Briefcase for law school - Page 2

Another vote for a plain 'ol backpack. Honestly, the kids walking around the law school with briefcases just look a bit off, JMO

Life IS short, but you'll have plenty of opportunity to purchase a briefcase like this. A simple canvas (preferably in dark color to mask dirt and dust) backpack and laptop bag is all you really need as you travel through Law School. I did, however, purchase a very modest leather messenger bag before starting a Summer Associate gig last summer. I haven't used it during the semester, though.

Best of luck with Law School! All the best to you!

Having been to law school and taught an uncountable number of law school classes, I can't imagine a student with that briefcase. It seems fantastical.

 

That said, it is a stunning bag and it would look great when you are an attorney.

This.

If it is within your means now, then buy it. But recognize that it is an ostentatious briefcase and will stand out like a sore thumb. My experience with law school is that there are more than enough individuals there already with artificially inflated senses of self-worth. You don't want to be tagged as one of those if you can help it - and a $700+ will do just that.

Check your ego at the door. Be modest. Dress well but not ostentatiously. Reward yourself on graduation with an excellent suit and one of the nicest briefcases I have ever seen, but remember that 1) being a lawyer is not necessarily the same thing as being wealthy and 2) many of the truths you learned in law school still hold true in the profession - recognize that it is not an especially well-dressed profession on the whole and that again, a flawless bespoke suit and attention-grabbing briefcase on a 25-30 year old can again be seen as a sign of an unsustainably large ego.

Another vote for a back pack. How much do casebooks and hornbooks weigh now? Rule of broken back, if the load in your briefcase is too heavy to carry with your hand, then you need to dump the briefcase and get a backpack. Shoulder bags are not good for you.

 

 

As a law student, I would strongly urge you not to purchase that briefcase. I would suggest a North Face Backpack, as it will be less crippling with the absurd amount of book that you will carry on a daily basis.

I would also suggest avoiding a messenger bag. If you can fit several "tomes" in your messenger back, be my guest... But chances are it just isn't going to work out for you. My 1L year I had three classes back to back, and each required at least 2-3 books. In addition to a full backpack, I carried a stack of books in my arms. I eschewed my messenger bag in the first week of class.

I'd say that you've come to a very reasonable conclusion, I'd just like to give you some advice as a fellow Swedish student:

• If you decide to go with a messenger, get one with a strap that'll be comfortable even if you carry 10 kilograms of study material. I would also look past the beauty of leather, because you'll find your bag heavy enough as it is without the added bulk of leather.
  
• There is no guarantee that there'll be lockers available at your school. Look this up beforehand if you haven't already done so.
  
• If you really love this bag, then try to put aside a bit each month towards buying it. I'll finish my term this Saturday, and without pinching my pennies I've been able to put aside well over two grand. Even if you only put away 50 or so bucks a month you'll have it within the year (If you ignore the WONDERFUL import duties we've got here ).

Also, out of pure interest, where will you be studying? I've only got first and second hand experience of law school at the University of Gothenburg and the University of Lund, but most schools here in Sweden are pretty decent.They are free, at the very least .

A refreshingly pragmatic conclusion! Keep an open mind like this and you will make an excellent attorney.

Get a fancy briefcase when you graduate, until then get a backpack that works with a student's lifestyle and wardrobe.

You will need a backpack or a large messenger bag. A bag the size of a normal size Timbuk2 is the smallest I would consider. If you have back to back classes, you will easily find yourself carrying 3+ large books, supplements, laptop, possibly a lunch, and water.

I doubt you'll use that bag. It won't carry enough for school. You won't bring it to an interview. It will look ostentatious during the summer. Save the money for bar review (the bar kind, not the state kind).

P.S. I hope Swedish schools have bar review equivalents. To clarify, it is basically drinking sponsored by the school.

As previously stated by other posters, life is short buy it! But don't expect it to be fully usable in law school, you still need to buy a backpack.

Let it be a reminder to you, or an inspiration piece "not to drop out of law school." You'll be like Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon after burning his boats, no retreat no surrender.

The bag will have that perfect patina by the time you get admitted to the bar.

Minor recommendation - take your law books and have them rebound into smaller books that follow the courseplan. Makes it a lot easier to deal with.

Although honestly I never brought my casebooks to class.