LawIT Information

• Website: https://www.law.uchicago.edu/students/life/IT
• Office #: 305B, M-F 8:30AM-5:30PM 
• Email:  Helpdesk@law.uchicago.edu
• Phone:  773.834.5300

As a student at the Law School, you will be required to have either a Windows or Mac laptop.  Other laptops (Linux, Chromebook, etc.) will not support the software required by the Law School.  You are welcome to purchase a laptop brand of your choosing, however we strongly recommend Apple, Dell, or Lenovo.  To get the best possible pricing on your laptop, you should take advantage of the educational discounts available to you if you purchase through Apple, Dell, or Lenovo’s educational stores for the University of Chicago:

• www.apple.com/uchicago
• www.dell.com/uchicago
• www.lenovo.com/uchicago

When purchasing your laptop, please reference the minimum Law School requirements outlined below.  If you have any questions about whether something is supported or recommended, please feel free to call or e-mail the Help Desk at any time.

Supported Operating Systems: (required for Exam4 Software)

• MacOS 13.x.x Ventura or higher
• Windows 11
• Windows 10 22H2 or higher
• Language Edition Note - if you are running Windows 10/11 Single Language Edition with a Non-English language, you will be unable to run Exam4. Click here to find out what version you are running. To run Exam4, upgrade to a supported version of Windows OS. Check Exam4 Supported Operating Systems for more information

Minimum Hardware Requirements:

To ensure compatibility with our network and the software you will use at the Law School, any system you purchase should meet the minimum requirements listed on this page. In addition, we highly recommend purchasing extended warranties for your device. Information on warranties can be found in the link above.

• UChicago Box - We highly recommend saving your files to UChicagoBox – https://uchicago.box.com/
  • Box Drive - Download Box Drive here
    • Box Drive is a desktop app that allows you to access, edit, and share your Uchicago Box files directly from your computer.
    • Box Drive Tutorial
  • You can configure Box Drive to autosave files in Microsoft Office applications.
• OneDrive – Microsoft 365 Cloud Storage
  • Windows devices have OneDrive preinstalled. Log in with your UChicago email address to start syncing your files with OneDrive
  • You can configure OneDrive to autosave files in Microsoft Office applications
• Third-Party Backup Options
  • Online backup service, such as Carbonite or Backblaze. These online backup services back your machine up to the Cloud, and work seamlessly in the background, so important files are always backed up.

Information Security:

• Antivirus - You should always install and run anti-virus software. The University provides CrowdStrike End-Point Protection free of charge. You can find more information and download the software here: Download Crowdstrike
• Security Best Practices - We also strongly urge you to keep your machine up-to-date, with security patches from Microsoft or Apple, as well as making sure your virus definitions are up-to-date for your anti-virus software.
  • Failure to keep your Operating System up-to-date can also lead to problems with required software, such as Exam4.

Software:

• Exam4 Software:
  • https://exam4.com/org/630
  • Required for your Law School exams.
  • We highly recommend attending our Exam4 training and completing the practice exams prior to taking your exams.
• PhoenixAI
  • PhoenixAI beta
  • PhoenixAI is free for active UChicago students. It is a generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool, which is built on open-source technologies and Large Language Models (LLMs), and tailored specifically for the University of Chicago community.
• University Provided Software - The University provides the following free software to enrolled students (CNetID required):
  • Office O365:
    • Microsoft Office Suite Download
    • https://portal.office.com
  • IT Services Software Licensing
    • The University has a comprehensive list of all software available for active students
    • UChicago Software List
  • Microsoft Windows 10/11:
    • If you need assistance selecting or installing an Operating System upgrade, please feel free to contact the Office of Information Technology.
  • CrowdStrike End-point Protection:
    • Download Crowdstrike

Printing at the Law School:

The Law School provides a number of public printers for student use. You can print to these printers directly from your laptop or from the Law School computing lab machines. The Law School uses software called PaperCut to keep track of student printing and to help minimize waste. A guide to configuring printers on the Law School network can be found here:

• https://www.law.uchicago.edu/students/life/IT/printing

Peripheral Recommendations:

While not essential, the following items are often very useful and nice to have on-hand to prevent having to purchase them in an emergency:

• A USB “Thumb” Drive for quickly and easily exchanging files with peers.
• A “Display Adapter” for any notebook that does not have an HDMI video output. (e.g. USB-C > HDMI adapter)  
• A spare power adapter (these get left behind in the Library or classrooms frequently, so it’s always nice to have a spare).
• A network cable to keep in your case/bag, to connect to the wired network if necessary.
• A travel/mini surge protector for your notebook. This provides additional protection for your laptop from power spikes and damage from electrical surges.
• An external hard drive—for backing up or extra storage.

 

Remote Technology Considerations:

• Webcams: Most laptops now come with a built-in webcam (and have built-in speakers/microphones). For a higher quality camera, you should purchase an external USB webcam that you can use with Zoom and other web conferencing utilities.
• Residential Internet: You should have a residential internet package that provides you with at least 10Mbps of connectivity, up and down if possible, to ensure you don’t have issues with performance on web conference calls.
• Printing: If access to the building is restricted, your ability to print will be restricted as well. There are many affordable laser printers on the market today, such as the HP LaserJet Pro M4001n or the Brother HL-L2405W. These are straightforward black and white laser printers. Both HP and Brother make color laser printers, as well as multi-function devices that can print/scan/copy as well, if you would like something with more robust features.