Gift Giving Forum

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Gift Giving

Poll ended at Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:01 pm

Gift Card
14
61%
Packaged Gift
5
22%
Some Packaged, some card
4
17%
 
Total votes: 23

Anonymous User
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Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Nov 29, 2017 9:01 pm

Curious if you prefer giving a gift or a gift card to your secretary, paralegal. IT person. Am I forgetting anyone (i.e., front desk, etc.). Note whatever you’d like about your gift giving.

cfcm

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by cfcm » Wed Nov 29, 2017 9:28 pm

Cash

MillllerTime

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by MillllerTime » Wed Nov 29, 2017 9:37 pm

cfcm wrote:Cash
Yep. Visa gift card is not liquid enough and would be frowned upon.

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LaLiLuLeLo

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by LaLiLuLeLo » Wed Nov 29, 2017 10:23 pm

Cash all the way. Not sure why some weirdos think it's tacky. Cash is king.

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Nov 29, 2017 11:23 pm

Is there a general consensus on how much cash to give?

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kellyfrost

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by kellyfrost » Wed Nov 29, 2017 11:35 pm

If you are giving cash as a gift in a situation such as this, you should shoot for an amount that actually makes the receiver feel uncomfortable accepting. This amount will obviously vary from person to person.
Last edited by kellyfrost on Sat Jan 27, 2018 11:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Nov 29, 2017 11:38 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Is there a general consensus on how much cash to give?
Good question. I’ll likely opt for $150 Visa to secretary (2). $75.00 Honey Baked Ham card to a few others. Good, meh or….?

Hutz_and_Goodman

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Hutz_and_Goodman » Thu Nov 30, 2017 9:21 am

Does anyone give to anyone else besides a secretary?

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jchiles

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by jchiles » Thu Nov 30, 2017 9:36 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Is there a general consensus on how much cash to give?
Good question. I’ll likely opt for $150 Visa to secretary (2). $75.00 Honey Baked Ham card to a few others. Good, meh or….?
Very meh on the honey baked ham card

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dixiecupdrinking

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by dixiecupdrinking » Thu Nov 30, 2017 9:52 am

jchiles wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Is there a general consensus on how much cash to give?
Good question. I’ll likely opt for $150 Visa to secretary (2). $75.00 Honey Baked Ham card to a few others. Good, meh or….?
Very meh on the honey baked ham card
I've always heard $100 per class year to secretaries as the standard in NY, although it strikes me as too steep for mid-levels and above (are people really giving secretaries close to a grand each?). Cold hard cash only. Go to the bank and get a few hundreds. Skip the ham.

Think of it as a bonus you're paying to staff, out of the bonus you're receiving. It's not really a gift. It's a token of appreciation and it should be something that helps with the expense of the holidays.

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cron1834

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by cron1834 » Thu Nov 30, 2017 9:54 am

Was the ham thing serious? And are 6th years really giving $600 to their secretary?

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Nov 30, 2017 10:11 am

In my group at my firm we start at $150 and work up in $25 or $50 increments from there per class year.

RaceJudicata

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by RaceJudicata » Fri Dec 01, 2017 1:13 am

What about stub year... $100? Or less?

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:48 am

I'm a 4th year on the west coast. I plan to tip my secretary $400 (I give her $100 on administrative professionals' day too) and to give a couple of other assistants (i.e., those assigned to the partners I work with most) $100 each. Maybe too generous but whatever, I appreciate their hard work and it's a bad look to be cheap about this sort of thing.

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by vbalenciaga » Fri Dec 01, 2017 3:05 am

not trying to get off topic from OP's question but does anyone know how the answer changes for judicial assistants?

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Dec 01, 2017 4:40 pm

When I think of packaged gifts what comes to mind is Wine, Scoth, Godiva. All seem appropriate.

cfcm

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by cfcm » Fri Dec 01, 2017 4:46 pm

RaceJudicata wrote:What about stub year... $100? Or less?
Not sure if serious, but come on, just tough it out and pay the first year rate.

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PorscheFanatic

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by PorscheFanatic » Fri Dec 01, 2017 5:15 pm

cfcm wrote:
RaceJudicata wrote:What about stub year... $100? Or less?
Not sure if serious, but come on, just tough it out and pay the first year rate.
But pleeeeeeasee don't pro-rate the first year rate and give your secretary $24.

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Dec 02, 2017 12:09 am

PorscheFanatic wrote:
cfcm wrote:
RaceJudicata wrote:What about stub year... $100? Or less?
Not sure if serious, but come on, just tough it out and pay the first year rate.
But pleeeeeeasee don't pro-rate the first year rate and give your secretary $24.
My bigger question is how to go about this? I’ve been here just over a month and have barely used my secretary, so it seems odd to me to walk up to her all “Hey! Merry Christmas! I don’t really know you but here’s a card with a hundo in it!” Maybe I’m overthinking it, but just seems very awkward.

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Dec 02, 2017 12:16 am

Anonymous User wrote:
My bigger question is how to go about this? I’ve been here just over a month and have barely used my secretary, so it seems odd to me to walk up to her all “Hey! Merry Christmas! I don’t really know you but here’s a card with a hundo in it!” Maybe I’m overthinking it, but just seems very awkward.
Consider it as a very good investment.

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UVA2B

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by UVA2B » Sat Dec 02, 2017 12:18 am

Anonymous User wrote:
PorscheFanatic wrote:
cfcm wrote:
RaceJudicata wrote:What about stub year... $100? Or less?
Not sure if serious, but come on, just tough it out and pay the first year rate.
But pleeeeeeasee don't pro-rate the first year rate and give your secretary $24.
My bigger question is how to go about this? I’ve been here just over a month and have barely used my secretary, so it seems odd to me to walk up to her all “Hey! Merry Christmas! I don’t really know you but here’s a card with a hundo in it!” Maybe I’m overthinking it, but just seems very awkward.
You are definitely overthinking this. A nice, simple card left on their desk or keyboard, especially since you haven't asked that much of them, will help in growing that relationship. It's arguably the third most important relationship you have in your office (I'm assuming primary partner you work with and primary senior associate here, but it could be off depending on each case), so why not grease that wheel? Point being, you want them to like you.

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lolwat

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by lolwat » Sat Dec 02, 2017 3:01 am

Do people do this shit at boutiques too? The lower level attorneys here often pool some money together for gifts and gift cards for support staff, but I've literally never heard of this $100 cash per class year business except here on TLS. But then again, I haven't been at biglaw, and I don't have any staff (secretary or paralegal etc.) assigned to me. The support staff we have just work for the firm as a whole.

NYC2012

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by NYC2012 » Sat Dec 02, 2017 3:32 am

Not to be a dick, and I am all about gift giving - but it is hard to imagine giving my secretary $100 when I started ~one month ago and she hasn't even done a single thing for me yet. I doubt she ever will, I do everything myself?

cfcm

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by cfcm » Sat Dec 02, 2017 7:11 am

Anonymous User wrote:
My bigger question is how to go about this? I’ve been here just over a month and have barely used my secretary, so it seems odd to me to walk up to her all “Hey! Merry Christmas! I don’t really know you but here’s a card with a hundo in it!” Maybe I’m overthinking it, but just seems very awkward.
Does she only work for you? I agree in that situation it might be a little awkward. So ask someone slightly more senior than you how to go about it.

But I'm guessing it's more likely that your secretary works for more than one attorney. In that case, I'd imagine you could just pool the money together and give it. That's what my office does anyways.

RaceJudicata

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by RaceJudicata » Sat Dec 02, 2017 10:50 am

cfcm wrote:
RaceJudicata wrote:What about stub year... $100? Or less?
Not sure if serious, but come on, just tough it out and pay the first year rate.
Yes, serious. Have no problem giving $100, and its what I'll probably do. Didn't know if there was a different standard for stubs who have worked for a month or two.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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