By Julie Bays, OBA Management Assistance Program Director

For years, law offices ran almost exclusively on Windows PCs. Now, more lawyers, especially those just out of law school, are walking in with MacBooks and making them part of their daily practice. For many, it’s simply the final piece in an Apple ecosystem they already use with their iPhones and iPads.

The trend isn’t just anecdotal. The ABA’s Legal Technology Resource Center reported Mac usage among lawyers rising from 5.8% in 2014 to 8.1% in 2015, with solo practitioners leading at 15.5%. By 2023, a Legal Talk Network podcast estimated 15–20% of lawyers were Mac users, and that number has likely grown as hybrid work and cloud tools have reduced platform constraints.

Brett Burney, an expert in integrating Macs into law firms, has a wonderful primer entitled Setting Up an All-Mac Law Office. It was recently updated to include current technology.

Catherine Sanders Reach wrote an excellent post for the North Carolina Bar Association entitled Resources for the Mac Attorney. It’s a practical guide for lawyers who use, or are thinking about switching to, a Mac. From essential tools to workflow tips, it’s a valuable resource for anyone integrating Apple products into their practice.

Whether you use Windows or Mac, the Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct remind us in ORPC 1.1, comment 6 that maintaining competence includes keeping current with “the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology.” Understanding how different platforms fit into your practice is part of that obligation.

For anyone navigating the shift to Apple products within the legal field, these guides serve as reliable companions throughout the transition and beyond.