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The Holiday Gift Guide for Lawyers is back for the fifth year with all new and unique gift ideas for lawyers and law firms. I?ve been gathering ideas from many sources, ripping pages from catalogs and magazines, talking to lawyers, combing through e-mails from PR types, bookmarking websites, and then whittling them down to the best, thoughtful, fun and practical gifts for even the hardest-to-please attorney. I still don?t make a dime nor get free products, but I do get the satisfaction of knowing that I am helping lawyers, their family members and/or business partners find great gifts for Christmas and beyond. Enjoy!



The Beatles RockBand: The greatest band of the baby boom generation meets the gaming craze of the current generation in this fun interactive musical experience for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii game systems. From Hard Day?s Night and Eight Days a Week (songs about lawyers?) to Octopus?s Garden, you?ll have fun playing and singing along with this legendary band. The full system comes with guitar, drum pads and microphone. If you don?t have a XBox/PS3/Wii or can?t steal time on your kids? system, then go out and buy one! Fun for lawyers of all ages. Even recommended to make your law firm Christmas party really rock this year! Available from electronics retailers nationwide.

The Busy Lawyers Guide to Success had to make my guide this  year?and no, not because I co-authored it?because it is the perfect gift for any lawyer! This compact book will help every lawyer?partner, associate, or solo-improve their practice without wading through dozens of web sites, mountains of magazine articles, or pouring through stacks of books to get to the useful essence of the author's wisdom. With over 700 tips and ideas organized into 140 pages, the book is full of practical tips, tricks, and ideas that are sure to make any lawyer even more successful. is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Chapters (in Canada), and the ABA Webstore. 

 

Getting caught with dead battery on your iPhone, Blackberry, Droid or other 

smartphone is a huge faux pas today. To avoid that frustration and embarrassment, get a instant battery energizer, such as the

 FreeLoader Pro Solar Charger. Just plug it to your exhausted mobile device and draw instant power from this battery energizer which itself is rechargeable either a USB port or from the flip-up solar charging panel; comes with a plethora of adapter plugs for mobile devices including Blackberry and iPhone. $80.00 from ThinkGeek.

 



Um, ever need to get your client calls while underwater? We?re not sure who does, but isn?t it nice to know you can with the UWCP Underwater Cellular Phone System. The system comes with a special dive mask, a waterproof case for your phone (which must have Bluetooth) and a floating communication unit with a 40 meter cable to connect you while swimming in the ocean or (God forbid) your own backyard pool! From OceanReef for a smidgen under $1,800.



Xperia Pureness is an awesome new SonyEricsson smartphone that sports a transparent screen. Yep, a see thru screen. You have to see it to believe it. This cutting edge smartphone handles e-mail, text messaging, plays MP3 and ACC media files, includes a web browser, and much more. This ?unlocked? phone can be used on various mobile cell service providers using GSM/GPRS/EDGE technology. (Yep, best to ask your service provider before you buy the phone.) OK, it doesn?t have the utility of an iPhone, but it just may eclipse it on the coolness meter!



Looking for a new way to show your appreciation to your firm employees? Successories now offers huge 365-carat colored glass ?gemstones? with appreciative sayings, such as ?You?re a gem? and ?You rock?. Comes in a presentation box for about $25.00.

MoGo Presenter Mouse PC? is a combined wireless presenter and computer mouse that stores and charges inside your laptop?s PC/ PCMIA card slot. The sleek design and size make it ideal for lawyers on the go. It includes the same functionality as conventional optical wireless mice--scroll, right click, left click--without the bulky, oversized design. With the push of a button, the MoGo Presenter Mouse PC? turns into a wireless presenter, allowing you to control your PowerPoint presentations with 30 feet of freedom.

The Zvox Incredibase may have rewritten the laws of home theater sound. It is a 5-inch high cabinet-top box stuffed with speakers and utilizing a proprietary sound technology to make movie sound come to life. Best of all it just plugs into your TV and power source and it works! Simply super sound in a small package for under $700!

Plug the Green Button into any USB port of your computer, and

then tap it each time you?ll be away from your computer for more than a few minutes. It puts your computer into a low-power state to save energy until you return. Going green--it?s not just for tree-hugger lawyers anymore! Under $20.

Law Comix is an irreverent website for irreverent lawyers created by the irreverent mind of Charles Pugsley Fincher, J.D. The site is full of irreverent cartoons which are available for sale on mugs, steins, calendars or t-shirts from his Law Comix store. Go. Be irreverent. Enjoy.

When I recently found myself extolling the unparalleled taste

and quality of Nueske?s Applewood-smoked bacon to several lawyers, I realized it had to be added to this guide.  Nueske?s is a family-run butcher/smokehouse in Wittenberg, Wisconsin that turns out the finest smoked meats (bacon, hot dogs, sausage, etc.) you?ll ever put in contact with a taste bud. Long known to folks in the Upper Midwest, Nueske?s now supplies their products to select restaurants from New York to LA. You can get yours shipped directly to your favorite lawyer from their on-line store.



Don?t just give a gift card, give a gift membership to a local museum, a hobbyist club/organization (wine, cars, travel, hiking, etc.), or other affinity group that champions a worthy cause (environment, health, children, etc.). These groups often provide membership certificates, a periodic newsletter, and special events, among other benefits. As such,they doesn?t take up space on a tie rack or dusty office shelf; best of all it is a gift that keeps on giving all year.



 

With the advent of checked bag fees on many airlines, traveling lawyers are cramming more per bag, only to get socked with overweight bag fees at check-in. Avoid those costly penalties with a digital luggage scale. A great stocking stuffer for around $20.





Get ready to party down with this gas-powered blender from Kotula's. Some people

ask ?why?; others ?why not??  If you?re in the latter category, then you are sure to enjoy this novelty at your next firm BBQ. Just fire up the 43cc, 2-stroke gas engine, grab the handlebars and open up the throttle for some truly high-revving blended beverages. Not endorsed by Tim ?The Toolman? Taylor, but it should be!  Yours for under $400!

LawTunes is the brainchild of litigator Lawrence Savell who cleverly writes, performs and produces humorous songs about the legal profession and the lawyers who inhabit it. Larry?s catalogue of lawyer-focused CDs now includes his fourth holiday album, Season?s Briefings from the LawTunes. His on-line webstore conveniently provides clips of all his songs so you can pick the CD that will tickle the funny bone of your favorite lawyer!

Own a piece of true Yankee history with a pair of seats from the old Yankee Stadium.  Each pair will set you back $1,500 but comes with a letter of authenticity. Available from Yankees-Steiner Collectibles.  And for you Cowboy fans (and you know who you are), seat pairs from Texas Stadium are now available for $650 from the same collectibles company.



I have to hand it to West for developing the Black?s Law Dictionary App for iPhone. They've put a must-have resource for young lawyers and law students into a new media that many young lawyers are using. The entire searchable dictionary is now at your fingertips wherever and whenever you might need it. It even includes 7,000 audio pronunciations--mostly for those unfamiliar latin words that still permeate our lingo. At $49.99 it is not cheap, but the ease and convenience of using it makes this iPhone app a real winner. Available from the Apple App Store on iTunes.



 

If you don?t understand the term ?Pon Farr? from Star Trek, skip this last gift item. If you do know Pon Farr is the Vulcan mating ritual, then you?ll be "stunned" to learn that it has been bottled into a new perfume for female trekkies to boldly go where no woman has gone before!  About $30 from select e-tailers and retailers including Borders. (And, yes, don't we all wish we'd thought of this years ago?!)

So with that, beam me up the chimney, Scotty, it?s time to get out of here! Merry Christmas and happiest of holidays to all.

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