The Best Apps for Law School

App — “A computer program that performs a special function.”

-Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary

Since basically everything I do involves my phone in some capacity, it’s only right that I have a whole folder on my phone dedicated to law school.  Here are my votes for the best apps for law school!

Blackboard Learn

My school uses Blackboard for class information, documents, syllabi, etc.  Just so I don’t miss any important assignments for my classes, I turn on notifications for Blackboard.  It does get a little annoying when a professor posts twenty different things at once, but at least I don’t miss anything.  It’s also super helpful to use when I need to find a certain due date for a class quickly.

Careers - Symplicity

Looking for summer internships is something I do almost every day.  My school utilizes Symplicity to post job openings for everything from summer/school year internships, part time work, and post-grad positions.  It’s great because once you upload your resume, transcript, and writing sample, it’s easy to apply to jobs that only require those pieces of information.  I also love that you can favorite job postings for future reference.

Kindle

I personally prefer paper textbooks, but a lot of people I know utilize Kindle for statutory supplements or other non-textbook books.  However, I use the Kindle app to borrow books from my home library to read during the little “free time” I have.  Also, pro tip:  if you don’t use a class management platform (Blackboard) that has an app, you can save copies of your syllabi to iBooks and read them on there!

Lexis Advance

Research is a big part of what law students do.  I downloaded this app during my summer internship because it was super helpful for looking up cases on the fly.  It also helps in any research class if you forget to bring your laptop since it has all of the same features as Lexis online.

LinkedIn

Networking is key in law school.  And LinkedIn is a great tool for this.  I honestly connect with almost everyone I know and some of the people I’m interested in working with.  The app makes it really easy to perfect your profile so employers can find you.  It’s super easy to use and connect with others.

Quimbee

Quimbee literally saved my life 1L year when it came to briefing cases.  The app is great if you need to look up a quick summary of a case during class or even to find out if you’re getting the right rule of law out of a case.  Also, if you become an ABA member, you get three free months of Quimbee with your membership.  Quimbee also has some great review videos as well as practice questions.

Barbri Study Plan

Just to let you know, Barbri isn’t just for bar review.  If you’ve submitted your deposit for a bar course, you also get access to lectures and outlines for 2L and 3L classes, like Corporations, Federal Taxation, Evidence, Con Law, etc.  And if you have the app, you can watch the videos on the go!  So that means it’s great if you want a quick refresher of a topic on your morning commute or while you’re working out!

TurningPoint

Instead of using clickers for my classes, I personally use the TurningPoint app, which ends up being cheaper than buying a clicker.  The app has all of the same functionality as a clicker, but it’s more convenient since I always bring my phone to school anyway.  Also, it’s way easier to log into a session from the app than on a clicker.

Law School’s App

The number one app I recommend downloading for law school is your school’s own app.  I honestly rely so much on this app during the beginning of the school year as it has my schedule and classrooms.  It shows my grades and my account balances as well as a map of the school in case I have to go to the undergrad side of campus.

What are your favorite apps for law school?  I personally don’t use any timers to keep myself on track when I do work, but if you guys have any suggestions, I’ll try it out!