Lawyers: Put Down The Laptop, Pick Up A Pen

Research has shown that people taking notes by hand, as opposed to typing the notes on a laptop, retained information more effectively. Though taking notes by hand is more arduous, the very nature of its limitations is what makes it a more effective note-taking method: Rather than transcribe what is being said, pen-and-pad note takers must listen closely and make decisions about what information is truly important. And, notes Sam Glover with Lawyerist, in practical application clients don’t like seeing a lawyer stare at a computer screen in meetings. “Your laptop screen is a physical barrier between you and your client,” he writes, “[I]t sends the message that you are not listening.”