Business Equipment

November 9, 2021

It is important to invest in good business equipment as quickly as possible. It took me about a year to save up enough money to purchase a desktop and heavy-duty laser printer for my home office. It took me another year to save up enough money to purchase an additional desktop and heavy-duty laser printer for my work office. 

Computer

I started out using just my laptop as my computer. I eventually ordered two monitors so that I could use additional screens with my laptop. This was good, but it led to multiple tech issues. Thankfully, I have the Best Buy Total Tech Package which allows for free diagnostics and repair on my laptop. Eventually, I saved up enough money to purchase an HP Pavillion All-In-One Desktop Computer for each office. Now that I use a desktop for my daily tasks, my laptop has ceased having issues. I can honestly say that I love my new desktop computer. It works well and even has a pop-up privacy camera (so you can close it when finished with your zoom call). It also includes a wireless keyboard and mouse. 

Printer

I started out with a three-year old ink jet printer. I quickly found out that this printer was not up to the task. As things moved forward, I found out that I could only print ten pages at a time, and only one-sided. Investing in a new laser heavy-duty printer saved my life. I currently use the Brother MFC-L8900CDW All-In-One Laser Printer. It is a wireless printer that can also scan documents to the cloud. I have had no problems thus far, so I definitely recommend it. If you want, there are also additional letter trays available for purchase. The downside is that toner is a lot more expensive than ink. It costs about $600 total every time you need to replace the toner, but you only have to replace it maybe twice a year (depending on your usage). 

Scanner

I initially invested in a desktop scanner since my ink jet printer was not great at scanning in documents. I heard they were incredible and worth the investment. Unfortunately, I constantly had to uninstall and reinstall the software because the scanner would stop working. It wasn’t until later that I found out about wireless desktop scanners. I purchased a Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1600 for both offices an it was a great investment. It wirelessly scans my documents to the cloud with little effort. I highly recommend this scanner. 

Office Supplies

You will want to be sure that you have proper office supplies when starting your firm. This includes computer paper, legal pads, portfolios, sticky notes, stamps, staples, paper clips, binder clips, file bands, file folders, file labels, and red robes among other supplies depending on your usage. I found that in addition to basic office supplies, I also needed a heavy-duty stapler and heavy-duty staples. You can purchase these items for about $20-30 on Amazon. Before I was able to install fiber internet in my home office, I also used a Wi-Fi extender which plugs into your computer’s USB port. In addition, I invested in some generic wireless ear buds for both offices. 

Reference Materials

I also purchased reference materials that I knew I would use in my practice. For me, this included the Texas Family Code, Texas Rules of Civil Trials, and Family Law Handbook. I also purchased an online subscription to the Family Law Practice Manual for form templates. For those of you who practice family law, I recommend these products. 

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