop desk to do so.

*****

So those are all of my must-have supplies for law school. At least the ones I can think of right now. . Let me know what your must haves are, or if you tried any of these products!