Information Technology at the University of Arkansas School of Law
The IT department’s role in the legal education process is primarily one of support. Technology is a tool which when applied to the process of education should enhance and facilitate the endeavor. Our job in IT is to support the School of Law community with regard to technology in whatever form it may arise.
Help Desk
An online system that allows faculty, staff, and students to submit technology work requests is in the initial stages in production. Requests for assistance can currently be submitted to lawmedia@listserv.uark.edu which will dispatch an e-mail to all School of Law IT staff.
Recommended Computers For Law Students
- Processor
- Intel Core i5 mobile processor at 2.4 GHz equivalent or better
- While you may purchase a laptop with Intel’s i3 mobile processor I would spend the extra money for the i5 which will server you better over your law school career. I would not invest in an older Core 2 Duo based laptop.
- Memory (RAM)
- 4 GB
- Regardless of your processor speed, the easiest way to enhance the performance of your computer is to equip it with copious amounts of RAM. This is the minimum that I would recommend for use with Windows 7 and 8 or Mac OS X.
- Hard Drive
- 250 GB
- You may wish to purchase a larger drive if you store music, video, and/or photos on your computer.
- Video Card
- Display
- Active/TFT LCD or OLED
- The size of your display is a personal choice. I would avoid displays with a highly reflective finish.
- Wireless
- Wireless card meeting the 802.11n standard
- There are few areas within the law school that are without wireless coverage. 802.11b, g, and n are supported.
- Operating System
- Windows 8 or Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)
- Invest in the latest operating system and software. This will prolong your systems viability and give you as hassle free a computing experience as possible.
- Anti-Virus
- Symantec Endpoint Security (See Below)
- Warranty
- A 3 or 4 year warranty will cover your laptop from manufacturer’s defects for the extent of your legal studies and may also cover it as you study for and take your state’s bar examination.
- Carrying Case
- Protect your investment. Don’t throw your new laptop in your backpack with all of your books.
Support for HD graphic output is recommended. A discrete video card with at least 512 MB of dedicated video memory or better is desired.
Video card capabilities are wide and varied. If you hope to utilize your laptop for in class presentations make sure that there is an external video output and if possible a digital output such as DVI, HDMI or even Display Port
Antivirus Protection Software
Antivirus protection software is provided to all University of Arkansas students through funding from the student technology fee. While most laptops will come with some antivirus protection most include only a trial version of the software. It is STRONGLY recommended that all students install the Symantec Antivirus and Endpoint Protection software downloadable from the link below.
Download Symantec Antivirus Protection
Projects in Production
Wireless Printing
The setup of wireless printing will allow students to print to the Computer Lab printers directly from their laptops within the walls of School of Law.
IT Help Desk
The Altiris help desk system will allow faculty, staff, and students to submit work requests to the School of Law Information Technology Staff. Work requests can be tracked using the system and will help facilitate data collection on the type of requests received, average response time, and will allow users to provide feedback on the services that were provided.
