Qualifying, Call to the Bar and Taking Silk
The legal profession loves a ceremony, and each one is an opportunity for a gift that will actually be worn. Personalised lawyer cufflinks suit:
- Admission as a solicitor, after the degree, the exams and years of qualifying work.
- Call to the Bar, a day of gowns, speeches and proud parents at one of the Inns of Court.
- Tenancy or partnership, when the hard work of pupillage or associate life turns into a permanent place.
- Taking silk or judicial appointment, a rare and significant honour.
- Retirement, after a career spent reading the small print for other people.
A pair also makes a good present from a pupil to a supervisor, or from a trainee to the partner who took them under their wing. Parents who have watched a son spend his twenties in libraries and exam halls often choose lawyer cufflinks for admission day, as something he can wear to his first hearing or his first meeting with a client of his own.
Designs for Chambers and the Office
Lawyers are often precise people, so a well-chosen design matters. Some ideas:
- The scales of justice, drawn in clean lines, the classic symbol of the profession.
- An Inn crest. Members of Lincoln's Inn, Gray's Inn, Inner Temple or Middle Temple may be pleased to wear their Inn's arms.
- A barrister's wig, sketched simply, for something with a bit of humour.
- A Latin phrase he's fond of, such as "Fiat justitia", in elegant lettering.
- Initials and a date: the year of admission or call, set like a legal citation.
- His firm's logo, for partners and firms marking a milestone together.
For a lighter touch, try a gavel (even though English courts don't use them, which a lawyer will enjoy pointing out) or "Objection" in bold type.
Making Fine Detail Readable
Legal symbols and crests are often intricate, with heraldic detail and small mottos that were designed for a letterhead rather than a small square. Before you upload, simplify where possible. Choose the plainest version of a crest, drop any motto that would shrink below reading size, and make sure the lines are bold. If you're using text, stick to a few words in a serif typeface, dark on a light background.
Zoom in with the live preview to see how the details hold up. If a feature disappears, the design probably needs simplifying. Your upload is printed at its original resolution, which is why the largest, sharpest file you have is the one to use.
Worn Under the Gown, Worn to Court
Court dress for barristers and solicitor-advocates involves a white shirt, often with double cuffs, beneath the gown, and cufflinks are one of the few places personal taste can show. A quiet design, such as a crest or initials, is well suited to court, while something more playful might be saved for dinners in hall or a firm's summer party. Some choose one of each.
Solicitors in private practice often wear double-cuffed shirts to client meetings and completions, so lawyer cufflinks are likely to see plenty of use. For in-house counsel and those in quieter practice areas, they're a small, personal flourish on an otherwise sober outfit, and a pleasant change from the anonymous pair bought in a hurry at the airport.
Ordering a Pair, or a Set for Chambers
A single pair is £40 with shipping included. If you're buying for a group, perhaps a set of new tenants or all the trainees qualifying this autumn, each person's design can be added separately to the same order. Five pairs cost £80 altogether: £15 for each pair and £5 for shipping.
- Upload your image, a crest, symbol or lettering saved as a picture.
- Check the live preview on both cufflinks and drag or zoom to position the design.
- Order through our secure checkout.
Each pair is printed at KF Online's Cornwall workshop, 17 years into the personalised gift trade, and finished with a polished, silver-coloured look and sent gift boxed.