There is little doubt that the current class of law school students faces challenges unique to our generation. Notwithstanding a struggling job market, securing employment in the midst of inflated competition requires candidates to distinguish themselves from the flood of potential employees. The process of achieving legal success starts now.

Today's legal education demands that students to be tech-savvy but not tech-dependent. Certainly, it is near impossible for us to imagine what legal education would look like without the benefits of technology. And despite our emotional attachment to email, laptops and the internet, technology can and does offer significant distractions to law students.

The George Washington University Law School encourages smart and appropriate use of technology because it offers law students numerous advantages. The problem is, the time technology saves us often turns into more time we waste on technology. Tomas Gonzalez, senior assistant dean for student life at Syracuse University College of Law says that technology can become a trap to many students.

"Students today are different," Gonzalez said. "They are used to getting things quickly and sometimes can be impatient about getting information and spending the time to get deep information. Technology makes them more able to multi-task, and that is not necessarily a good thing."

Despite these problems, GW Law is helping its students harness the advantages of technology to get ahead in the game.
One way that GW Law is helping students adjust to the suitable use of technology in law school is by requiring all incoming students to own a laptop. The school website states, "All students entering GW Law as candidates for J.D. or LL.M. degrees are required to have a notebook computer for personal use. This will enable students to take full advantage of the Law School's technologically-advanced learning environment."

The laptop requirement is not unique to GW Law, most top law schools require or strongly suggests that all students purchase a notebook computer for studying. Laptops make sense for students. The access to email, legal websites, and online databases like LexisNexis and Westlaw can make it easier for students to prepare for class, communicate with professors, and study effectively. Can you imagine doing legal research before LexisNexis and Westlaw provided instant access to thousands of outlines, case briefs, decisions and headnotes? Of course, all technology comes with a catch.
GW Law institutes strict computer guidelines governing in-class use for the benefit of professors and students. The official policy reads, "Use of the Internet during class time without the specific permission of the professor is inappropriate and can be disruptive to fellow students. Students who are not sure of their professor's policies on computer use during class should consult with their professor for clarification."

It is true that even casual internet surfing in class can distract students from the more detailed discussion led by professors that can be useful later on during exam season. 1L student David Keithly agrees with the policy.

"It's hard enough to focus on class when I have the internet on my own laptop to distract me, but when someone in front of me is on perezhilton.com there's no way I'm listening to the professor," Keithly said.

Theoretically, students could get by law school without ever owning a laptop. Many students take class notes with pen and paper and there are several computer labs on campus that allow access to email, LexisNexis and Westlaw.
So, why does GW Law require students have laptops? The school website informs students that "having your own personal notebook computer enables you to better access legal research materials on the web, manage documents such as course notes and materials, and communicate with others more easily from almost anywhere in the Law School complex.

"Having your own notebook also enhances the learning experience, allowing you to communicate more effectively with your instructors, as well as undertake legal research more efficiently. All GW Law students also have the option to take Law School examinations using a notebook computer, and students do so in large numbers."

In contrast Gonzalez says patience and persistence aren't the only things technology tends to take away from law students. He says that an increased saturation of technology has lead to problems with communication. Some students have become too informal and lazy in their correspondence with faculty, fellow students and potential employers.

Relying on technology often becomes a trap when it fails students in the last minute. Whether it be a computer crashing the day before finals or a printer breaking minutes before class, it is clear that technology does not escape the grasp of Murphy's Law - anytime it could go wrong, it will probably go wrong. So law students beware. While technology can cause untimely stress, most law students would rather learn with it than without it.