Ten Great Gifts for the Law School Graduate

The key to the perfect present requires the focus to be placed on where the law school graduate is headed rather than where they have been. In other words, think about what they will appreciate most as they spend inhuman numbers of hours in a small office with blank walls at their new law firm rather than gifts of more legal books that are excruciatingly similar to those they have been reading for the last three years. Here are ten gifts across the price spectrum that the graduate will enjoy, and which will remind them of you, for years to come:

1. Monogrammed Marble Book Ends ($54.95). Dark block marble bookends bearing the graduate's initials and the scales of justice will add a professional look to their otherwise paper-cluttered desk and provide easy storage for their most often-used reference books. http://www.personalizationmall.com/Monogram-Marble-Bookends-Scales-of-Justice-Legal-Design-p5382.prod?sdest=store&sdestid=11&storeid=11

2. Black's Law Dictionary ($67.00). The seminal legal reference warrants breaking the "no books" rule for graduation gifts. The new lawyer will appreciate having their own copy rather than making countless trips to the library. The hardbound edition also serves as office decoration, especially between monogrammed marble book ends. http://west.thomson.com/productdetail/126790/40231642/productdetail.aspx?promcode=595622

3. Framed Diploma with School Photo ($149 - $199). One thing the graduate will have in spades are diplomas and bar certificates, so framing solutions are always a good gift. This matted framing puts a picture of the graduate's law school above their diploma for a unique wall décor. http://www.campusimages.com/diploma_frames.html

4. Classic Legal Wall Art ($200 - $800 framed). Depictions of 19th century English courts and barristers never go out of law office style. These framed prints will provide welcome aesthetic relief from the drab wall hangings usually provided by the office to new attorneys. http://www.lawgallery.com/go.php?page=gallery&gid=2

5. School Chair ($470). The office furniture in a new attorney's office usually matches - exactly - the furniture in every other young attorney's office. The new graduate can differentiate themself with one of these hardwood chairs bearing the emblem of their alma mater on the back. http://www.standardchair.com/

6. Boston Legal Coasters ($12.95). Denny Crane! Fans of the ABC show will enjoy offering their new colleagues these coasters bearing the name of the TV law firm, Crane Poole & Schmidt, to rest their drinks on. An inexpensive conversation piece for the newcomer to the firm. http://abctvstore.seenon.com/index.php?v=abctvstore_boston-legal&pagemax=all&SESSID=a95725453d5c34f143d3a460434a4471

7. Personalized M&Ms ($16.99). Nothing makes an attorney more popular than having snacks in their office for colleagues. Not only can you choose the color of these M&Ms, but you can have the graduate's name or any other lettering put on each candy. A glass candy box is available for $49.99. http://www.mymms.com/customprint/?src=112228&sc_cid=P_GG_P2_N00_MA9CON00PGGP2111

8. Desktop Zen Garden ($9.99 - $29.99). The stress of the upcoming bar examination and legal practice can be managed with the help of this desktop meditation. Tranquility will envelop the graduate as they rake the sand and place the rocks in the garden before reading more cases. http://www.officeplayground.com/zengardens.html

9. USB Missile Launcher ($29.99). When zen gardens aren't adequate to manage their frustration, the young attorney can launch an air assault on the miscreant partner or secretary. This missile base attaches to the computer USB port so the salvo can be launched without even moving away from the keyboard. The purchase of additional missiles is strongly suggested. http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/warfare/8a0f/

10. To Kill A Mockingbird DVD ($21.99). Every law student strives to be the best and you can provide no better legal role model for them than Atticus Finch in the 1962 adaptation of the Harper Lee novel. Finch's closing argument on behalf of Tom Robinson remains legendary, but more than a great lawyer, he is also the quintessential father and moral compass for his community. http://www.amazon.com/Kill-Mockingbird-Collectors-Gregory-Peck/dp/0783225857