Christmas and the holiday season are upon us, so this week we’ve put together a list of gifts for the law student or law student to be. If you are looking out for gifts for all your law school friends or wanting to drop a hint to a member of your family who gives infamously bad gifts (show them this list) you have come to the right place!
Law students endure copious amounts of reading each week along with the 1000 other things going on in life, leaving them a little sleep deprived most of the time. A great gift idea is a coffee gift basket or Starbucks/Gloria Jeans voucher to keep them fuelled. However if your chosen law student isn’t a coffee drinker, a supply of red bull/v/other caffeinated drink of choice goes down well. Alternatively, T2 teas are delicious and can be given with accessories such as teapots and cups.
At least a few times per semester I decide that studying law is too hard and that I should give up and raise cows on a mountain/become an archaeologist/anything disconnected to law. However reading about other people’s experiences makes it easier and keeps me on track. Some good books that make lovely gifts include The Centre Cannot Hold by Elyn Saks or the Appealing to the Future: Michael Kirby and his Legacy, a collection of essays on Justice Kirby. Other inspirational books include The Trial by Kafka, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Home by Larissa Behrendt.
Ask a law student about the most annoying thing about studying law is and the price of textbooks will usually be in the top three as they can easily add up to a few hundred dollars per semester. A useful gift is co-op bookshop vouchers. If you know someone who is just about to start, two necessary books are a legal dictionary and the legal guide to citation.
But with that said, we also need to relax during semester and over the break. Max Brenner chocolate gift packs or vouchers are very welcome gifts for the stressed out law student. Boxed sets of favourite TV shows or a subscription to Netflix are fantastic for unwinding before big exams. Also, just between us, law students like to ease the guilt of procrastinating by watching law related movies (It makes us feel like we are somehow studying) two must- haves are Legally Blonde and The Castle.
If you are looking for a gift that keeps on giving, things that come in handy during term include: yearly planner, office works voucher (we’re always running out of highlighters), carbolic smoke ball pen holder (for a laugh) and if money is no object, iPads or laptops are practical for typing up notes in lectures (and Facebooking during Legal Method and Research).
However, by far, the most useful thing I own is this book stand that allows for textbooks to stand upright, it saves so much time when you are writing out notes and can be taken with you everywhere.
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