Software and hardware vary from location to location. Decide whether you want to have a laptop or a desktop model. Some professors do not allow laptops in class. The classrooms have few electrical outlets available for laptops, so if you use a laptop in class, you must have an adequate battery charge. You will not make friends with a professor by having a beeping laptop during a lecture.
Laptops are also, as a rule, more expensive than desktop models for the same computing power.
They are more difficult to upgrade. On the other hand, many students like the ability to carry a laptop into the library or study areas for easy access to their personal word processors. Laptops let you work anywhere, given some planning. Laptops offer convenience because you can work on your personal computer while using resources in the Law School. You are free to purchase either platform, but you should be aware that almost all workstations available for law student users are Windows 95 and the law school faculty and staff use Intel based computers almost exclusively.