Welcome to Cornell Law School. While we are one of the oldest law schools in the country, we have technologically sophisticated classrooms, wireless access, and have fully integrated technology into the law curriculum.
We strongly recommend, but do not require, all law students to own a personal computer. The following FAQ should help address any questions you may have about our computer requirement.
Law School Requirement:
Buying A Computer:
Using Computers On and Off Campus:
Is owning a computer required? How much will I need one?
Owning a computer and printer is not required by the Law School, but is strongly recommended for the following reasons:
What are my other options for using a computer if I choose not to buy one?
The Law School has a state of the art computer lab with desktop PC’s and printers; however, the number of PC’s is limited and printing capacity sometimes creates a bottleneck. We can not guarantee that a computer will be available at the exact time that you want or need one, and it would be very unwise for anyone to rely on the computing center to meet all of their computing and printing needs.
Should I have a laptop or desktop?
We recommend a laptop. The majority of the Law School’s exams are offered on computers, and students must have a laptop to take advantage of this option. Futhermore, the Law School (and Cornell University) use wireless technology, and a properly equipped laptop will make the internet a mobile resource for you and will increase your options for studying.
What are the Minimum Laptop System Requirements?
I want to buy my own computer, what do you recommend?
Cornell Law School supports only PC-compatible and Apple computers and recommends Microsoft Word for word processing. An annual survey conducted by the Chicago-Kent School of Law shows that almost 85% of the computers in use in large law firms last year were IBM machines or IBM compatibles. Most legal firms use WordPerfect or MS Word.
For information about Exam4 please check the Exam4 Web site at http://64.84.16.214/extegrity/UserGuide.asp?T=LawSchool
There is a version of Exam4 for both the PC and Mac.
What Factors Should I Consider When Purchasing a Computer?
Any current system bought from a mainstream manufacturer should work in the Cornell environment. The Law School does not recommend any particular make or model or any specific source for purchases; although laptops from Gateway, Toshiba, IBM and Dell have been good choices.
Be sure to consider:
Where Can I Buy A Computer?
Computers can be purchased via the Internet, mail order, or in retail outlets. The Cornell Store sells Lenova (IBM), Dell, HP, and Red Barn. An excellent source for information about what is available is the magazine Computer Shopper, available at newsstands everywhere.
Should I Buy A Printer?
We recommend that you buy your own printer. Inkjet and laser printers in the $100 - $500 range are widely available from Hewlett-Packard, Canon, Epson, and others. Owning a printer will help you avoid the crush as last-minute writing deadlines approach.
What sort of computing facilities exist at the Law School?
The Computer Lab is located on the 3rd floor of the Library just off from the Gould Reading Room. The lab is open 24/7 with card id access on the main door after 5pm. The Law School computer lab consists of 45 computers. The computers have Windows XP installed on them. Software applications installed on each computer: Microsoft Office suite, Word Perfect, Macromedia 8, NVU, Bear Access, FireFox, IE, Quick Time, Java, Flash Player, Symantec Anti Virus, Media Player 10, and Lexis Nexis and Westlaw Citation tools.
Computer support (via the Computer Lab Manager) is available M-F from 8:30-4:00. Also, throughout the semester there are student workers who man the lab on off hours, usually 5:00-10:00pm M-F and weekends if you should have any questions. The door to the computer lab is accessed by using your Cornell Student ID card on nights and weekends.
During the school year consultants are on duty to maintain and support the lab. The hours that consultants work are as follows:
Monday-Thursday: 8:00am-10:00pm
Friday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Saturday: 12:00am-5:00pm
Sunday: 12:00am-10:00pm
The consultant's job is to help the students with any questions about the lab computers and software. The lab goes into maintenance mode on Sundays from 1am-6am. At this time, the computers shut down and all data will be lost unless backed up by floppy drive, flash drive or saved to the “student drive” on the network.
During the summer of 2009 the law school will be upgrading the computer lab with new Dell computers and Windows Vista.
Additional information is also available from Cornell Law School Information Technology.
Can I access the network resources of the Law School from home?
For residents of Hughes Hall, Cornell University, through Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) offers Ethernet access to dorm rooms as part of the ResNet program.
For students living off campus, CIT also provides limited dial-up access for many Internet services.
Will I Need Wireless?
A wireless card will provide you greater access to the Internet. Note: If your laptop is already equipped with a wireless card you should be able to access the campus RedRover wireless system with your existing card. RedRover supports both the 802.11a/g/n protocols. 802.11b will no longer be supported.Back to Top
Can I get discounts on software and hardware through Cornell?
The Campus Store sells computer hardware and software, often at substantial discounts made possible through volume educational licensing.
What about email?
Law students are given a Cornell University NET ID that doubles as an email address. The NET ID is issued by the University and will be mailed to new students before orientation with activation instructions.
Students are encouraged to sign up for one of the training sessions that will be offered by Cornell Information Technologies. The session will provide you with a basic introduction to the University’s network environment and the use of email. The University uses the Eudora email package. Other University network resources can be accessed through the University’s Bear Access software programs. The Bear Access CD suite is free and we will have 100 copies or so available in the Computing Center for distribution.
How do I learn to use the Law School Network?
The Law School Information Technologies department will offer large group sessions that will introduce new users to the network in late August. These sessions will introduce incoming students to the network and its features. You are only required to attend one session out of the three.
In addition, the computer lab will be open and staffed by the IT Department throughout Fall Orientation so that students can log in and try things out. Special-topic classes are offered throughout the semester; watch for announcements. We should probably stress that we do not make a comprehensive attempt to teach word processing software. We have found that it is difficult to do given the number of people involved and the level of attention we would need to give each student. Our advice to novices is to, if at all possible, acquire and learn a word processing package sometime before the semester (and its attendant workload) begins.
Getting in touch.
We hope that the above has been of some help to you. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to call or stop by and see us in the fall!
Contact Us:
481 Myron Taylor Hall
Phone: (607) 255-2829
Email: helpdesk@lawschool.cornell.edu
