Lessons Learned: Reflections from a Retiring Lawyer

LESSONS LEARNED: REFLECTIONS FROM A RETIRING LAWYER By: John Eldridge

RETIREMENT

The decision to retire from the practice of law is a most difficult one, and in fact, some lawyers simply do not make the decision. Instead, some lawyers continue to work regardless of their age.

Yes, I am retired. I have kept my law license for the present, but I let my mediation listing lapse and my certification as a specialist in criminal law.

Many considerations go into the decision to retire, but the two most significant are money and ego. Let me explain.

Although I began to think about retiring at age 65, it was not until I turned 73 that I carried through. It is a process. Since I was in private practice, the first step I had to take was to quit taking new cases, which took almost a full year.

The fundamental factor in delaying retirement until I was 73 was money; I could never decide how much money I needed to head into retirement. The truth is that I never decided how much money was enough. I just pulled the cord, embarking on this process of retirement. Ultimately, I decided that regardless of how much money I have salted away, it’s time to enjoy a life without the law before the Grim Reaper appears.

Another significant consideration is your EGO. We lawyers develop a pretty healthy ego as the years go on. We grow dependent on our life as a lawyer to make us feel worthwhile, important, and needed. Being recognized on the street by fellow lawyers and others, knowing that the judges know your name, getting accolades for your successes - all these go into our precious ego. My point is that you have to give that up when you retire.

I had the wonderful gift of joining Eldridge and Blakney as “Of Counsel” for my last three years of practice after I closed my office. As “of Counsel,” I had all of the perks of being a lawyer but without the headaches of running a full-blown practice. The phone kept ringing, and I kept taking in new clients, impressing them with the firm’s conference room since I did not have a separate office. It was a great way to transition toward retirement, taking fewer cases and easing out slowly. I highly recommend it!

Letting go of all those ego fulfillments from practicing law is not easy, nor quick. It takes time and the realization that I cannot move toward those other things I want to do unless I can give up that ego fulfillment as an attorney. Granted, I still have pangs of needing my ego stroked, but I am finding that the practice of law is not the only ego filler. There are plenty of other ways to feed my ego, and truthfully, the centrality of the need for ego fulfillment tends to dissipate with age.

Friends often ask what I am doing with my extra time. My initial reply is that I seldom get in a hurry anymore. I do not pack so many “todo’s” into a day. The closest I can get to describing retirement is that it is like the feeling you get when you are at the beach, relaxed and not in a hurry. I have been a “doer” all my life, and now I am learning to just “be.”

Consequently, I appreciate people, nature, and my surroundings more. I now take the time to smell the roses. When I once was so busy, I didn’t even know there was a rosebush!

This retirement, I highly recommend it!