via
Getty)
Hanukkah
is
here,
Christmas
is
nearly
upon
us,
and
everyone
in
the
legal
profession
is
ready
to
ring
in
the
New
Year,
so
it’s
finally
time
to
reveal
the
six
finalists
for
our
seventeenth
annual
holiday
card
contest.
But
first
let’s
give
shout-outs
to
some
honorable
mentions
(click
on
each
firm’s
name
to
see
its
card):
1. Armond
Wilson:
Yet
another
fantastic
card
“some
of
the
cleverest
IP
litigators
in
the
universe”
—
this
firm
was
gunning
for
its
third
honorable
mention
in
a
row,
and
here
it
is!
Inspired
by
the
beloved
Charlie
Brown
Christmas
Special,
this
card
features
firm
founder Michelle
Armond channeling
Lucy
to
dispense
IP
litigation
help.
2.
Capua
Law:
This
card
comes
complete
with
some
stereotypical
lawyerly
edits
that
you
need
to
see
for
yourself
to
have
a
little
chuckle.
3.
Diaz
Trade
Law:
“Who
even
heard
of
a
tariff
before
2025?!
Customs
attorneys
have
really
been
through
the
wringer
this
year.
Somehow
they
still
found
the
time
to
put
together
this
epic holiday
card.”
A
card
featuring
Santa
trying
to
get
around
tariffs?
Say
less!
And
now,
the
six
finalists,
in
alphabetical
order.
Again,
click
on
each
firm’s
name
to
view
its
card.
Please
note
that
most
of
these
cards
have
SOUND,
so
you
might
want
to
turn
your
sound
off
or
down,
or
use
headphones.
Explanatory
comments
come
from
firm
representatives
unless
indicated.
1.
Butler
Snow:
After
winning
this
competition
in
2023
and
2024,
this
firm
is
back
with
yet
another
memorable
holiday
card.
Can
you
say
threepeat?
From
the
nominator:
“This
year
we
set
out
to
answer
some
of
the
most
pressing
holiday
legal
questions.
If
you’ve
ever
wondered
whether
or
not
you
could
sue
someone
for
giving
you
another
fruitcake,
or
if
you’ve
ever
thought
about
using
municipal
bonds
to
finance
a
holiday
parade,
then
we’ve
got
you
covered!”
2.
Davis
Wright
Tremaine:
“Created
in
partnership
with
world-renowned
Rube
Goldberg
machine
expert-builder
Zach
Umperovitch,
this
End-of-Year
film
showcases
a
custom
chain-reaction
machine
designed
to
transition
through
all
four
seasons.
Crafted
and
filmed
by
DWT
Studios,
the
piece
reflects
the
firm’s
spirit
of
innovation
and
connection
—
capturing
the
story
of
a
year
through
motion,
precision,
and
collaboration.”
Don’t
look
away
from
this
incredibly
interesting
holiday
video
card,
you
might
miss
something!
3.
Fish
&
Richardson:
Our
nominator
wonders,
“Does
navigating
the holidays ever
feel
as
difficult
as
solving
a
complex
math
or
science
problem?”
Not
to
worry,
because
this
IP
firm
has
your
back.
“As
an
IP
firm
where
85%
of
our
legal
staff
have
a
STEM
degree,
our holiday
card lightheartedly
acknowledges
that
each
of
us
must
call
upon
our
inner
scientist
to
navigate
this
season!
The
graphics
support
the
message
by
featuring
math
equations,
computer
algorithms,
and
chemistry
formulas
on
a
blackboard
background.
While
the
square
root
of
a
snowman
remains
one
of
the
great
unsolved
equations
of
our
time,
we
were
lucky
to
be
able
to
call
upon
several
of
the
115
Ph.D.s
at
our
firm
to
validate
the
real
equations
and
formulas!”
(There
really
are
some
complicated
formulas
featured
in
this
card,
and
Fish
is
truly
lucky
to
have
staff
on
hand
who
can
figure
them
out.)
4.
Larson
•
King:
From
our
nominator:
“For
many
years
the
firm
has
pushed
the
boundaries
with
their holiday cards.
The
2025
greeting
highlights
this
year’s
Wicked-mania
with
a
legal
twist.
Join
Elf-aba
as
she
journeys
to
Saint
Paul
for
legal
assistance
from
a
familiar
face.
Featuring
parodies
such
as What
is
This
Pleading? (What
is
This
Feeling?), My
Lawyer
and
I (The
Wizard
and
I), Litigate (Popular),
and Defending
Legality (Defying
Gravity).
The
firm
enjoyed
creating
the
parody
of
the
songs
to
turn
them
into
legal
speak.
The
music
and
vocals
were
custom-created
for
this
video
by
a
local
Minneapolis
producer.”
Now
a
12-time
holiday
card
contest
finalist,
this
firm
is
in
it
to
win
it
with
Wicked
legal
flair. This
card
is
simply
“thrillifying”!
5.
Law
Office
of
Andrew
L.
Gradman,
APC:
This
nominator
has
been
staring
at
the
tax
code
for
far
too
long,
and
he
had
to
figure
out
how
to
make
it
fun
again.
“Most
sections
of
the
Internal
Revenue
Code
are
three-
or
four-digit
numbers. If
you
stare
at
these
long
enough
(as
I
do),
you
begin
to
see
calendar
dates. Once
you
do,
you
can’t
get
it
out
of
your
head. My
hope
was
that
maybe,
if
I
made
a
calendar
where
each
date
honors
a
corresponding
Internal
Revenue
Code
section,
I’d
be
able
to
move
on.”
Check
out
this
clever
calendarfull
of
“tax
holidays”
that
only
a
true
tax
pro
could
love.
6.
Lowenstein
Sandler:
AI
hallucinations
got
you
down?
This
firm
knows
how
to
prompt
its
way
right
out
of
that.
Our
nominator
notes:
“By
playfully
simulating
an
AI-chatbot
exchange,
Lowenstein
Sandler’s
2025 holiday
card delivers
warm
wishes
with
a
modern,
humorous
touch
that
also
illustrates
the
firm’s
decades-long
reputation
at
the
forefront
of
tech.
It
highlights
the
firm’s
forward-looking
outlook,
its
leadership
in
advising
clients
on
the
productive
and
compliant
use
of
AI,
and
its
own
use
of
AI
to
enhance
efficiency
and
strategy.
Blending
authenticity,
appreciation,
and
tech-savvy
creativity,
we
think
it
stands
out
as
a
clever holiday greeting.”
Now
it’s
time
for
our
audience
to
vote.
We’ll
keep
the
polls
open
through WEDNESDAY,
DECEMBER
31,
2025,
at
11:30
p.m. (Eastern
time).
This
gives
you
ample
time
to
campaign
for
your
pick
over
the
holidays
(but
please,
don’t
cheat).
Thanks
to
all
the
entrants
and
nominators,
good
luck
to
the
finalists,
and
happy
holidays
to
all!
Above
the
Law
is
happy
to
celebrate
holiday
cheer
with
you!
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.