Essential Apps For Law Students

One of the blessings and curses of living life in 2017 is the availability of technology. I love the fact that at any moment, I can pull a tiny device out of my pocket and connect with people across the world. At some points, technology can be a bit distracting. But let's be real, we couldn't survive without it. The most prominent technological device for most milennials is the smart phone. I don't even want to know how many hours a day I spend looking at my iPhone. And as we all know, there's an app for everything! Being a law student, I found some apps that are absolutely essential to my daily life!

(all apps are linked to make things easier for you - you're welcome)

MY STUDY LIFE

I have talked so many times about how making a study schedule is extremely important. But sometimes, a study schedule can be a lot to remember. I have a gigantic planner that I keep in my backpack, but sometimes that's hard to manage when I'm on the go. My Study Life is a digital planner that is absolutely essential to my sanity! It allows you to put in your class schedule, and keep track of different tasks and exams you have. This is perfect for when you're grabbing drinks with your friends and someone asks "Hey, what do we have to read for criminal law tomorrow?" You might not have your planner - but with My Study Life, the answer is right in your phone. 

SPOTIFY

So by now almost everyone knows about Spotify. But I needed to put it on this list, because I SWEAR I would not have made it through my first year of law school without it. Every day in the libary, I have my headphones in and I'm listening to one of Spotify's "Focus" playlists while I study. I'm the type of person that needs to have background noise, needs to drown out the noise of other law students, and these playlists are perfect for studying because they're usually soft, simple tracks that don't distract me. Plus, as a student you get Spotify Premium for only $4.99/month, which is no ads, all the music you want to listen to, and unlimited downloads. Talk about amazing!

VENMO

In the world of credit and debit cards, nobody carries cash anymore. Which is fine, until you're out for dinner or drinks with your friends and the restaurant won't split your bill for you. Then nobody has cash to reimburse whoever puts it on their card, and things get messy. So how do you transfer money to your friends? Venmo! It lets you easily send money back and forth, and is totally safe and secure. My roommates and I use it to pay each other for our bills, my friends and I all use it when we go out to eat, and our school even uses it for event tickets! I highly recommend it!

theSkimm

I love keeping up with current events! The problem is, in law school, my time is very limited. I don't have an hour to spend on the New York Times website every day, or to watch the news every evening. Luckily, I don't have to. I get a summary of the news in my email inbox every, single, weekday. If you want the news, but in a condensed form, I suggest you try theSkimm. Each morning, it will send you a quick-read, need-to-know summary of the news, that helps you stay informed without having to try. Seriously - I can read this on my elevator ride up to the floor of my office each day. Check it out!

QUIZLET

Ever wonder how you're ever going to remember all of those cases you're supposed to know for exams? Flashcards are the way to go. But don't want to make all of those flashcards? Quizlet is your solution. I've used this website for years, but now I have the app and it is absolutely amazing. Perfect for a quick review in line at Starbucks, study sessions with your friends, or just regular old studying. 

CANVAS (Or whatever online platform your school uses)

Technology has made education about a million times better, and every school has a site like Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, or Angel. These are great for communication, turning in assignments, accessing class materials, or looking at the class calendar. And to make things even better - most of these have an app! I use the app to takes quizzes often, check the calendar, or access notifications when I'm on the go. Although I still prefer the computer version, it's nice to have mobile access. 

COUNTDOWN

Sometimes it feels like the semester drags on and on in law school, and like all you have to look forward to is yet another day stuck in the law library. But if you plan out vacations, fun events like Barrister's Ball, spring break, or even the end of the semester - use the countdown app so you always know how many days you have left! Sometimes that countdown can be what gets you through the semester and an app to make the math easy on yourself is absolutely amazing. 

These are just a few of my favorite apps for law school, but there are so many more that I use. Let me know if you have any great app recommendations, and I might do another post with more!