Holiday Gift Ideas for Lawyers and Law Students

On Friday, law blogger Reid Trautz unveiled his ninth annual Holiday Gift Guide for Lawyers. Trautz does not limit his gift ideas to a strict legal theme, but casts a wide net for goodies that the lawyers in your life might enjoy, such as artisan gin, high-end headphones, and flash drive cufflinks. The Goodson Blogson, too, is no stranger to holiday gift recommendations, having published gift guides of our own in 2009, 2010, and 2011. We're not sure how we could have forgotten to compile a roundup in 2012 (perhaps an excess of eggnog?), but we'll make up for it with a 2013 list worthy of sending straight to Santa.

The Supreme Court Historical Society Gift Shop continues to be the top source of law-themed gifts for all ages and interests. Cookbook Chef Supreme was compiled by the spouses of the Supreme Court justices in memory of Martin Ginsburg, the late husband of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In addition to being a noted tax attorney and professor, "Marty" (as he was known to his friends) was an avid chef, and the cookbook contains his personal recipes as well as loving tributes from family and friends. The Supreme Court gift shop also offers the logo of our highest court affixed to a wide variety of household items: pens and pencils, drinkware, blankets, and bowls.

Both Trautz's blog and the Supreme Court gift shop also feature Lawsuit!, a law-themed board game which has appeared in previous Goodson Blogson holiday gift guides. Not sure what a lawsuit board game might look like? The game website posts a copy of the instructions, along with a legal dictionary of terms used in the game and other educational resources.

ThinkGeek doesn't contain a lot of specifically law-related content (unless you count the t-shirt with a police officer exhorting you to "Obey gravity. It's the law!"), but there seems to be enough intersection between lawyers and geeks to make the site worth a browse. Certainly, many lawyers might be interested in the various iPhone and iPad accessories. But if the lawyer or law student in your life also happens to be a fan of geeky favorites like Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, or Star Wars, this site may contain the perfect present.

For holiday shoppers who want to keep it local, non-profit business alliance Sustain-a-Bull promotes independent businesses in Durham, North Carolina. November 30 through December 8 will be the group's annual Shop Independent Durham Week. The Brightleaf Square area, close to Duke’s campus, features several locally owned and operated stores. Morgan Imports offers a dizzying array of toys, home goods, and furniture; just up the street is Rose's Meat Market and Sweet Shop, which features gourmet stocking-stuffers alongside its delicious prepared foods and butcher cuts. A Southern Season in Chapel Hill is another great source for gourmet gifts, both local and international, with free shipping available for many of their signature gift baskets.

Speaking of free shipping, online shoppers should be aware that Wednesday, December 18 has been designated Free Shipping Day at more than 400 retailers. Many free shipping deals can also be found on Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving, when online holiday sales are said to reach their peak for the year), and at other times with coupon codes from sites like RetailMeNot.

Happy holidays to all of our Blogson readers!