Back in 2010 when I left my job as an attorney at a law firm and started my own solo DUI practice. The biggest purchase I made was on a computer. After researching, talking with colleagues, and thinking about what would work best for me. I decided on a laptop computer. For me and my practice this made sense for several reasons.
Mobility. A good part of my day is traveling to and from court. The commute can range anywhere from 15 minutes to half a day depending on where I represent a client. Therefore Im not in my office all day every day like some other attorneys who practice in different fields. Because of this I needed a computer I could take with me. So if Im on a 2 hour ferry ride to another county, I can still get some work done.
Computer
Trial work. Another part of my practice is litigating motion hearings and jury trials. Having a laptop computer in these instances is worth its weight in gold and convenience. Say Im in a trial in a courthouse that is 2 hours from my office. Rather than contact my secretary to do work or look up case law, I can do it from my computer right there in court. Additionally it is nice to have a computer in court during trial to review lengthy discovery like police reports, witness statements, etc. In today's virtual world and eco friendly business practices, less paper is always a good thing.
Cost. Like I said when I left my previous employer and started my own solo law firm, I wanted to keep my costs down. Unlike a law firm that has hundreds of employees I did not have an endless budget. A desktop computer would have been far more expensive than a laptop and doesn't offer any of the benefits I needed, other than more hard drive space. Ultimately when I crunched the numbers, and really thought about what I needed it for. A laptop made sense. Besides a laptop user can always purchase a desktop for the office use.
In the end I felt for my solo practice buying a laptop would be the best thing. Obviously every practice is different. But in my area of law, attorneys travel all over the state to go to court. I don't know any other solo attorneys that practice DUI defense that don't have a lap top computer. It is just one of those necessities, and if you're thinking of starting a practice it is something that should strongly be considered.
Why a Laptop Computer Is Better for a DUI Attorney?
Matthew Leyba is a Seattle DUI Lawyer in Washington State. He represents those accused of DUI and other serious traffic offenses in his Seattle DUI Lawyer practice.