[houltmac]

Hi Jordan, welcome to the forums. If you want a notebook to last you 3-5 years and still feel as speedy as possible I would consider the MacBook Pro. While it's more expensive and I have been a huge advocate of the MacBook it will likely feel faster for longer if you "go Pro".

Mac notebooks are very good at staying relevant for many years, and I would imagine a well looked after MacBook Pro will last you a good while. I don't see a significant reason on the horizon to make me say wait in this case. Usually we say wait until you need it to get the best spec possible for the least money, however in the case of never having used one before I would suggest getting used to it and ridding yourself of bad habits is more important.

If you are to buy now you will have a very fast machine, with all the technology I would think you would find in a Mac notebook this year. With 4GB RAM, 802.11n and standard 2.5" hard disks the MacBook Pro is upgradable, long lasting, fast as hell and quite durable. I would also usually say that using OS X's Spaces feature 13" is bigger than you'd think, however with 15" you will likely notice the difference when working on long legal documents.

Any specific questions let me know, but that would be my recommendation for now, based on what you have said.