Friday Five: Holiday Shopping Spree
Posted: November 30th, 2007
By: Zach Heller
Category: Friday Five, Lawline.com, Opinion Corner

Well, we reached the end of the month, November is almost gone.  The shopping craze for Christmas began last Friday and is going strong.  With four weeks to go before the big day, I am sure everyone out there is stressing to find the right gift for all those special people on your list.   Here at Lawline.com we are all about relieving your stress, so we thought we could help you out a bit.  This week’s edition of the Friday Five is all about the best gifts this holiday season.

TOP 5 GIFTS FOR YOUR FELLOW ATTORNEYS AND CO-WORKERS

1. Paralegals.  Sick of your paralegals? Give them away!  We all know that paralegals and assistants screw things up from time to time.  You don’t need them wasting your time doing something wrong anymore.  Pass them on to another attorney in the firm.  Tell them how hard they work, and how much fun they are, but that you just don’t need them anymore.  That way you don’t have to fire anyone, but you can still replace them with someone better.

2. CLE Credits.  Now I don’t mean actually giving them the certification they need for the year, that would be against the rules in every single state.  I mean you can log on to Lawline.com and sign up for a block of credits with the Law Firm Discount plan.  Then say, “Hey Bob, want to share some of my CLE credits.”  This way, you are giving the gift of education, and getting a discount for yourself.  Selfish? Yes. Smart? Of course.

3. Billable Hours Counter.  See also: stopwatch.  This will make it easy to clock in and out of working on a case without tallying it all up everyday.  Your friend will easily be able to track all the hours spent on a case with the push of a couple of buttons.  How nice is that?

4. Breath Mints.  Let’s face it, the majority of attorneys spend most of each day talking.  Whether it is to clients, potential clients, witnesses, judges or juries, it would help to make sure your breath is as fresh as possible.  May I recommend a whole case of whatever minty delights you can get your hands on.  Buying in bulk saves money.

5. A Law Suit.  I have to admit, I stole this idea from the movie Philadelphia.  Take an old suit that you are never going to wear again, rip out the pages of a law book you are never going to read again, attach with glue or tape, and wrap.  You have just given one of the funniest gag gifts that money can’t buy.

While I understand that you may look at each one of these ideas and think they are stupid, remember, it’s the thought that counts.  I am trying to keep you out of the stores and out of the crowds.  So before brushing these ideas out of your mind, just make sure you realize that I am always trying to help.  Happy December!

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Comments
You had me laughing the whole time!
Comment By: Don - December 2, 2007

I love the breath mints idea. I constantly run into my fellow lawyers and while I'm talking to them, i just want to head out running because of their breath.
Comment By: Andrew Newman - December 17, 2007

I actually passed my paralegal off to a colleague once. It worked perfectly. I dropped my somewhat incompetent paralegal on somebody else and found an amazing one.
Comment By: George Benzful - December 18, 2007