I think that guide is a little steep and was probably made by a secretary.

That chart seems low. At my NY firm, the rule of thumb is $100 for every year of seniority. That seems fare, becuase I think that more senior associates rely on their secretaries much more heavily than junior associates. Also, at a lot of firms, more junior people may share secretariese with more people.

Does anyone find this condescending and somewhat sexist? Come on, they are professionals and co-workers, not wait staff. I wouldn't mind a haircut (seriously, $200 isn't much to me, is to them) out of my bonus to give support staff, gasp, a professional bonus from the *firm* rather than a cash gift.

It just seems *wrong* to speak of tipping someone who should be a collegue. Does this justify treating them in an unprofessional manner or ordering them around like waitstaff the rest of the year?

First: these are not gifts. These payments to secretaries who do next to nothing for associates are a form of extortion.

That is all.

laterals: pro-rate this table

I agree it was pretty steep. I think $100 is more than adequate a gift from most non-Partner-proximate associates, unless the Sec. is particularly outstanding. Mine, who sucks, is lucky I am getting her jack.

I also intend on getting something for the IT person here, who is absolutely stellar.

Another question to ask is WHEN is the right time to give? Dec. 20th?

Does anyone find this condescending and somewhat sexist? Come on, they are professionals and co-workers, not wait staff. I wouldn't mind a haircut (seriously, $200 isn't much to me, is to them) out of my bonus to give support staff, gasp, a professional bonus from the *firm* rather than a cash gift.

It just seems *wrong* to speak of tipping someone who should be a collegue. Does this justify treating them in an unprofessional manner or ordering them around like waitstaff the rest of the year?

Suppose one has only been working for a month so far this year. Does the chart still apply?

Suppose one has only been working for a month so far this year. Does the chart still apply?

Thanks for this thread. What about class of 2007? We've only been working for three months, but I don't want to come off cheap.

1:51,

I bet your secretary wants that money, and not some ..whatever the hell you would get her. Nobody says you have to give her a billfold full of Lincolns. Amex makes gift cards that look classy enough.

1:51 - You sound like a very senior lawyer. I mean, we all confuse "fare" with "fair." Please, take a hike - this message board is for lawyers and wannabees, not you.

1:52 - My secretary does ZERO for me, but see my response to 1:53.

1:53 - It isn't sexist, it's tradition. It's a gift, an expression of kindness that is unecessary and not necessarily requited. Deal.

I don't think it's excessive to give a gift of 1/1000th of my salary to my secretary.

How about those of us who are doing doc review? Shouldn't we get a bonus as well, after all, if an associate had to put up with review 20000 docs a day for relevance they would go crazy.

it should apply to people who started in the fall--your assistant had another associate before you came and that person is not around to give them a gift. think of it as associates pitching in for a bonus, not a gift personally from yourself.

btw, these figures may seem low, but when you factor in the fact that each assistant has an average of 3-4 principles, and that associates also give a smaller gift (about 50% of the amounts listed) to assistants providing secondary support, the assistants make out quite well.

Note Lat's caveat about the table:

"It apparently dates back from December 2006, however, so query whether the amounts should be adjusted upwards in light of (1) the latest pay raise (to $160K), (2) the special bonus (if you get it), and (3) inflation / passage of time."

lol, someone suggesting an 8th year should give $800. are you out of your goddamn mind?

I'm a junior associate (class of 2006) at a big firm in Philly. I plan on giving my secretary $100. She's fabulous. I would consider giving her more, but then I would be the asshole, making the senior associates (who only give $100 or some crappy gift) look bad.

I did give her $100 last year after only working 3 months. I felt that pro-rating a gift was stingy. Plus, she did a lot of stuff in those 3 months that she won't have to repeat (like showing me how to use the weird flavia coffeemaker and showing me shortcuts to the bathrooms).

I used a VISA giftcard last year, but will probably do cash this year. Those giftcards sometimes charge the recipient a fee when they use the, and I think that just sucks.

This chart is shocklingly low. I gave my assistant $500 last year (I am class of 2004). Needless to say, she is unbelievably helpful and always priortizes my work overall everyone else's. $500 bucks is a pittance of an investment given what rewards it brings through the year, not to mention the motivational effect it has on her...

2003 grad, gave my secretary $200 last year, anticipate increasing this year. Some firms are fairly cheap when it comes to support staff. In my experience, this (relatively) small amount of money buys an awful lot of loyalty.

what should I get for my gay Fillipana legal assistant?

A tip? You are asking about tipping your secretary? Like a waiter? Like your cab driver? A tip?

This is a gross thread. Think about it. If you want to buy your colleague (your assistant/secretary a gift) go ahead. If you are a generous person you will buy/give them a generous gift. If you are not, you will not. But, to call it a tip is disgusting. If I were your assistant, I would refuse a gift.

I give my secretary a very nice sized gift certificate, and a gift for each of his children. He works hard WITH me. I appreciate him. I would never think of any gift I give him as a tip.

What if you have two part time secretaries? One Monday - Wednesday and one Thursday - Friday? My secretary M-W doesn't do much for me, but she is my "main" assistant, whereas the secretary that is in Th-F is amazing and always goes above and beyond. Is it wrong to split the amount in half between the two?

I gave my secretary a nice birthday present and sent her flowers after her surgery. She has, in return, given me a huge attitude and done shitty work for me (and I'm not fussy). I'll give her some cash, but I'm certainly not going overboard. What am I losing, really?

1:57(1) - whatever sort of kind expression you intend it to be, a gift actually *is* necessary in this context. the failure to give a gift will have negative consequences. i agree that gift-giving is a deal - but it isn't a gift; it's extortion.

eff em

2:06: Not at all. If they confer, so what?

i have 15 employees at my apartment building to tip as well which will total $1k. in light of the other holiday expenses and the number of people working for each secretary, $100 per year of seniority is refuckingdiculous.

whoever made up that rule deserves superaids.

I agree 2:06. (a), its not my job to pay my assistant, its the firms. (b) i dont use her for anything other than entering my time and a nice chat here or there, so there truly isnt much service to "tip" for. But (c), as someone I like and appreciate, I will give her a gift, although at this point, the value of said gift is undetermined, as I have not figured out the perfect gift.

I kind of agree with 2:06 and the others, but is it true that it is customary to give money AND a gift? Or just money?

I would think it more acceptable to give a gift that was "worth" whatever the table says, but then again, infinitely more useful to give that amount in cash so that they can do whatever with it.

Any secretaries on this board care to chime in?

My secretary was annoyed when the firm gave her a gift certificate to Tiffany's for her anniversary instead of cash.

Thanks for posting! I am class of 2006 and I will be giving my secretary $100 and a box of chocolate. I also had a temp fill in for her for a few weeks, so she will get a box of chocolate.

You ever go to a bar and tip the bartender $20 bucks for the first round you buy? Ever notice they are more attentive and provide you with faster service because of the larger up front tip? Same pscyhology here. So gift appropriately to your assistant. Watch her prioritize your shitty work over the more senior associate she is also covering.

Pays to be nice, at least that's what the pirates tell me. Ninjas are not good for any advice since they laregly remain silent.

My secretary is useless. She will be getting zero because she tries to hide from me sometimes.

I'm really astonished by how cheap people here are--and how they're trying to find any excuse to give a smaller gift, or to pro-rate, or whatever.

Unless you're at some crummy small firm, you make a shitload of money. Your secretary is lucky if she makes a third what you do. You'll go out and blow $100 on a few drinks without batting an eyelash--something that your secretary would consider a big deal. You eat at nice restaurants all the time. I'll bet your assistant doesn't.

God our profession is littered with idiots.

I wish firms would provide some guidance on this, as I think it varies greatly between markets and firms themselves. CA firms don't appear to be getting NYC bonuses, and where there are hours-based bonsues, some associates don't have bonuses to "share." Moreover, some firms give secretaries and legal assistants bonuses from the firm, so it doesn't fall on the shoulders of associates to essentially pay as a gift what would otherwise be a taxable salary component.

All this being said, a nice gift (or gift card) is always appropriate and appreciated. I read sometime ago on another board that the following factors should be taken into account: your level with the company (e.g., a first year or a partner); the time over which you have spent working with this person (i.e., you might go up every year, so don't start with $500); the amount of time this person spends helping you; whether this person is a good/hard worker or gives you nothing but grief; and your company's culture. My personal rule of thumb is that it's crazy for people to be spending more on work colleagues than they do on their own parents or family -- the season is supposed to be about thoughtfulness and generosity, not about showing off or keeping up appearances at the office.

I tend to think gift cards are the way to go -- an envelope with cash does seem crass, and, as another poster pointed out, not really an appropriate way to treat professional and salaried work colleagues.

2:15 you are a moron. Unlike at a bar, all asses are not created equal. Assistants / secretaries will prioritize work based on their perception of who will advance their career and/or who has the capacity to cause them the most trouble. An extra $100 or even $1000 isn't going to get a years' worth of "priority service". Sorry pal. Go back to drinking that Bud.

Let's say you had a secretary for vast majority of year, then due to reasons outside of your control you were swithced to a different secretary. How would you work the gift situation? The first secretary is still helpful, so I will give something.

When I was a legal assistant at the DC office of a T20 NY Firm I got a 75 dollar bottle of scotch from one attorney; and 100 dollars of Amazon from another; Then the firm gives out group gifts from the Associates in General (100$-200$ based on seniority), Plus a gift from the Partners in General (Same)

I'm class of 07 and I will be giving $100. Our secretaries have been to hell and back this year (merger) and it's the least I can do.

I was thinking about also giving some small holiday present, but my secretary is allergic to chocolate, my first instinct. Thoughts?

2006 Grad in Denver and I gave a $125 REI gift certificate. My assistant is the best and I felt guilty only giving that much.

If you have a secretary who busts his or her ass and makes your life easier then the decent thing to do is give him or her a gift or cash to show your appreciation. But the idea that a large monetary gift is required for every secretary is taking it too far. Not everyone has a great secretary, or even a good/competent secretary. I don't use my secretary at all. Most of the associates I work with don't. Mostly we know that the secretaries care about pleasing the partners and back burner our work. Last year I had a stellar secretary, and I gave him a holiday gift. This year my secretary isn't nearly as good. If I give her anything, it's because I don't want to be labeled the office cheapskate. Gotta love the holiday blackmail.

Are you people serious? I have never seen a bigger bunch of socially-inept losers in my life! You need to post on a blog to figure out how much to spend on a gift for your assistants? Most NORMAL people instinctively just know that you give whatever you think is appropriate and be done with it. Even if you give your assistant an overly-generous gift, it still doesn't mean he/she will work hard for you if they don't like you. You're not going to buy their loyalty/hard work. They'll take the money and will still ignore you. Capice?

I'm 2007 and haven't used my secretary for anything. Is $50 too cheap?

2:18, I agree with you, but it's kinda like the fact that bartender will prioritize hot girls and minor celebrities above me too. I just want to be in front of the other schlubby lawyers and ibankers fighting for the scraps of his time. Similarly, yes, she'll put a senior partner before me, but I want to be before all the other associates on my level. But that's why I drink Coors Original.

2:19, I would give the first secretary a larger gift than the new one. I think that is totally appropriate given the amount of time she worked with you.

I just checked in with my secretary about this thread. He said that in come firms cash is given regularly. He finds that degrading. He thinks cash (or a bonus) should come from the firm, and that what I give him should be out of my desire to give him a gift.

I will note here, he usually gives me or at least my daughter, a gift every year. We appreciate each other, so it is not, at least for me, a matter of duty, but rather appreciation for another year.

(Written by 2:06 as a follow-up)

2:14: That is fucking incredible.

2:18: I use the same rule of thumb. I'm actually not cheap at all. I am, however, irked by the shakedown vibe during the holidays.

At my firm the rule of thumb is $100 for each year you've been at the firm. I don't mind being generous to my secretary if she actually did things for me. I think she's been at my firm for 100 years. She''s often not at her desk, takes two hour lunches and will screw up the most basic tasks I ask her to do. I even do my own time sheets and copying. Sometimes she'll even not answer my phone because she doesn't feel like it.

I could always not give her the recommended gift. But then I look cheap and she'll tell all the other secretaries, screwing me if I ever get assigned another secretary.

And even if she was the best, I'd hesitate to give her $700-800 if I were more senior.

It truly is a shakedown. I used to be a legal secretary/assistant before law school and I only received a holiday gift over $100 once, and that was an in house position.

2:19 - That happened to me. I gave both $100 as they each worked for me for about 6 months and the going rate at my firm was about $200 for my year. I don't think the former secretary expected anything as she hadn't done any work for me for months, but she was pretty happy.

So, 2:06 wanted to get credit for writing nice things about his secretary on a blog? i mean, how low can you be...

if you're a partner, you should give the maximum gift amount allowed by law: $12,000.

Secretaries do so much for their bosses; they deserve a piece of the pie, too.

Just for the record, 2:18, not all of us who are making lots of money are blowing it on drinks and fancy dinners. Some of us are budgeting carefully and sending every spare cent to Sallie Mae. Just wanted to correct the misconception that law firm associate = tons of extra cash.

Not saying that this is a reason to not to be generous -- saying "thank you" with a nice gift to *good* work colleagues is important and appropriate. Just am touchy because over the past few days, there's been a lot of talk directed at me about "how much money I make" from any number of sources (paralegal, taxi cab driver, secretary, highschool friend). I know I'm very fortunate to be an associate at a big law firm, and I very much appreciate this opportunity. But sometimes I want to pull out my Sallie Mae statements and shake people by the shoulders and show them how far I am *in the hole* and that it will take at least a few more years of big law life to reach a net worth of a big fat round zero....

Sorry for the off-topic rant. Back to discussing gift ideas! (I'm leaning towards a gift card and flowers, myself.)

2:29: I actually don't think that's too cheap, but if you're worried about being labeled as cheap, just get your secretary something nice and thoughtful that costs $50 instead.

2:30 - Yeah, the shakedown vibe does suck, but it is what it is. I think for most junior people, $100 is totally sufficient (though on the lower side). Once you break the 200K barrier, you should probably consider $200-range. For partners and very senior associates, should probably go even higher.

Just for the record, 2:18, not all of us who are making lots of money are blowing it on drinks and fancy dinners. Some of us are budgeting carefully and sending every spare cent to Sallie Mae. Just wanted to correct the misconception that law firm associate = tons of extra cash.

Not saying that this is a reason to not to be generous -- saying "thank you" with a nice gift to *good* work colleagues is important and appropriate. Just am touchy because over the past few days, there's been a lot of talk directed at me about "how much money I make" from any number of sources (paralegal, taxi cab driver, secretary, highschool friend). I know I'm very fortunate to be an associate at a big law firm, and I very much appreciate this opportunity. But sometimes I want to pull out my Sallie Mae statements and shake people by the shoulders and show them how far I am *in the hole* and that it will take at least a few more years of big law life to reach a net worth of a big fat round zero....

Sorry for the off-topic rant. Back to discussing gift ideas! (I'm leaning towards a gift card and flowers, myself.)

Some guys I knew from high school used to tip their secretaries $100 every year and they got rich, it was no big deal.

This table would require me to spend more on my secretary than I spend on a member of my family.

I give my assistants (and gave my staff, before I was a lawyer) gifts in lieu of cash--main thread notwithstanding. I have always had very loyal and dedicated service from such colleagues. I make sure to tell new staff that I believe gifts should have meaning and you should get people something you think they would like, and then I ask them for a list. None of them have asked for gifts that exceed the amounts in the list above, even if I buy _everything_ on the list, which I usually do.

Loyalty comes from the relationship you build with your assistants in toto, and the kind built by kindness and gratitude throughout the year, plus reasonable gift-giving won't (except in rare cases) be affected by an attorney who drops $500 at Christmas and treats their colleagues badly the other 364 days of the year.

I've worked at 2 BigLaw joints in California. At both, we gave gifts, NOT MONEY. Gift certificates were OK, but even the partners did not give money. They gave really nice gifts- like Chanel purses, etc.
Are there places on the West Coast where associates are actually expected to give cash?

2:34
Amen. Some people, associates included, seem oblivious to the debt issue. After a few years out of school my net worth has only just reached zero, the money I have on hand equals the education debts I have. I also don't own a home. In New York where I live a down payment and a $3k/month mortgage is within reach, assuming my income stays the same. Attrition rates at firms being what they are, that's a pretty poor assumption. Obviously we're way better off than the average income earner, but far, far from rich.

just a card would be nice

2:22 - my secretary is allergic to chocolate too. Last year I gave her a $100 gift card in a box with a small winter scarf (nothing too expensive in case she didn't like the color). This year maybe a candle with the gift card.

Just so you know, 2:33, $12,000 is not "the maximum amount allowed by law," rather that is the amount on which you do not have to pay gift tax when given to an individual.

Actually, 2:42, if you've never been required to file a gift tax before, you can give $1,012,000 to one person and not pay a dime of tax.

That would have to be one hell of a secretary, though.

The table is ridiculous. I'm about as senior as an associate can get, but besides making sure the big partner whom she also "supports" is happy, her day is spent shopping on the internet and forwarding my requests for assistane to people in the IT and/or copy department. For this, she will get $50.

My secretary is awful. I'm giving $100 and it will pain me. Class of 2004.

Shit, I slip the bartender a hundred bucks just for keeping the ice cubes cold.

This table is absolutely absurd -- there is no need for associates to dish out such a stackload of Lincolns. Let's face facts: these associates didn't hire this secretary to work for them -- the law firm did. So if anyone or any entity should feel any sort of need to give a bonus, it's the firm itself. Secondly, most of these secretaries spend the day either talking on the phone, bitching to each other, or playing solitaire. No associate should be compensating that activity.

This thread is cracking me up. It is kind of funny how people are calling for associate pay increases of $15k plus, but worry about holiday gifts to their assistants in the rage of $100.
w/o assistants and paralegals attorneys would be helpless, useless, and clueless.

This thread is absurd.

I am also on the WestCoast and many people here give actual gifts, but a covert survey of secretaries indicates that they would actually prefer cash. If it feels too tacky, maybe do cash/gift card plus some smaller edible gift (chocolate, wine, etc.).

BTW, secretaries here generally give their associates presents too.

so is this gift in addition to the bonus my firm pays the secretary?

Can I double her gift for being hot?

few bottles of rum are the best gift, imo.

er, 2:50, the point here is that the associates didn't hire the assistants but are expected to compensate them at a particular level for services that may or may not have been rendered.

even if associates do or do not render law firms the services for which they are hired, they are requesting additional compensation from their employers, not from the people for whom they work.

the proper analogy: law firm associates expecting holiday gifts from their clients and refusing to do assigned work if clients decline to give them cash and chocolates.

if a secretary wanted a pay increase of $15k, she should have gone to law school, gotten good grades and gone to biglaw rather than electing to be one of the poors.

what are you people, fucking communists? from each according to his ability and to each according to his need?

fuck that, pop the Nicolas Feuillate Palmes D'Or .

What about if you use a secretary pool? At my firm 7 or 8 lawyers are assigned to a pool of 3 secretaries - A $200 gift for each one of them?

248 is the best comment on this site ever!

To the people criticizing the need/usefulness for this thread. I cannot believe you are being honest with yourself. This is NOT simply an issue of social niceties- this is an unwritten rule of law firm business on which lawyers are given no guidance other than those who have been instructed by some sort of mentor, or those (such as me) who have struggled through it and come to some sort of "equilibrium" over the years based on the relative expression of gratitude exhibited by the recipient. The only thing I would say to young associates, is try to err on the side of "generosity".

1:59(2): "each assistant has an average of 3-4 principles" -- ? These assistants need some ethics training!

I'm class of '02. I gave my secretary $500 + something for her kids even though I have many complaints about her work (which I'm voicing throughout the year) but I like her as a person and see her struggle to make a living as a single mom with two kids and other relatives who are living off her. She was thrilled and very grateful which made my day a bit better. I give paras with whom I've worked a lot B&N gift cards ($25) and I give big boxes of Godiva chocolates to other support departments.

1:51 - How is this sexist? This question/pay scale applies to male assistants just as much as female assistants.

1:15 - How is this sexist? The question/pay scale applies to male assistants just as much as it does female assistants.

Those of you familiar with JT's work on SNL know what holiday gift JT plans to give his administrative assistant.

as a junior associate pinching pennies to pay off loans, i'm pretty sure $100 means more to me than to my secretary, whose clothes are more expensive (bloomingdales) than mine (ann taylor loft). just a thought.

er, 2:55, you seem to have left your brain at the train station this morning. My point is the expectation itself is unreasonable. But since you find it reasonable, why not be generous this year and give your secretation a cool million. I think that would meet everyone's expectations.

er, 2:55, you seem to have left your brain at the train station this morning. My point is the expectation itself is unreasonable. But since you find it reasonable, why not be generous this year and give your secretary a cool million. I think that would meet everyone's expectations.

JT=post of the day award!!!!

I spent $300 on my wife's Christmas gift. For my parents and siblings, I spent about $50 each. I don't consider myself a cheapskate, but I am still six figures in debt from law school. My secretary is a nice person, but it honestly would have zero effect on my job performance if she was not there (I never ask her for anything). I am certainly not going to spend as much money on her as I do on my immediate family. A $50 gift is more than adequate.

2:38(2); 3:03 - great points. when i was a first year making $125k in new york, i was spending as much as i could on my student loans and arguably living on a lot less than my secretary. $100 to a secretary pinched my gift budget for family...which is why this tradition borders on extortion.

2:58 is correct. At least in NYC, it's tipping time for those we rely on at work (secretaries, paralegals) and at home (doormen, concierges, superintendents, handymen, etc.).

For NYC biglaw secretaries, tip is $100 per year of seniority.

when i was a paralegal, my firm (biglaw)gave us $25 gift cards to barnes and noble that was supposed to be on behalf of the "partners and associates".

Class of '03 here, being let go. Should I give my secretary something as my last day is in a week or so? In the last few years I've given gift cards with several hundred dollars on them.

But I'm being let go. Money is tight, what should I do? Thanks.

What about if you use a secretary pool? At my firm 7 or 8 lawyers are assigned to a pool of 3 secretaries - A $200 gift for each one of them?

as an AA at a top 10 NYC firm, I report to 4 associates and one partner. I'm always stuck here late and give up alot of my weekends not to mention all of cya I do for the guys hiding from wives/gfs/and bosses.

The associates give between $100-$200 and the partner gives $500. Give what you can afford as long as its thoughtful. I think it's completely unreasonable to expect a gift. Seriously!

Lmao @ the one cheap bastard that gives his AA a metrocard every holiday season. Don't let that be you.

Oh and one of the AAs is sleeping with a partner (*surprise*) and she got $200. We almost peed ourselves laughing.

I took my (male and straight!) secretary to Scores for his holiday bonus. I figure, cover, a lap dance, and few drinks was more than enough.

We share secretaries and my secretary doesn't do anything for me; she works only for the partner. When I ask for stuff, she just ignores me. I'm giving her a fifty dollar gift that she's lucky to get.

She'll have her job forever; I'm going out in five years at the most. I need to save.

So I'll weigh in--I'm a paralegal and I have my own secretary. I've worked at V10 firms in NY, London, Silicon Valley.

In New York, cash is what's appropriate and expected. Firms often give secretaries and paralegals bonuses which amount to about a piddly 5% of base (and remember, in NY, paralegal base is REALLY low). So your $100 goes a long way and means a lot.

If you think your secretary likes you (and you consider him/her a friend) feel free to take him/her out to lunch with the other associates that he/she works for. This is a classy way to say thank you IF you might enjoy one another's company.

If you really can't stand your secretary but are trying to "salvage" a relationship or "stay on his/her good side" give any of the following: bottle of wine, gift certificate to nice spa such as Bliss, nice (not chintzy) flowers, gift card to somewhere generic like B&N or Amazon.

Outside of NYC, the "cash is king" tipping-everyone-you know economy does not exist. Cash is considered tacky in MANY other parts of the country.

As for paralegals, as a paralegal, I have received presents from attorneys for whom I work particularly closely, but would NEVER EVER expect a gift, and would be offended by cash. On transactions, I am considered a "part of the team" and to be given a cash tip would further emphasize my status as "attorneys' bIatch."

If you really can't stand your secretary and he/she does nothing, then you ought to speak with him or her privately and/or his or her manager. As an associate, having a good secretary will take you far and help you get out of the office sooner AND keep you from spinning your wheels. Do what you need to do to get on the same page.

3:08

$100/year is generally the rule of thumb at my firm. I intend to go above market at $500 or so as a class of 2006 in light of the extraordinariness which is my assistant.

Obviously I'm the Wachtell of associates :p

So I'll weigh in--I'm a paralegal and I have my own secretary. I've worked at V10 firms in NY, London, Silicon Valley.

In New York, cash is what's appropriate and expected. Firms often give secretaries and paralegals bonuses which amount to about a piddly 5% of base (and remember, in NY, paralegal base is REALLY low). So your $100 goes a long way and means a lot.

If you think your secretary likes you (and you consider him/her a friend) feel free to take him/her out to lunch with the other associates that he/she works for. This is a classy way to say thank you IF you might enjoy one another's company.

If you really can't stand your secretary but are trying to "salvage" a relationship or "stay on his/her good side" give any of the following: bottle of wine, gift certificate to nice spa such as Bliss, nice (not chintzy) flowers, gift card to somewhere generic like B&N or Amazon.

Outside of NYC, the "cash is king" tipping-everyone-you know economy does not exist. Cash is considered tacky in MANY other parts of the country.

As for paralegals, as a paralegal, I have received presents from attorneys for whom I work particularly closely, but would NEVER EVER expect a gift, and would be offended by cash. On transactions, I am considered a "part of the team" and to be given a cash tip would further emphasize my status as "attorneys' bIatch."

If you really can't stand your secretary and he/she does nothing, then you ought to speak with him or her privately and/or his or her manager. As an associate, having a good secretary will take you far and help you get out of the office sooner AND keep you from spinning your wheels. Do what you need to do to get on the same page.

lemme also add that those figures I stated apply to a firm that DOES NOT give support staff a bonus. If your AA does get a bonus then the #s can be lower.

WTF @ these cheap arse people. I swear I'm going to bank to an I-bank next year :(

er, 3:05, awesome retort.

2:56 - Ah, the ersatz cultured d-bag is back from yesterday's "beyond BigLaw" thread. Welcome

I'm a paralegal at one of the biggies, and I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but two years ago, one of the associates gave me a gift card to Victoria's Secret. He was pretty pervy and always seemed to be leering. The point of this? Please please please be aware the your gifts can send the wrong message (and perhaps be bordering on sexual harassment). And, if you do give a gift card, please pick something a little less tacky than VS (hello? La Perla).

Look, if you guys buy 5 AMEX gift cards right now, you get a $25 card for yourself for free.

"I don't think it's excessive to give a gift of 1/1000th of my salary to my secretary."

or less, if you're coughing up $100.

even you "penny-pinchers" aren't that squeezed.

I'm at a mid-sized firm in a smaller market and had thought I would give a $50 gift card to my assistant my first year. Now I feel like that might seem stingy. I make just slightly more than half of what NY market pays, so is it reasonable to give a smaller gift too? Anyone from a smaller market have input?

i will give your stock certificates to the homeless guy on the train if i don't get something rad.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this scenario: I get a new secretary a couple of times of year and have not had the same one for a full year in the last 4 years. Also, I literally ask my secretary to do, like, 2 very easy tasks (expense report, etc.) all year and also share with 5 other attorneys. I feel like $200 - $500 would be appropriate if he/she actually did anything for me, but a little steep otherwise. Any thoughts?

calculating per hour, my secretary makes much more than i do. she should give me something for xmas.

my secretary is hot -- what do you think she'll do for $500?

i heard that the amex cards suck because you can't use them for part of a transaction - has to be the full price and they charge a fee for using them...

confirmation?

JT would like to invite 3:28 to interview for a position on JT's administrative staff.

IMO, those are "advocacy numbers" put out by some secretary. I think par is $100 - maybe a little less if you're junior and/or don't use em much. Maybe as high as $200 if they're awesome and you use them a lot.

At a firm where secretaries have 4 associates, that's $400 - $800 depending on how much work they do. I am under the impression that partners typically give a lot more. Good secretaries typically are partner secretaries - so they would get more in "holiday gifts". Like associate bonuses, and waiter tips, these aren't really gifts so much as a discretionary component of compensation.

Before I went to law school, I was a legal assistant in Cincinnati, OHIO - and my Christmas bonuses from my sole practicioner boss were always $500.

Stop being cheap asses, New York associates!

Before I went to law school, I was a legal assistant in Cincinnati, OHIO - and my Christmas bonuses from my sole practicioner boss were always $500.

Stop being cheap asses, New York associates!

3:22: That is creepy. Reminds me of when a boss, also a leerer, really, really, really encouraged me to see the movie "Secretary." DISGUSTING.

i don't care if i'm getting squeezed or not, my money is mine. i didn't have rich parents for nothing.

$100 for junior associates and $150 for seniors is fine. all of these twatwaffles calling everyone cheap for not blowing a grand on their secretary need to save their money and buy themselves a blowjob or a gun to kill themselves with.

I usually give my secretary a pair of panties and a ponytail holder. Do you think that is enough?

hey lat,

you get props for the reference to that hott movie.

I think you mean to say "with which to kill themselves."

DO YOU HAVE TO GIVE A GIFT IF YOUR FIRM ALREADY PAYS HER A BONUS????

I don't tip because society says I have to.
If they really put forth the effort, I'll give 'em somethin' extra.
But this tipping automatically, it's for the birds.
As far as I'm concerned, they're just doin' their job.
….
These ladies aren't starvin' to death. They make minimum wage.
I used to work minimum wage, and when I did...
I wasn't lucky enough to have a job that society deemed tip-worthy.

As an '04, I will be giving my secretary $150. She does very little for me -- but not by choice, as she works mostly for the partners to whom she is assigned.

I am getting my secretary the newest and sweetest version of solitaire.

3:42(1) - leerer? i hardly even know her!

Secretaries love throwing stars.Five throwing stars per year of seniority is appropriate.

Sabres and swords are lame gifts; they are something that pirate would give.

Again, I don't think my secretary is a bad person, I just think she is very lazy and gets paid exceptionally well given that she basically does nothing and is probably only at her desk about 25-30 hrs a week. I'm guessing she makes at least $70,000. The truth is she has a very cushy gig and I do not think she is owed some awesome display of gratitute in the form of a lavish Christmas gift. From what I can tell walking around the office, seeing many, many secretaries playing snood and reading romance novels all day (even during periods of high activity, like 6 months ago), she is not an outlier.

dogs: That wasn't a very good poem. You should start small with haiku, then go longer only when you have the hang of "loading every rift with ore."

Any SUMMERS get their secretary anything? I gave $50.

Again, I don't think my secretary is a bad person, I just think she is very lazy and gets paid exceptionally well given that she basically does nothing and is probably only at her desk about 25-30 hrs a week. I'm guessing she makes at least $70,000. The truth is she has a very cushy gig and I do not think she is owed some awesome display of gratitute in the form of a lavish Christmas gift.

How much should I give to the guy who washes the workout gear at the gym? He provides at least as much value as my secretary.

until i am a shareholder in a firm, I will not tip the staff as we are all fellow employees. duh.

They do about the same amount of work, Summers get to go on outings and make a boatload of money.

Summers should also tip the year-long associates.

4:06: I gave flowers.

Here's where this is all so screwy. For the most part, attorneys are extremely lucky to hae been born with brains and opportunity to get them into law school. Frequently, the only difference between attorneys and the staff who support them is exactly this luck.

You are not "entitled" to be where you are, making six figures for doing less actual law than most government lawyers, you are "lucky." If part of your employer's expectation is that you participate in the compensation of your secretary, than just do it and quit whining about how your secretary doesn't deserve it. There are lots of things you're getting that you don't deserve.

Here's where this is all so screwy. For the most part, attorneys are extremely lucky to hae been born with brains and opportunity to get them into law school. Frequently, the only difference between attorneys and the staff who support them is exactly this luck.

You are not "entitled" to be where you are, making six figures for doing less actual law than most government lawyers, you are "lucky." If part of your employer's expectation is that you participate in the compensation of your secretary, than just do it and quit whining about how your secretary doesn't deserve it. There are lots of things you're getting that you don't deserve.

There are many smart people out there who do not earn as much as lawyers.

Not all lawyers in BIGLAW are smart. Some are hard working.

Lawyers in BIGLAW have to get lucky, make good decisions, work hard and need to continue to do so on a regular basis.

4:17, you deserve something else...

At my firm we're all asked to contribute $50 bucks for a general fund for gifts for the staff and then we're expected to give gifts to our individual secretaries on top of that. As a first year (class of '07) I ask virtually nothing of my secretary and she always acts as though my tiny tasks are a major inconvenience, but I won't rock the boat and I'll cough up a small gift. If nothing else, she's less likely to bad mouth me to more senior attorneys, right?

At my firm we're all asked to contribute $50 bucks for a general fund for gifts for the staff and then we're expected to give gifts to our individual secretaries on top of that. As a first year (class of '07) I ask virtually nothing of my secretary (who seems to be here only half the time for a number of different reasons) and she often acts as though my tiny tasks are a major inconvenience, but I won't rock the boat and I'll cough up a small gift. If nothing else, she's less likely to bad mouth me to more senior attorneys, right?

What's with all the cost-benefit? It's Christmas, you cheap bastards!

"These ladies aren't starvin' to death. They make minimum wage"

Nice work, sexist asshole!

4:17/4:18, you're absolutely right. Unlike apparently most of the posters here, I am not so deluded to think that my earning almost 200k a year has nothing to do with 1) my solvent and supportive parents, 2) my white skin, 3) my good looks, or 4) my intelligence (which I did not *earn* but rather was LUCKY enough to be born with). And, for that matter, my status as a natural-born US citizen. People like me are the ones those in power give opportunities to. It's fucked up and unfair, but it's the way it is. I rose to the top in very large part because of hard work, and in another very large part because of the sheer accident of birth. Maybe .00001% of you *actually* had no unfair advantages and somehow beat the odds and made it up here. Those few of you have my genuine respect. 99.99999% of the population goes on to live life within the range of possibilities available to them at the moment they're expelled from mommy's uterus. You get some credit for getting nearer the top of that range, rather than nearer the bottom. But you don't get credit for the fact that this range gives you much better possibilities than the vast majority of the world has.

So if you don't want to give your secretaries expensive gifts, don't. There is no law making you do it. You're not going to get fired if you don't give your secretary a gift. Will your secretary think you're a cheap bastard? Yes, and for good reason. Will your colleagues think you're a cheap bastard? Quite possible. But you've still got the choice. You are all absolutely right that a gift is something you choose to give, not something you have to give. If you resent gift-giving, don't do it. If you don't care what people think about you, there's no reason to give something you don't want to give. If you do care what people think about you, then why are you such an asshole?

I think what many of us chafe at is the suggestion that we are assholes for being reluctant to give an expensive gift to someone who is no more helpful than a complete stranger.

Point of order 02:06 PM. You sound like a trolling secretary. Secretaries don't work WITH us, they works for us -- if, that is, you have a secretary and aren't, in fact, a secretary.

Here's how we know why: you never mentioned in your post 02:06 PM that your sec would be expected to get YOU anything for the Holidays. In other words, because biglaw secretaries aren't over at Underthelaw.com discussing what to get their lawyers, they don't work WITH us, they work FOR us.

(Further evidence of this fact came on my first week at biglaw about 3 years back, when my secretary knocked on my closed door and asked if I'd sign her leave form; the other lawyers she worked FOR had already done so, and she needed my signature to take off. I don't ASK HER to take leave.)

4:06--I took my secretary out to lunch a couple times duringt he summer. It was fun, I learned some gossip, and we had a good time. As general advice, don't try to expense the lunch. Pay for it yourself.

Lat,

Have you seen the new S&C website. What's up with the pics of each office? I'm not sure I like the new site compared to the prior one with photos of mountain peaks from across the globe.

Maybe do a thread on whether that helps or hurts recruiting/image, etc?

Black’s Law Dictionary defines “gratuity” as “something acquired or otherwise received without bargain or inducement. Something given freely or without recompense; a gift. Something voluntarily given in return for a favor or especially a service, hence, a bounty; a tip; a bribe.”

hmm....

4:06--I took my secretary out to lunch a couple times during the summer. It was fun, I learned some gossip, and we had a good time. As general advice, don't try to expense the lunch. Pay for it yourself.

My secretary did nothing other than my travel reimbursements. I gave her a $50 gift card. Never received a thank you.

I was in a V60 firm not in NYC. I thought this was a reasonable gift given my non-use. Her response, however, I found to be less than reasonable.

4:49 - You couldn't be more right.

4:44 - Interesting post.

My secretary is not very helpful. I gave her a $50 gift certificate last year. Our paralegals however are intelligent and helpful. I give them small gift cards or take them out for lunch.

does this chart apply to secretaries who you use for sex but who are otherwise not specifically assigned to you?

All of the secretaries at my firm are sweet as pie, except mine. I try to kill her with kindness, but she's still a bitch most of the time. I get the impression her life sucks, but that doesn't make her attitude appreciably more bearable. Maybe I should give all of the secreatries besides her a Christmas gift? They're surely nicer to talk to.

My secretary is an idiot. She screws everything up - even the simpliest of tasks. I guess I should be fair and still give her some cash.

My secretary is an idiot. She screws everything up - even the simpliest of tasks. I guess I should be fair and still give her some cash.

4:49 - true, except that the gift should be thought of as insurance. An assistant who is no more helpful than a stranger right now - when she/he likes you - can make your life hell later if you don't buy that insurance with the Christmas gift. Keep on the assistant's good side and you won't be screwing yourself because you thought it was "unfair" not to give this forced "gift". These are the voluntary rules of the game.

How is a stupid Amex gift card more "tasteful"? It has fees, it expires. Go to the bank and get some C notes.

4:49, what makes you assholes is that you're treating what to you is a pittance like a huge sum of money when it comes to spending it on someone *else*. Even taking debt into account, you still make gobs of money. Even if you don't routinely spend extravagantly on nights out with friends, etc., $100 or so is *still* quite simply *not* a lot of money. It just isn't.

When you guys talk like this, you sound an awful lot like whiny partners who don't want to pony up for bonuses/pay raises. To them, 20k or something is not a huge amount, but to us, it's a big deal.

4:53, the new S&C website looks terrible. Seriously. It's like going to Wikipedia.

I hope they didn't pay a lot for that TTT redesign.