If you are the kind of man that doesn’t need a water bottle in your work bag, you can safely choose the briefcase. A briefcase will fit everything you need in a corporate or formal workplace. But, if you need your gym shoes with you, a briefcase can help you only if you leave your laptop at home. A leather computer bag can be a leather briefcase or a leather backpack, so the material is not what makes them different, it’s the compartmentalization!