Having trouble choosing gifts for that nerdy lawyer in your life?  Here are some possibilities

(Disclaimer:  I’m sure there are non-nerdy lawyers out there.  I don’t know what they want.  Maybe a baseball glove.)

• Typography for Lawyers:  I love everything about this. And, for the low price of $120, you can get Butterick’s hand-crafted Equity font for your own legal use. Yes, you’re paying $120 for a font. Don’t think about it too long, just do it.
• Bryan Garner (@BryanAGarner): The dude has written more about words that Samuel Johnson and Noah Webster put together. He has a lot of cool stuff that I would like to see in my stocking this year:
  1. Seminars — He teaches on Advanced Legal Writing and Making Your Case
  2. Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges (co-written with Justice Antonin Scalia)
  3. Garner’s Modern American Usage (now we’re getting really nerdy):  I’ve seen mention of this dictionary a number of times online and some people actually read it. Like a book! Cover to cover! (Are my exclamation marks increasing your excitement?  No?  Well, it must just be me.)
• PACER for the iPad/iPhone (actually, it’s free, so maybe you just want to give an iPhone or an iPad).
• Green Lawyer Lamp: These things are all over lawyers’ offices in television and movies. I’ve only actually seen one in a lawyer’s office in real life. Maybe life should imitate art?
• Blackacre:  I don’t remember much about property from law school, but I do remember Blackacre.
• A hippopotamus

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In response to Cara’s “In praise of working during the last week of the year,” I, respectfully, dissent. This is a perfect time to enjoy family and friends and to reenergize yourself for the upcoming new year.

Sure, most offices are nearly vacant during the last week of the year, and it can be prime time to catch up on work and clean up the office. So if you’re going to get stuff done, that’s great. But don’t stay too long.

However, if you’re really not going to do any actual work, then your time is best spent away from the office catching up in person with old friends and family. Odds are, they’re probably taking some time off or at least have shortened work schedules. Why use LinkedIn or Google when you can give a hearty handshake or a warm hug and fellowship over a meal?

Also, forget the holiday party leftovers at the office — they cannot beat your aunt’s holiday party leftovers. And, they might be leftover for a good reason. (Trust me, don’t touch any sweets left at the office overnight after a holiday party.)

Yes, there’s an excellent argument to be made for saving that paid leave for the warmer months. But, that’s also the time when more people are emailing and calling and you’re on “vacation” checking the Blackberry every five minutes.

Taking some time off now is good for you and for your employer. I argue that you should embrace this time of the year, and the last week of the year, as a time to assess, reenergize, and spend quality time with those you love. Then, you can come back in the new year ready to take on all challenges.

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Anyone who knows me knows I have awful luck with cars. It seems like every set of wheels I’ve had since I got my license was cursed — my first car caught fire due to a freak electrical short, another car was hit twice by drivers that didn’t leave notes and I’ve probably had close to a dozen flat tires.

I’ve had enough. Last week I sold my car.

My fiancé and I decided to be a real live city-living, one-Volvo-driving couple. His practice is primarily in Baltimore and he has always taken the bus to work. I’ll use the car during the week for my brief commute and hope there are no more car calamities.

So far (it’s only been a week) things are working out, mostly because our current schedules are relatively predictable. But I’m curious – are there any young lawyers out there who share a car or have given up car ownership altogether? Is it possible to practice law in Maryland without a vehicle?

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Last Saturday, a group of young lawyers volunteered at the Maryland Food Bank to help sort donated food for distribution to families in need.

Organized by the MSBA Young Lawyers Section’s Public Awareness Committee as part of the One Bar|One Community Public Service Project, this would have been the third consecutive year of volunteering. Further, we usually have to turn away volunteers because of the limited number of available spots and the overwhelming number of those wanting to participate.

Unfortunately, no one was able to volunteer. On Friday afternoon, we received a call from the Maryland Food Bank, stating that the event had to be cancelled because there was no food to sort. There were just not enough donations. There wasn’t enough food.

So as we take this long weekend to be thankful for a host of things in our lives, consider taking some time to box up some non-perishable food items (or, when you go to the store, buy a few extra cans of soup) and bring them to the Maryland State Bar Association’s headquarters. We are planning on collecting food through December to bring to the Maryland Food Bank.

If you cannot make it to downtown Baltimore, send me an email and the MSBA Young Lawyers will coordinate a way to get the food delivered to the Maryland Food Bank.

Let’s do better.

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You don’t often hear a young lawyer say she feels blessed. The billable hours, the late nights, the stress, the stakes… “blessed” just isn’t usually in the job description.

And yet, it’s important from time to time to get a reality check. We are blessed. This holiday season is as good of a time as any to remember that.

A few months ago, I was nominated by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as one of the 35 finest professionals in the Baltimore business community under 35 years of age.  By accepting the nomination, I agreed to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

I counted on guilt-tripping people into donating, sending multiple emails (bordering on harassment), creating Facebook posts and attending “meet and greets,” cocktail parties and informational sessions. I counted on hard work and a big commitment. What I did not count on was how much joy I would find in this process or how blessed I would feel.

I also didn’t count on the number of people, some of whom I don’t even know, who would donate to my page. I didn’t count on how many people and local businesses would volunteer to help me reach my fundraising goal. I have journeyed through this experience in absolute amazement of the goodness and selflessness in people.

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This past weekend, I went to a wedding in Scranton for my fiancé’s childhood friend, who happens to be a lawyer. When we arrived at the reception, we anticipated we would be seated at Table 7 with the Baltimore folks.

But when we checked our seating card, we were at Table 17. When we made our way to our seats and introduced ourselves to our tablemates, we quickly realized why we were seated at Table 17: it was the “lawyer” table.

We sat with the groom’s law school and work friends, along with their spouses. Everyone was a lawyer, with the exception of one poor fellow. While the rest of us rambled on and traded war stories, the non-lawyer listened patiently and feigned interest in depositions and judicial nominations.

This phenomenon starts in law school. When I went out with classmates, sometimes their boyfriends or girlfriends would tag along, only to find they had nothing to contribute to our conversations. And they certainly didn’t find it funny when one of us took their seat, claiming adverse possession.

It seems that while we gained a legal education, we lost the ability to socialize like normal humans. Of course, it’s only natural to talk about what we spend a huge part of our lives doing, especially amongst comrades. But for our own sanity – and the sanity of our non-lawyer mates – we should make a point to keep it brief (no pun intended)!

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