So, I'm likely an outlier to many of the people here. For my use case, I need horsepower, so my primary laptop is a gaming laptop. For some of the work, I can use ultrabooks, but when I need to spin up some virtual machines, most ultrabooks don't cut it. But that's neither here nor there. In your case, I would have no problem recommending an HP (especially an elitebook or probook.... only downside is that they're expensive unless you have an EPP or someone in a corporate purchasing program). I have had a few in the past, and not counting one who's battery started to swell (after heavy use), they have all done well for me. I would (as others have) suggest having a dock. If you need to go mobile, having just one plug (other than power) to disconnect is always very helpful. The HP branded ones are a tad expensive, but a generic USB-C hub should be more than sufficient. Also keep in mind that once you settle, you don't necessarily need to stick with the laptop's KB or mouse. Just make sure you set it up to function with the lid closed.

Dell is ok as well. Lenovo I have two issues with. One can be easily dealt with (I don't like how they have their CTRL and FN keys reversed.... but this can be remapped). The other is the fact that they don't have a very secure past (shoddy software mostly although spyware and adware have crept in before). They have gotten better, but every so often I find a product that is half-assedly done (their Android tablets for example... pale significantly compared to their Samsung competitors).