Reading PDFs in Law School Forum

[AMDG]

In undergrad and grad school, I had to read A LOT of PDFs. Are there many in law school courses?

If 'Yes' - I'm thinking about getting a Kindle or Nook or something along those lines to read the PDFs on. Does anyone have an eReader for this use? Thoughts?

Thanks!

[vanwinkle]

What for?

[Renzo]

Most of the reading is in casebooks. I've had a decent amount of reading online, but much of it comes form lexis/westlaw in the form of research, so a Kindle won't help you any.

[AMDG]

What for?

Why did I have to read PDFs? Because there were a lot of research journal articles and they came in that format.

Why do I want to read them on a Kindle, etc.? Because it's much lighter than paper or a laptop, easier on the eyes than a computer screen, and perfect for carrying on a hike.

Did those hit your question?

[vanwinkle]

In law school almost everything is based on your casebooks.

[AMDG]

thanks Renzo and van

[Renzo]

I should add that any pleasure you currently get from reading will be destroyed by 1L, so a kindle would be a double-bad investment.

[Duralex]

Can anyone comment on the usability of the iPad w/WL and Lexis?

And I'm curious about the readability of WL/LN generated PDFs on the Kindle (& Nook or other competitors) since I tend to download everything anyway.

Basically, I'd be curious to hear from anyone who's tried to use any kind of tablet or e-reader in LS. I've made a decision not to replace my laptop this year, so a tablet and a high end scanner are not out the question (and might serve me well for the next 3 years?)

I instinctively recoil at the idea of de-binding casebooks etc. and putting them in binders or clips, as has been mentioned elsewhere, but I suppose if I could use them effectively in scanned form I'd get over it. (And having the text OCR'd seems like it might be handy.)

[Renzo]

Can anyone comment on the usability of the iPad w/WL and Lexis?

And I'm curious about the readability of WL/LN generated PDFs on the Kindle (& Nook or other competitors) since I tend to download everything anyway.

Basically, I'd be curious to hear from anyone who's tried to use any kind of tablet or e-reader in LS. I've made a decision not to replace my laptop this year, so a tablet and a high end scanner are not out the question (and might serve me well for the next 3 years?)

I instinctively recoil at the idea of de-binding casebooks etc. and putting them in binders or clips, as has been mentioned elsewhere, but I suppose if I could use them effectively in scanned form I'd get over it. (And having the text OCR'd seems like it might be handy.)

I don't know your situation, but the odds are you need a laptop for exams. Even if the school give you an option, it's not optional.

[Duralex]

Have a laptop, a still servicable MacBook C2D (the blackbook.) It's been a great computer, and I've decided it'll be enough for at least another year (especially w/other "serious" computers at home) --but it is a 13" screen, and an eReader or iPad is tempting if I can make it work.

[Renzo]

Have a laptop, a still servicable MacBook C2D (the blackbook.) It's been a great computer, and I've decided it'll be enough for at least another year--but it is a 13" screen, and an eReader or iPad is tempting if I can make it work.

ah, yeah. That 'puter will make it through law school, provided you don't drop it or pee in it or anything. An ereader/kindle/tablet just won't help you very much. Save the money.

[Fast_Fingers]

Laptop with Foxitreader. Having all your pdfs (and highlights and notes) in one neat window is essential. Not to mention it's much faster than Adobe.

[vanwinkle]

ah, yeah. That 'puter will make it through law school, provided you don't drop it or pee in it or anything.

IDWK what you use your laptops for.

[Renzo]

ah, yeah. That 'puter will make it through law school, provided you don't drop it or pee in it or anything.

IDWK what you use your laptops for.

Me? Nothing but typing, I try and get some longevity out of them.

[badlydrawn]

Well, you will need to print .pdfs of every note case from Westlaw or Lexis and send them to a bookbinder. The cover should read "Supplemental Booklet to [Title, ed.]." Lay it out in front of others at every possible opportunity and act surprised and a little worried for them when they ask if it was under the professor's "required" list.

[Renzo]

Well, you will need to print .pdfs of every note case from Westlaw or Lexis and send them to a bookbinder. The cover should read "Supplemental Booklet to [Title, ed.]." Lay it out in front of others at every possible opportunity and act surprised and a little worried for them when they ask if it was under the professor's "required" list.

Not bad. Not bad at all. I give it a 174.

[Duralex]

Because I'm a sucka and can't help myself from embarking on ill-fated boondoggles (viz. law school) I've gone ahead and ordered some debinding and scanning equipment to experiment with on some representative materials over the summer. I'll report back with the results, eventually.

(tbh, the main idea is to get my place cleaned up and cleared of paper and book clutter before the fall, when I assume I'll be creating more. If it ends up working for LS materials too, great.)