What Your Secretary Wants for Christmas: Cash

With the holidays upon us, many lawyers presumably have already anted up. But for the procrastinators amongst us, Texas Lawyer offers a thoughtful gift-giving suggestion for lawyers seeking to show their appreciation to secretaries and legal assistants: Between $100 and $500, in cash.

It should be enclosed in a card thanking the staff member for her (or his) work, writes an anonymous Assistant-at-Law in a column in the legal publication. "Nothing beats a few crisp greenbacks tucked into a nice card that reads 'thanks for all you do.' "

And, for those who really want to impress staff members with how much their work is appreciated, simply saying thank-you more than once a year is a great start, the article notes.