It’s almost upon us: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa. This is the time of year when lawyers look up from their file-strewn desks, sigh deeply and ponder, “Do I give my assistant a gift, and if so, what?”
There is a case for going giftless. A legal assistant isn’t part of a lawyer’s family, and neither is she a friend. She’s a co-worker — a professional who need not be tipped like wait staff or a parking valet. Some assistants find it embarrassing to receive a gift from a lawyer; when that lawyer never expresses appreciation any other time, a gift at Christmas can even seem condescending.
