Graduation Gift Ideas For Debt-Burdened Law School Graduates

Hint: You might want to think about alleviating a financial burden law school graduates typically face. 

Graduation season is now fully upon us.  Indeed, I am sure that many of your social media feeds are currently being inundated with pictures of happy graduates, and congratulations to the class of 2018.  It is also still early in the bar review season, so the glow of graduation is still around recent graduates before they have to settle into the crucible of studying for and taking the bar exam.

Another difficulty that recent law school graduates will soon face is repaying student loans.  Although student debt is typically deferred while individuals are in law school, students must repay their loans once they are no longer a student.  From my own personal experience, if you are thinking about giving a present to a debt-burdened recent graduate, there are a few gifts that will really help soon-to-be lawyers who may have student loans.

One great gift idea for debt-burdened law school graduates is bar outlines or any other materials that could help a recent graduate study for the bar exam.  Many of us know firsthand just how expensive it can be to pay for a bar review course and take the bar exam.  Although some people are fortunate enough to have jobs lined up at firms that provide them with a bar stipend, many law school graduates must borrow money to float themselves while studying for the bar exam.

A number of young lawyers (myself included) kept our old bar review outlines after taking the bar exam.  Some bar candidates keep their outlines because they think they might need them if they fail the bar exam, and others hold onto their outlines since they have sentimental value.   Sure, these old outlines might be highlighted, torn, and in bad condition.  However, they can still be useful to individuals taking the bar exam, especially since the law tested on the bar exam does not really change that much over a few years.  If you have bar outlines, and know a recent graduate who could use them, definitely consider gifting these outlines to those who might need these materials.  After you pass the bar exam, you will likely never look at the outlines again, and the outlines can help recent law school graduates save money on bar prep.

Another great graduation gift idea for debt-burdened law school graduates is business attire.  Many recent law school graduates do not have too much cash on hand prior to starting their jobs, and a professional wardrobe is a must for many lawyers.  While I was working my first job out of law school, I was still wearing the same suits and shoes I had in high school, and I was still rocking the same tie I wore at my bar mitzvah!  I didn’t have enough money to update my wardrobe until months after I started practicing law, and until then, I had to get by with what I had.

I wish someone would have bought me a suit or two after graduating from law school so that I had decent clothes right at the beginning of my career.  Although it is oftentimes advisable to wear cheaper outfits when appearing in New York state court, the suits I had were almost laughably bad.  In order to set up debt-burdened recent graduates for success in their careers, definitely consider buying them some professional attire.

After taking the bar exam, many recent graduates have a month or two without anything to do before they have to begin their jobs.  This time allows recent law school graduates to decompress after the rigors of taking the bar exam, and many soon-to-be-attorneys take bar trips during this respite.  While this time could be used to make extra money to pay off student debt, it is still important that every recent law school graduate do something fun to decompress during this period before beginning their first job.

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Bar trips are not cheap, and I have heard of some individuals paying thousands of dollars in order to take a vacation before beginning their first jobs.  I personally did not have any money to travel during this time.  I mostly spent my time between taking the bar exam and starting my first job crashing on my grandparents’ couch and taking advantage of a free 10-day trip to the Holy Land.  However, if you really want to give a meaningful gift to debt-burdened recent law school graduate, make sure that they have the chance to have a bar trip before starting their first job.  This vacation will make sure that they are completely ready to dedicate themselves to being a practicing attorney once they enter the workforce.

In the end, many recent law school graduates do not have much money to spare, since they are not working and need to pay for the expense of studying for and taking the bar exam.  As such, if you are thinking about giving a graduation gift to a recent law school graduate, you might want to think about alleviating a financial burden law school graduates typically face.  Whether it’s bar outlines, clothes, or money for a bar trip, there are a number of gifts that will help debt-burdened law school graduates prepare themselves for their future careers.


Jordan RothmanJordan Rothman is the founder of Student Debt Diaries, a personal finance website discussing how he paid off all $197,890.20 of his college and law school student loans over 46 months of his late 20s. You can reach him at Jordan@studentdebtdiaries.com.

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