Dog Names for Lawyers: 60 Picks for the Puppy You Promised Yourself When You Passed the Bar

Plenty of law students make the same promise during bar prep: when this is over, I'm getting a dog. You passed. It's time to keep that promise, and to give your new best friend a name that honors everything it took to get here. These are our favorite dog names for lawyers, from 1L slang to courtroom classics.

Straight out of law school

• Gunner: law school slang for the student whose hand is always up first. Perfect for an eager puppy.
• Socrates: after the Socratic method, for a dog who answers every question with a look.
• Cold Call: for the puppy who ambushes you when you least expect it.
• Hornbook: a legal treatise, for a bookish dog.
• Casebook
• Highlighter: ideal for a yellow Lab.
• Bluebook: after the legal citation guide. Made for a blue heeler.
• Dicta: things said in passing, for a dog who comments on everything.
• Moot: after moot court, for a dog who loves an argument.
• Law Review
• One-L: for the puppy in its very first year.
• Outline: every law student's most prized possession, until now.

Bar exam and swearing-in

• Admitted: admitted to the bar, and admitted to the couch.
• Sworn In
• Character & Fitness: the bar's background review, for a dog with plenty of both.
• Passing Score
• Multistate: after the Multistate Bar Exam, for a dog who has lived in more than one state.
• Oath
• Bar Card
• Esquire: or "Squire" for short.

TV, film, and literary lawyers

• Atticus: after Atticus Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird, a perennial favorite.
• Scout: his daughter, and a great name for a curious pup.
• Perry: after Perry Mason, TV's famously hard-to-beat defense attorney.
• Matlock: for a laid-back Southern gentleman of a dog.
• Vinny: after My Cousin Vinny, for a scrappy underdog.
• Mona Lisa: Vinny's sharp-eyed fiancée. The real expert in the room.
• Elle: after Elle Woods of Legally Blonde.
• Bruiser: Elle's Chihuahua, a must for a small dog.
• Saul: for a dog with questionable ethics around the treat jar.
• Denny Crane: from Boston Legal, for a dog who says his own name a lot.
• Portia: Shakespeare's courtroom heroine in The Merchant of Venice.
• Darrow: after Clarence Darrow, one of history's most famous trial lawyers.
• Ally

Latin, for the classically minded

• Amicus: Latin for "friend," as in amicus curiae, a friend of the court. Few dog names are more fitting.
• Habeas: from habeas corpus, "you shall have the body." Or at least the belly rubs.
• Bono: from pro bono, for a dog who works for free (treats not included).
• Lex: Latin for "law."
• Veritas: "truth," for an honest dog.
• Cert: short for certiorari. Granted.
• Justitia: the Roman personification of justice.

Courtroom comedy

• Objection: for a dog with opinions.
• Sustained
• Overruled: for a dog who ignores every command.
• Hearsay: for the dog who barks at every rumor.
• Subpoena: fetches anything, whether you asked or not.
• Discovery: sniffs through everything.
• Continuance: for a dog who always asks for five more minutes on the walk.
• Recess: the best part of the day.
• Exhibit A: the first thing you show every guest.
• Retainer: paid in treats, in advance.
• Paws of Action: every lawsuit needs a cause of action. Every walk needs this dog.
• Pawralegal: the most dedicated member of the team.
• Verdict
• Justice
• Barkley: the bar, plus a bark. A classic for a reason.
• Brief: for a small dog, or a short-haired one.
• Torte: a tort, but sweeter.
• Gavel: for a dog who calls the house to order.
• Motion: for a dog who is always in motion.
• Docket: for a dog who keeps your schedule full.

Tips for naming your new puppy

1. Short names work best. Trainers generally recommend one or two syllables, so "Atticus" often becomes "Atty" at the dog park.
2. Avoid names that sound like commands. "Cert" can sound a lot like "sit," and "Bono" starts just like "no."
3. Say it out loud before you decide. You'll be calling it across a park, a courthouse lawn, and a vet's waiting room.

Want more legal wordplay? Our Latin pet names from the law come with translations. Colleagues in finance might prefer our Wall Street dog names, and the classics are all in our dog names list.