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Law Sucks. What Else is There? Ugly Christmas Sweater Maker

By William Peacock, Esq. on December 03, 2014 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Sometimes, you no longer want The Law. And sometimes, The Law no longer wants you. For many recent graduates, the latter is the case, thanks to that whole "tens of thousands of graduates into an oversaturated job market replete with failing firms" nonsense.

Alternative careers: That's the ticket. That's what keeps popping up in our most popular posts lists, and why our "Law Sucks. What Else is There?" series continues. In today's installment, we look at a USC law grad who left the confines of BigLaw to make ugly Christmas sweaters. Stifle your laughter, dear lawyers, because his company is almost certainly making more money than you ever will. And he gets to make phallic snowman jokes via intricate sweater designs.

Tipsy Elves

If you watch ABC's "Shark Tank" -- the reality show about dudes and ladies with far too much money who want to sink a few grand into unrealistic ideas -- you may recognize Tipsy Elves, the "ugly Christmas sweater" company that racked up more than $1 million in sales in only a few years of existence before going on television. They nabbed another $100,000 in seed money to go retail on the show, plus the positive exposure for their line of ugly sweaters.

Haven't heard of ugly Christmas sweaters? It's the latest fad, and involves either resurrecting grandma's abandoned Christmas sweaters from the local thrift shop or spending $75 on what are admittedly hilarious pieces of gear from a wave of sweater makers.

Tipsy Elves doesn't exclusively deal in naughty gear either -- though according to Bloomberg Businessweek, most of their sales come from that line, which often crosses "the line." (See: Rudolph's head mounted or Santa urinating on snow to spell out "Merry Christmas.") And if a hideous sweater that you can only wear once or twice per year isn't enough for you, they also sell swants (sweater pants).

Co-Founded by a Lawyer

No, we're not here to sell sweaters. We're here to tell all of you young lawyers with dreams and talent that your skills may be handy in an alternative career.

Tipsy Elves was founded by two college buddies, reports Businessweek: Nick Morton and Evan Mendelsohn. Mendelsohn is a former Sheppard Mullin associate and contract attorney turned entrepreneur, with a J.D. and an MBA from USC. We're guessing all that alphabet soup comes in handy when running a company and contracting out the manufacturing to China.

Therein lies the lesson, oppressed masses of recent graduates: If you have a passion, non-legal talents, and from the looks of the sweaters, a sense of humor, those J.D. skills may come in handy in a non-firm environment. Chase your dreams kiddos, before it is too late.

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