Bar admission · Law firm · Retirement
A gift for a lawyer: Saint Ivo, patron of lawyers
Saint Ivo of Brittany, a 13th-century jurist, defended free of charge those who could not afford a lawyer: this is why he was called «advocate of the poor». Canonised in 1347, he is the patron of lawyers throughout the world. For a lawyer, a hand-painted icon is a gift that honours the profession in its highest sense.
Saint Ivo and Saint Thomas More
Saint Ivo (Yves Hélory de Kermartin, 1253-1303) is celebrated on 19 May; in Rome the Sapienza university dedicated to him the church of Sant'Ivo, Borromini's masterpiece. Alongside him, many lawyers choose Saint Thomas More, jurist and Lord Chancellor of England, who chose conscience over power.
Reception
Icon at the entrance of a practice.
Library
Among the law books of the firm.
When to give it to a lawyer
Bar admission
The first step of the profession: an icon for the first office.
Opening a law firm
For the meeting room or the private office.
Becoming a partner
A gift from colleagues for an important milestone.
Retirement
The thanks of the firm or of lifelong clients.
Other suitable subjects
Christ Pantocrator, the Mother of God Hodegetria, «she who shows the way», or the lawyer's name saint. The giver's name, dedication and date are written on the back of the panel or in the booklet, never on the front, which carries only sacred inscriptions. Every icon is commissioned with an offering proportionate to the time and materials of the work, and arrives with a certificate of authenticity on real parchment.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the patron saint of lawyers?
Saint Ivo of Brittany, a 13th-century jurist known as «advocate of the poor», celebrated on 19 May.
What to give a lawyer for the opening of a firm?
A work that gives character to the office and lasts a whole career: an icon of Saint Ivo or of Christ Pantocrator, hand-painted with 23¾ karat gold.