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Holiday Gift Ideas for Law Students

By Casey C. Sullivan, Esq. on December 01, 2015 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

'Tis the season for holiday shopping. And no one is more deserving of a little gifting attention than the law student in your life. (Really, they've had a hard year.)

Whether you've got a law school intern, nephew, or fiance, you'll want to get them the perfect law-related gift, something that will make the road to becoming an esquire a little more bearable. Here are our top recommendations.

Supreme Court Books

Law students read all the time. Remind them that reading can actually be enjoyable with a book on the Supreme Court. Jeffrey Toobin's The Nine is one of our favorites, as is the recently released Notorious RBG, a pop culture biography of Justice Ginsburg. That's not all though. There are 18 new SCOTUS-themed books out this year, from Justice Breyer's book on American laws' international role, to Wil Haygood's Showdown, a look at the nomination hearings for Thurgood Marshall.

Supreme Court Bobbleheads

The Supreme Court bobblehead collection remains the champion of legal kitsch. For a few years now, the legal journal The Green Bag has been giving away the bobbleheads to subscribers. Yep, giving them away. You can sign up for a voucher, but there's no guarantee, so these are high demand items. (Hint: check Ebay.) But if you can snag one, your law student will be the envy of his or her peers -- and even professors.

Booze to Last a Lifetime

Lawyers tend to be drinkers and law school students are no different. Sure, you could get a law student a nice bottle of whiskey or a subscription to the wine of the month club. But why not give a gift that keeps on giving? We're talking home brewing here. Entry-level home brewing kits are pretty affordable and easy to get started on. Plus, brewing is the kind of slow, low-demand hobby perfectly fitted for a law student's hectic schedule.

Interview Clothes and a Trip to the Tailor

It's shocking how many law students enter grad school without a nice pant suit or a decent tie. Help them out with some fancy interview clothes. It doesn't have to be a whole suit either -- a nice, crisp shirt is always appreciated. And if you want to really be their favorite, take them to a tailor. A good tailor can make even the cheapest interview suits look great.

Study Guides

Well, they're not exactly a fun gift, but they are practical. Find out what courses your law student will be taking in the spring semester, then get them study guides. Hornbooks, outlines, and supplements will do, but we're particular fans of simple, concise Nutshell series, as in "Constitutional Law in a Nutshell." (Full disclosure: the Nutshell series is published by FindLaw's sister company, West Publishing, but that's not why we love them.) They're the perfect size for stocking stuffers.

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