Best software for note taking and/or outlining

[duma]

Yes Jeff, I have been doing the same since day one.

Have you looked at essay writer?

Yes. I bought the one for K. I haven't used it yet though. I have to do my outline first.

[jeffjoe]

I got an email about getting a free copy of essay writer and one test for torts and one for contracts.

Yes Jeff, I have been doing the same since day one.

Have you looked at essay writer?

Yes. I bought the one for K. I haven't used it yet though. I have to do my outline first.

[duma]

I got an email about getting a free copy of essay writer and one test for torts and one for contracts.

I got the email about the program, but I never received an offer for a free trial. If I were you, I would at leat try it out. You can't beat free.

[jeffjoe]

I got an email about getting a free copy of essay writer and one test for torts and one for contracts.

I got the email about the program, but I never received an offer for a free trial. If I were you, I would at leat try it out. You can't beat free.

I installed it and took a look.  Looks like it will help. 

I think I read that if you already bought essay writer you can get another test free.

[be10dwn]

OneNote seems to have somewhat better organization features.  Instead of dealing with a bunch of .doc files, you can have just 1 notebook file (.one) that you can section and subsection with ease.  It's designed more for outlining, so it makes it easier to move around items in your outline than the traditional copy-paste method.  It's best feature is probably the ability to mark and search marks easily.  Definitions, important points, things you have questions on, etc. can all be marked in your outline and searched really easily and quickly.

Is it nicer than Word?  I think so.  Is it worth $50-100 bucks?  Not so sure, I'd have a better feel after I actually used it at law school.  I'd say its worth downloading on your law school laptop around a couple weeks to a month before classes start to play around with a little bit and use at the start of classes.  Easier to decide then.

Does anyone know how long the recording feature on onenote is?  I was thinking about recording lectures using this feature.  I've been messing aroud with onenote for a few weeks and I really like it.  I tried Gobinder and did not like it at all.

[Kelly]

I've heard a lot of positve things about Microsoft OneNote.

Most people stick with MS Word for both note taking and outlining... But there are some specific programs for that.

Does anyone use one of them, or did anyone try to? Which one? Is it good or useless?
And what about Microsoft's OneNote software?

[mfitz]

As far as I know, OneNote will record up to the amount of available space on your hard drive.  I recorded a 2 hr meeting with it once, so it should do fine for lectures.

I hate OneNote's organizational system.  I much prefer GoBinder's "tree" format, and the fact that you can see layers of folders within one tab--this is how I've always organized with physical notebooks, so it works best for me.  But, everyone's different--I recommend getting the trials of as many products as you can and just go to town.  Figure out what works best before classes start though!

[lawschoolmama]

We use Wordperfect at the office to do merge documents with Time Matters and TIme Slips which a lot of legal offices use - the experience working with it in school will be positive for the "real world".  ALso, there is a Legal Toolbar on wordperfect which sets up an outline and other features which I have yet to use. 

HTH

[Kelly]

So u don't think I should bother w/Microsoft One Note?  I really like it because of its recording feature.

We use Wordperfect at the office to do merge documents with Time Matters and TIme Slips which a lot of legal offices use - the experience working with it in school will be positive for the "real world".  ALso, there is a Legal Toolbar on wordperfect which sets up an outline and other features which I have yet to use. 

HTH

[lawschoolmama]

I think you need to use what you feel comfortable with.  Mess around witht he programs this summer and see which one you like best.  Word and Wordperfect are a lot alike, however, like I said it seems like law firms tend to use WordPerfect - again, that may just be with the ones I have been in contact with.  Any typing skills will serve you well as a lawyer - even if you have an assistant and paralegal you will still do a tremendous amount of typing.

  I am not familiar with One NOte - what is the recording feature?

I did look into Dragon Naturally Speaking - a friend mentioned that recording and then having the computer transcribe it sounded like a good idea, but the more I looked into it, I didn't think it would work in a lecture hall.

HTH