The bag is made from leather of decent quality and has a nice, neat, semiformal appearance. My laptop has a 15.6'' screen and it fits nicely into the compartment. The padding in this compartment is minimal compared to other bags I've seen, but I am confident in it and I don't worry about it. Besides, the bag also has hard and rigid edges which provide extra protection. There is modest space for extra stuff, but I manage to fit in several files, my power adapter, and one or two smallish books. The shoulder strap is made of strong woven material (not leather) and has a nice nonslip shoulder pad. All in all I really like the bag.