Best Holiday Gifts for Lawyers

It’s the season of giving, but what are the best gifts for lawyers? The end of the year is a busy time for legal professionals.  But that doesn’t mean your gift options are limited to gift certificates or generic presents. 

This year, give the lawyer in your life something they’ll use. We’ve updated our annual list of the best gifts for lawyers this year. Whether you’re shopping for a coworker, friend, or family member in the legal sector, we’ve got you covered with practical (and brilliant) lawyer gift ideas. And for the soon-to-be lawyers in your life, checkout our gift guide for law students. 

 

1. Instant Pot

Lawyers often deal with long days and late nights. And, foodie or not, cooking might be the last thing on their mind when they get home from the office, courtroom, or law school. But, they still need to find a way to eat healthily and keep a balanced diet—making this one of the best gift ideas for lawyers. 

Instant Pot to the rescue! This made it to the top of our “best gifts for lawyers” list as it’s a programmable electric pressure cooker that monitors and adjusts cooking temperatures and times depending on the volume of food one cooks. In other words, you can cook meals in a flash or program the pot to cook later. Is there a better gift for law graduates? We think not. It’s a great gift, and it might just be a lawyer’s new best friend.

Instant Pot Duo and Instant Pot Ultra on Amazon. 

Cost: $99.95 – $139.95 (depending on pot size and model).

2. Noise-cancelling headphones

For anyone who needs to concentrate for extended periods, noise-canceling headphones can make all the difference—especially when working from home or law school libraries. For lawyers trying to review complex briefs, this gift idea might be at the top of their list!

There are plenty of options available so you can choose a basic set or something more high-end. This is undoubtedly one of the most practical and overall best gifts for lawyers. 

Sony noise cancelling headphones on Amazon.

Cost: $249.99.

JBL noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones on Amazon.

Cost: $65.00.

3. Nest thermostat

The last thing a busy lawyer thinks about is the temperature of their home. But for those in colder climates, coming home to a toasty house after a long day of work would be much better than coming home to a frosty one.

The Nest thermostat learns your schedule and the temperature you like, and then turns itself off to save energy when no one is home. That means you’ll give the busy lawyer in your life one less thing to worry about.

And, if you have an Alexa device—like the Echo Dot—you can use it to enable voice control with the Nest thermostat.

Nest thermostat on Amazon.

Cost: $199.99.

4. Meal-prep service subscription

Not only is this one of the best gifts for lawyers, it might also be the tastiest. If you know a lawyer  who likes cooking but hates shopping, a subscription to a meal kit delivery service is the perfect gift. Services like Blue Apron and HelloFresh deliver fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and tantalizing recipes—right to your door. That means you can cook a quality Chicken Khao Soi without an 8 p.m. trip to the grocery store to pick up limes and curry powder. Not to mention this gift for law graduates is perfect for helping them transition into the fast-paced world of law without sacrificing nutrition.

Meal kit companies typically deliver groceries in insulated boxes, complete with the necessary spices and herbs. That way, busy lawyers don’t need to be home to receive them. What’s better is that these boxes can also be personalized to specific dietary requirements or tastes. Be sure to research the meal kit delivery service beforehand and choose one that supports sustainable food systems. This way, your gift recipient can feel good while they’re eating their favorite meals. 

Blue Apron (or similar) subscriptions.

Cost: Meal kit delivery services vary in cost, but are usually $7.50-$10.00 per serving, depending on how many recipes you want delivered per week.

5. Espresso machine

When it comes to the best gifts for lawyers (or anyone for that matter!), you cannot lose when coffee is involved. For attorneys, as with any professionals, it’s the little things (coffee) that contribute to an outstanding client experience. It’s becoming more and more critical for law firms to take a client-centered approach to stay competitive. 

Help your lawyer friend create a more personalized experience and make a great first impression on new clients with a gift that keeps on giving: a quality espresso machine for their office or lobby.

It’ll also save an attorney from having to pop out for a coffee during busy periods.

Cost: Varies. You can get a Nespresso machine or similar for under $200.00, or spend up to a few thousand on a professional unit.

6. Favorite mug

Sure, a coffee mug isn’t the most personalized or unique gift in the world. But think about it—everyone has a favorite mug that they use every single day, and you could be the person who buys your fellow lawyer that mug!What’s more, there are some seriously cool mugs out there. 

Case in point: Check out the Disappearing Civil Liberties Mug. Fill it with hot water or coffee and watch the text disappear! Cheers to one of the more unique and best gift ideas for lawyers. 

Disappearing Civil Liberties Mug

Cost: $16.75.

7. Home office greenery

Consider a beautiful plant when shopping for the best gifts for lawyers. Plants are a great way to liven up any office—including your lawyer’s. The calming effects of nature are well documented, and some plants even make the air more pleasant to breathe. This law office decor is a winning lawyer gift. Succulents are another low-maintenance variety ideal for busy legal professionals. 

Cost: Varies.

8. Foam gavel

What better way is there to relieve stress than with a foam gavel? Help the lawyers in your life hammer out their stress and bring order to their mind with one of the best gift ideas for lawyers: a funny foam gavel. Not only is it a great gift idea for the lawyer in your life, it’s also the most amusing. 

Foam gavel on Amazon.

Cost: $6.99.

9. Yoga mat

A little work-life balance can make all the difference in a lawyer’s life. That’s certainly been true for Clio customer Patrick Palace.

Buy a lawyer or law student a yoga mat, and they’ll be one step closer to meditating,sunrise salutations, or any number of other practices to keep themselves healthy and focused—even when working remotely. It’s not a stretch to say this is one of the best gift ideas for lawyers (pun intended). 

Go an extra mile and get a personalized mat for your lawyer friend. In terms of gifts for new lawyers, this will support your soon-to-be articling friends to stretch it out or mediate after long days studying for the bar. 

Yoga mat on Amazon.

Cost: $21.17.

10. Virtual dance class

Dancing isn’t just fun—it keeps you healthy, and it also improves brain function. What a gift! Indeed, Chris Trebatoski has grown his solo firm while simultaneously starting a competitive salsa dancing career with his wife, Inna.

Sign your lawyer friend up for a dance class, and who knows where it may take them. Today, many options are taking place safely over Zoom. You’ll be so happy about getting them one of the best gifts for lawyers, you might feel the need to groove with them. 

Cost: Varies based on location.

11. Echo Dot

Voice-controlled devices can do a lot to make people’s lives easier. It’s also a great piece of law office decor. That said, make sure lawyers take precautions to protect client confidentiality if they’re using a live-mic listening device. For example, keep it in your office, but not in a meeting space, courtroom, or boardroom.

Echo Dot on Amazon.

Cost: $19.99.

12. 2-in-1 portable battery / charger

For the lawyer who constantly needs to work remotely from different sections of the house, a 2-in-1 portable battery that is also a device charger will definitely be a welcome gift. This type of charger charges both your device and itself when plugged into a wall. Never get stuck with a dead battery again!

Anker PowerCore Fusion 5000 2-in-1 Portable Charger on Amazon.

Cost: $25.97.

13. Cross-cut paper shredder

Sometimes, the best gifts for lawyers are the most unassuming ones. When lawyers dispose of client documents, they can’t just throw them in the recycling bin. Confidential information must be kept confidential, so these documents need to be shredded.

If the lawyer in your life doesn’t have one for their home office yet, a cross-cut paper shredder could be the perfect gift. Though, if it’s the only gift you get them, be prepared to get socks from them next year. Consider pairing this with one of the more indulgent gifts from our “best gifts for lawyers” roundup. 

Cross-cut paper shredders.

Cost: $43.00 – $3,390.00.

14. ScanSnap scanner

More and more lawyers are going paperless, but they’ll still need a way to bring paper documents into the digital world. But how? A portable ScanSnap scanner is the answer.

Weighing in at just 14.1 ounces, the ScanSnap is a great gift for lawyers with limited space. It’s battery-powered, and scans documents wirelessly to PC, Mac, Kindle Fire, and iOS or Android devices. The best part? The scanner integrates directly with Clio, letting you scan documents directly into a Matter in Clio.

Fujitsu ScanSnap iX100 Wireless Mobile Scanner on Amazon.

Cost: $254.00.

15. A journal

This may be a surprisingly simple gift, but journaling is more than just writing down your thoughts everyday. Journaling is an art with wide-reaching benefits for lawyers, including improving professional performance, well-being, and communication, and boosting cognition. You could also opt for a guided journal like The School of Life’s Who Am I?, which includes psychological exercises to develop self-understanding. An artful journal can also be used as law office decor. This unique yet thoughtful idea makes it one of the best gifts for lawyers. 

Cost: $20.17.

16. Digital course

When thinking about the best gifts for lawyers, don’t forget about the magic of digital courses and webinars. The best part about digital courses is that your lawyer friend can sign up and go through the courses at their own time, even remotely. Popular online education sites like coursera and Udemy contain a wide array of personalized educational topics to choose from—including business, personal development, and computer science. If the lawyer in your life runs their own firm, this is the perfect opportunity and the perfect time of year to learn a new skill, or improve an existing one.

Digital courses are available on coursera or Udemy.

Cost: Varies, but you can find options between $20.00 and $100.00.

17. Lawyer socks

There’s no doubt about it, lawyers covet awesome socks. And with a need to stay cozy while working from home during the winter months, a funny pair of personalized socks might just be the perfect gift to keep a lawyer warm this winter.

Lawyer socks on Amazon.

Cost: $14.99.

18. Home office art

Lawyers conducting meetings while working from home need to look professional, and that includes their background. Whether they’ve got a home office, or are working from their living room, an elegant yet interesting piece of art in the background can help them make a good impression on clients and colleagues. Law office decor can help set the right tone in meetings.

There are many options depending on the taste of the lawyer in your life, including something personalized, so consider this humorous gift option.

Lawyer office poster.

Cost: $12.95.

19. Wool blanket

Keep heating bills down and comfort high when working from home with this practical, unique gift. A good quality wool blanket will keep lawyers warm as they power through briefs and documents.

Wool blanket on Amazon.

Cost: $225.00.

19. Scented candle

Calming scents are key to helping stress melt away, and candlelight helps us all feel cozy during the winter months. For lawyers under extra pressure this year, the gift of relaxation and law office decor via candle may be the most welcome one.

Scented candle on Amazon.

Cost: $18.99.

20. Jeena Cho and Karen Gifford’s The Anxious Lawyer

It’s no secret that lawyers work in high-stress, high-performance environments. When thinking of good lawyer gift ideas, consider Jeena Cho and Karen Gifford’s acclaimed and life-changing book, The Anxious Lawyer. Not only will you be looking out for the mental health of the lawyer in your life, you will also be giving them a gift that does not stop giving. If you have not heard about Jeena Cho and Karen Gifford, they are practicing attorneys who have firsthand knowledge of the difficulties and rewards of legal practice. In addition, they’ve experienced how meditation and mindfulness help them run a more effective legal practice. Their book contains a straightforward 8-week program on meditation and mindfulness, created by lawyers, for lawyers.

The Anxious Lawyer is available at various bookstores.

Cost: $29.90 at Barnes and Noble.

21. Kim Scott’s Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity

Here at Clio, Radical Candor™ is a personal favorite and a big part of our company culture, more than ever in a remote environment.

Among many of the principles discussed in Radical Candor, we believe that timely, honest feedback is key to shaping a successful working environment. Kim Scott pulls from past experiences in her positions at Google and Apple, telling funny, painful, and embarrassing stories that are delightful but constructive.

For the legal professional that’s fresh out of law school, to the lawyer who’s the boss of their own firm, Radical Candor offers tips on how to build a better workplace for both managers and colleagues.

Find it at an independently-owned bookstore near you or wherever you buy books.

Cost: approximately $25.00.

22. Jack Newton’s The Client-Centered Law Firm

Great gifts for lawyers provide long-lasting and meaningful benefits, like a book that helps you understand how to provide your clients (or future clients if you’re in law school) with an improved client-centered experience.

All lawyers want to give their clients the best experience possible—especially in today’s experience-driven world—but it can be hard to navigate how to apply those ideas at your firm. Clio CEO and Co-founder Jack Newton’s new book, The Client-Centered Law Firm, explores how legal professionals can run a profitable, successful law firm while also offering a client-centered experience.

Find it at an independently-owned bookstore near you or wherever you buy books.

Cost: $14.95 – $28.92 depending on format.

What is a good thank you gift for a lawyer?

Lawyers appreciate positive testimonials from happy clients, as these enhance their reputation and help generate new business. Alternatively, consider sending a thank you letter, flowers, a gift certificate, a gift basket filled with their favorite snacks, or maybe a bottle of alcohol (if they drink).

We published this blog post in December 2020. Last updated: September 6, 2023.

Categorized in: Business