@sundogplanets Also, you might want to look at Only Office if Libre Office isn't sufficient in trading back and forth in MS Office documents. Personally, I've used Libre Office for years and been very happy with it, but sometimes there's cases where it isn't perfectly compatible. Only Office is supposed to address that.
Any idea which distro you're going to use?
Also... highly recommend you check out both the Destination Linux and Linux Unplugged podcasts. Both are enjoyable and professional.