Most lists of client appreciation gifts offer 25 ideas for any business, from mugs and snack boxes to a blanket with a logo on it. A partner at a law firm or an advisor with a book of families is thanking clients who expect more care than that. Private bankers are in the same position, and all of them work under rules that a general list never mentions.
This guide is organized by kind of firm. For the range of gifts we design for companies, see our luxury corporate gifts for clients.
Client gifts work best when they fit the firm
Each section below looks at the client and the rules before it gets to the gift. The table puts the 3 kinds of firm side by side.
The short answer
- Choose a gift that lasts, and keep the firm's mark quiet.
- Stay inside the rules for your industry and your client's.
- Add a handwritten note from the person who knows the client.
| Kind of firm | What clients value | The rule to check | A gift that fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law firm | Judgment, discretion and a name that carries weight | American Bar Association Model Rules 1.8(e) and 7.2(b)(5), and your state bar's version | A brass paperweight or embossed leather coasters |
| Financial advisor | Trust built over years, and an advisor who knows the family | Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Rule 3220 and your firm's policy | A merino throw or a leather travel set |
| Private bank | Privacy, continuity across generations, and things they cannot buy | The bank's own gift and anti-bribery policy | A cashmere wrap, a devoré scarf or enamel cufflinks |
5 rules apply to every client gift
Make it last
A gift that gets used every week keeps the relationship in view. Choose something made well enough to keep for years, in leather, brass, silk or wool, from makers who know the material.
Keep the mark quiet
Senior clients rarely want to carry a logo around. On bridle leather a crest can be blind-embossed with no foil, as on the notebook cover below. A devoré scarf shows its pattern only against the light, and a tie can keep the firm's colors for the tipping in its lining.
Check the client's own gift policy
Many companies cap what their people can accept, and general counsel often work under their own company's policy. A word with your contact's assistant before you send anything can save an awkward return.
Choose something they could not buy
Wealthy clients can buy almost anything, so a gift drawn for your firm alone and sold in no shop has a better chance of being something they do not already own.
Tier the list and write the note
Give a keepsake to the top tier and a smaller piece in the same colors to everyone else, and have each gift carry a handwritten line from the person who knows the client.
There is also a rule on your own side of the gift. A business can deduct no more than $25 per recipient per year for business gifts, as Internal Revenue Service Publication 463 sets out, so confirm the treatment with your own tax advisor. Our guide to whether client gifts are tax deductible works through an example.
Law firm clients value judgment and discretion
Law firm clients expect discretion
Law firm relationships run through long matters and confidential work, and clients choose a firm whose name carries weight. A gift from the firm should be as discreet as its work and well enough made to last, which rules out most novelty items.
The bar rules limit gifts to referral sources
Under the American Bar Association's Model Rules, 2 limits matter most. Rule 1.8(e) bars a lawyer from giving financial assistance to a client in connection with pending or contemplated litigation, so a gift to a client in an active case needs care. And Rule 7.2(b)(5) allows only nominal gifts as thanks to people who recommend the lawyer, never as payment for future referrals. Each state adopts its own version of these rules, so check your state bar before you send anything.
A paperweight or leather set suits a law firm
A brass paperweight
A Brass Paperweight starts from $58. It is hand-forged and engraved with the firm's crest, and it should outlast the career of whoever keeps it on their desk.
Embossed leather coasters
Embossed Leather Coasters start from $35, in English bridle leather, blind-embossed and stitched by hand. Browse leather coasters, card holders and luggage tags in the catalog.
A woven club tie
A Woven Club Tie starts from $55, with the firm's stripe and emblem carried through the weave, for a partners' dinner or the firm's anniversary.
For referral sources, keep to a small token, such as a Lapel Pin from $15 or a Luggage Tag from $28, and decide with your own ethics counsel whether it is nominal under your state's rule.
Financial advisory clients value trust built over years
Advisory clients expect to be known
An advisory relationship often runs for decades and passes down a generation. The moments that matter tend to be family ones, like a retirement or the sale of a business. Clients stay with an advisor who knows the whole family, and a well-chosen gift can show that you do.
The gifts rule now reaches $300
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority raised its gifts limit from $100 to $300 per person per year, effective March 30, 2026, as Regulatory Notice 26-05 explains. Rule 3220 covers gifts to people at other firms given in relation to their employer's business, and the amended rule states that it does not apply to gifts to individual retail customers. Your firm's own policy still applies, and gifts covered by the rule must be recorded. The rule is written for member firms and the people associated with them, so ask your compliance team which limits apply to your practice.
A throw or leather travel set suits an advisory practice
A merino throw for the household
A Merino Throw starts from $88, woven in the firm's colors. It is as much for the client's home and family as for the client.
Leather for clients who travel
A Luggage Tag starts from $28 and a Card Holder from $32. MIT Sloan's leather passport holder and luggage tag, made for the School's top donors, are a good example of the pairing.
A Saxony wool scarf
A Saxony Wool Scarf starts from $58, woven on the looms that make the scarlet cloth for the Guards' uniforms at Buckingham Palace.
Tier the book the same way. The top tier receives the throw or the leather set, and the wider list a smaller piece, such as a card holder, in the same colors.
Private bank clients value privacy and things they cannot buy
Private bank clients expect privacy
A private bank's clients value privacy and quiet service, and their relationship with the bank often passes from one generation to the next. Because they can buy almost anything, a gift nobody else can buy means more to them than its price, and a visible logo puts them off. J.P. Morgan Private Bank is among the corporations and private clubs we have made gifts for.
Bank policy sets the limits
Banks set their own gift and anti-bribery policies, and gifts to clients who hold public office need extra care. Check with your compliance team before the list is final.
Scarves and enamel cufflinks suit a private bank
A cashmere wrap or a silk pashmina set
A Cashmere Wrap & Pashmina starts from $95, in the finest Scottish cashmere, and a Silk Pashmina Gift Set from $90, a silk and wool blend hand-wrapped in a foil-embossed box. Browse cashmere and silk scarves.
A devoré scarf
A Devoré Scarf starts from $72. The pattern is burned into the cloth itself, so it shows against the light.
Enamel cufflinks or a silk tie
Enamel Cufflinks start from $45 with a small emblem set in enamel, and a Bespoke Silk Tie from $48 can carry custom tipping in its lining. Our guide to custom cufflinks shows how a crest becomes a pair.
Our guarantee matters most to this kind of client: every bespoke gift we create is exclusive to the client who commissions it and never available for purchase by others.
The best moment is often outside December
Most client gifts go out in December, when they compete with every other card and basket. We would rather send one at a moment that belongs to the relationship, such as the close of a matter, a client's retirement or a family event. The anniversary of the relationship works too, as does the annual review or a client dinner, and a gift sent at one of those times usually arrives on its own. If December is still your season, our guide to holiday gifts for clients covers the timing.
A bespoke client gift takes 8 to 16 weeks
Emma designs each gift around the firm's colors and crest. She starts with hand-drawn sketches, and samples are made for your approval. The gift itself is made in Britain by mills and a foundry that hold Royal Warrants, then arrives in a presentation box branded for your firm, with a notecard that carries its provenance. Most projects take 8 to 16 weeks, and our process page explains how a Harris Made project runs.
Our requested minimum is 125 per design, so 1 design can serve every office of a firm. We partner with the Fair Labor Association, which matters to firms with supplier standards of their own. Read more about how British craftsmanship shapes each piece.
"We cannot thank you enough for the extraordinary heirloom-quality gifts that reflect our deep appreciation for our Benefactors. With your help, we have created unforgettable memories that they will carry with them and share within the Notre Dame community. Collaborating with you has been a true delight!" Jessica Reasons, The University of Notre Dame
"Harris Made designs are made with such precision, sophistication, and embody a rich story of tradition. They are the perfect recognition gifts for our most loyal alumni and friends." Emily Abrahamson, Donor Engagement, University of Chicago
Harris Made designs client gifts for firms
We have made 585 bespoke projects for over 300 institutional clients, each drawn from scratch and kept exclusive to the client who commissioned it. Our corporate gifts for clients and executives page shows what we make for firms, and you can read the client stories behind it. When you know who you want to thank, start a project.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good gift to give to a client?
Something lasting and well made that the client would not buy for themselves, with the firm's mark kept quiet and a handwritten note. For a law firm we would suggest a paperweight. An advisory practice might send a merino throw for the client's home, and a private bank a cashmere wrap.
How much can a financial advisor spend on a client gift?
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Rule 3220 allows $300 per person per year for gifts to people at other firms given in relation to their employer's business, and the amended rule does not apply to gifts to individual retail customers. Your firm's own policy still applies, so check with your compliance team.
Can lawyers give gifts to clients?
Yes, within limits. Under the American Bar Association Model Rules, a lawyer may not give financial assistance to a client in pending or contemplated litigation, and thank-you gifts to people who recommend the lawyer must be nominal. State rules vary, so check your own state bar.
Should every client get the same gift?
Tier the list instead. Give a bespoke keepsake to the top tier and a smaller piece in the same colors to everyone else.
When should you send client appreciation gifts?
At moments that belong to the relationship, such as the close of a matter, a relationship anniversary, a retirement or the annual review. December is crowded, so a gift at another time stands out.
Are client appreciation gifts tax deductible?
Up to $25 per recipient per year under Internal Revenue Service rules, with some exceptions. Read Publication 463 and confirm with your own tax advisor.