Essential Law School Supplies

I have always loved shopping for school supplies. I'm not sure if it's because I find shopping to be fun or it's nice to have a false feeling of productivity, but shopping for law school supplies was no different.

Despite reading plenty of articles and blog posts about what supplies to get as a 1L, I still felt a little overwhelmed wandering through the aisles of Walmart grabbing bargain supplies.

Here's a quick list of what I ended up buying and why I thought I'd be needing it.

Binders

I bought four 1/2-inch binders to hold onto any loose papers I may get in my classes, as well as to use them to stay organized for exams once those come along. I'm not sure if only 1/2-inch rings will be enough space, but I can always get new binders if need be!

Spiral Notebooks

I've never been one to use my laptop in class to take notes, so I bought a notebook for each class I'll be taking this semester. I always remember more information if I write something by hand, and I know I'll be needing as much help as possible to remember everything I learn in law school.

Highlighters (on highlighters on highlighters)

I bought SO MANY dang highlighters. But, they're going to be put to good use with my textbooks and casebooks. I also like to create my own study guides and charts, and having highlighters in different colors is helpful for those, too.

Paperclips

No matter what, these are always useful to have around. They keep everything just a little bit more organized, and I'm going to need as much organization as possible with the start of law school.

Three-Hole Punch 

Since I'm going to be using binders, I bought a three-hole punch to keep in my backpack and at my desk to make sure everything stays in order and in a nicer condition than it would be if I let everything sit at the bottom of my backpack (yes, I am guilty of doing this).

Pens and Pencils 

These kind of go without saying, as they are pretty much a necessity no matter what you're studying in school. I bought mechanical pencils--my forever favorite--and InkJoy pens because I love the way they write.

Planner 

How else are you going to stay organized? I've mentioned this in previous blog posts, but I use the standard-size Happy Planner to keep track of my life.

Related: The Happy Planner Review

Binder Tabs

I personally don't see any point in using a binder if you aren't going to keep things organized. I hate flipping through a binder to find that one piece of paper or that one assignment you need, so binder tabs are a must for me.

Sheet Protectors

Although I'm not sure if I'll end up needing this or not, I thought it would be a good idea to buy these because I'd rather have them than not have them. If I need to make sure something stays in pristine condition, I won't have to be super careful every time I open my binders if it's in a sheet protector.

Post-It Notes and Tabs

Similar to highlighters, I bought a lot of these in preparation for the semester, although I do know that I'll probably need some more as I figure out how to best tab my textbooks and take notes.

Mini Stapler and Staples

I'll be carrying this around in my backpack for sure! It's perfect to have just in case, plus it won't add to the weight of my backpack on top of all my casebooks, my laptop, and all my other school supplies.

xoxo,

Rachel