Best gifts from a partner after you close a deal? Forum

[lawstudent212]

So far, I've received 3: (1) $250 Amazon gift card, $200 bottle of wine and $150 bottle of tequila. Currently a 5th year so it seems rare that these gifts are passed around. Anyone else receive interesting gifts?

[Anonymous User]

nice bottle of Dom. "academic" partner at an "academic" firm, so was pretty amused.

[legalpotato]

Gift from a partner? I thought associates were supposed to give gifts to the partners as a way to thank them for staffing us on their deals. Anyways, second best gift I gave was my grandfathers patek which I inherited to thank a partner for staffing me on a marque deal that was in WSJ.

First best gift I gave was my mental and physical health and my youth.

[Kikero]

Best was a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue. Second best was a cup of coffee when the partner came in and saw I’d been in all night. As you may have guessed I’ve only received those two.

[jbagelboy]

Gift from a partner? I thought associates were supposed to give gifts to the partners as a way to thank them for staffing us on their deals. Anyways, second best gift I gave was my grandfathers patek which I inherited to thank a partner for staffing me on a marque deal that was in WSJ.

First best gift I gave was my mental and physical health and my youth.

Respect

[TUwave]

I've received a bottle of Dom, a $250 amazon gift card, a $250 goldbelly gift card, a candy snack box thingy, a bottle of laphroaig 18, and a $200 doordash gift card. Also a 5th year.

I will say that these gifts have become more prevalent since COVID, previously partners would usually just take us out to dinner (since not everyone got to go to the "official" closing dinner).

[MaryLane13]

I got a bottle of good whiskey and used to be invited to dinner.

[Anonymous User]

Four years in, one time a partner has done a deal gift, which was charging a dinner to the firm. We had a nice dinner, to be fair. Wasn’t aware gifts were/are/can be typical.

[CanadianWolf]

Surprised that no one has answered:

"More work."

[TUwave]

Four years in, one time a partner has done a deal gift, which was charging a dinner to the firm. We had a nice dinner, to be fair. Wasn’t aware gifts were/are/can be typical.

The gifts are usually for extra shitty deals (i.e. one was on a stupid timeline, one was over July 4th weekend, one closed on the 12/31).

[Anonymous User]

Surprised no one did this one yet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77Y6CIyyBcI

[Moneytrees]

Gift from a partner? I thought associates were supposed to give gifts to the partners as a way to thank them for staffing us on their deals. Anyways, second best gift I gave was my grandfathers patek which I inherited to thank a partner for staffing me on a marque deal that was in WSJ.

First best gift I gave was my mental and physical health and my youth.

You gave a Patek to a partner, as a thank you for staffing you on a deal? Very confused by that.

[Anonymous User]

You all are getting gifts???

[Joachim2017]

Gift from a partner? I thought associates were supposed to give gifts to the partners as a way to thank them for staffing us on their deals. Anyways, second best gift I gave was my grandfathers patek which I inherited to thank a partner for staffing me on a marque deal that was in WSJ.

First best gift I gave was my mental and physical health and my youth.

You gave a Patek to a partner, as a thank you for staffing you on a deal? Very confused by that.

The second-best gift here is actually the first-best.

[legalpotato]

Gift from a partner? I thought associates were supposed to give gifts to the partners as a way to thank them for staffing us on their deals. Anyways, second best gift I gave was my grandfathers patek which I inherited to thank a partner for staffing me on a marque deal that was in WSJ.

First best gift I gave was my mental and physical health and my youth.

You gave a Patek to a partner, as a thank you for staffing you on a deal? Very confused by that.

The second-best gift here is actually the first-best.

Its true. Value of Patek = priceless Value of Associates Life = whatever value of paper they use to wrap mcdonalds burger that you immediately discard

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

Whenever it was that every firm had some consultant come in and say millennials like to be thanked all the time, our boomers starting doing it. My response was always "As far as I'm concerned, you thank me every two weeks." I like to keep it focused.

[Stillblade]

Surprised that no one has answered:

"More work."

The Patek answer was 10000% better tbh

[Anonymous User]

This thread is intensely weird. There are firms where partners give gifts for deals other than the stupid deal toys that senselessly end up in landfills? Like, I'm all for the associate proletariat raising up and asking for more money, but... partner deal gifts just strikes me something that shouldn't be a thing? Literally doing one's job.

[Anonymous User]

This thread is intensely weird. There are firms where partners give gifts for deals other than the stupid deal toys that senselessly end up in landfills? Like, I'm all for the associate proletariat raising up and asking for more money, but... partner deal gifts just strikes me something that shouldn't be a thing? Literally doing one's job.

Four years in, one time a partner has done a deal gift, which was charging a dinner to the firm. We had a nice dinner, to be fair. Wasn’t aware gifts were/are/can be typical.

The gifts are usually for extra shitty deals (i.e. one was on a stupid timeline, one was over July 4th weekend, one closed on the 12/31).

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone else not know how to react when partners go out of their way to thank you? It makes me feel awkward and weirdly bitter because it doesn't even remotely make up for the fact that I sacrificed my weekend/holiday/youth. Like the thank you is cute but that same partner is just going to keep piling work on you regardless so does it really mean anything?

[crazywafflez]

I got a bottle of Blanton's from a partner the day I was sworn in- and they did take me out to dinner after passing the bar.
Got some nice paintings from a partner to hang in my office.
Got some books from another partner.
All in all, pretty happy, hah.
I'm in lit though.

[Joachim2017]

I got a bottle of Blanton's from a partner the day I was sworn in- and they did take me out to dinner after passing the bar.
Got some nice paintings from a partner to hang in my office.
Got some books from another partner.
All in all, pretty happy, hah.
I'm in lit though.

Wow, that's great. And unusual! (In Big Law, anyway).

[crazywafflez]

I work at a boutique firm, not in biglaw and not major market, hah; so that could be the difference!
Y'all get more money though, hah

[TUwave]

This thread is intensely weird. There are firms where partners give gifts for deals other than the stupid deal toys that senselessly end up in landfills? Like, I'm all for the associate proletariat raising up and asking for more money, but... partner deal gifts just strikes me something that shouldn't be a thing? Literally doing one's job.

Four years in, one time a partner has done a deal gift, which was charging a dinner to the firm. We had a nice dinner, to be fair. Wasn’t aware gifts were/are/can be typical.

The gifts are usually for extra shitty deals (i.e. one was on a stupid timeline, one was over July 4th weekend, one closed on the 12/31).

Yeah see above. Also, partners don’t give deal toys, bankers do. And partners usually keep them for themselves, they don’t trickle down to the people who actually did the work. I’ve gotten like 3 over 5 years.

[Anonymous User]

This thread is intensely weird. There are firms where partners give gifts for deals other than the stupid deal toys that senselessly end up in landfills? Like, I'm all for the associate proletariat raising up and asking for more money, but... partner deal gifts just strikes me something that shouldn't be a thing? Literally doing one's job.

Four years in, one time a partner has done a deal gift, which was charging a dinner to the firm. We had a nice dinner, to be fair. Wasn’t aware gifts were/are/can be typical.

The gifts are usually for extra shitty deals (i.e. one was on a stupid timeline, one was over July 4th weekend, one closed on the 12/31).

Yeah see above. Also, partners don’t give deal toys, bankers do. And partners usually keep them for themselves, they don’t trickle down to the people who actually did the work. I’ve gotten like 3 over 5 years.

Must vary by firm them. I have two shelves full of the stupid things and I know the partners chip in for them (along with the bankers) because I've talked to the billing partners that gripe about how stupid they are . I do a lot of restructuring work, maybe this also varies based on type of deal.

If I make shares I'm going to try to make an effort to give something to my associates that work on particularly difficult deals...