2023 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

2023 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

The June Issue

Ahtossa Fullerton

Like the river’s never-ending flow, time passes and with it, the number of days since birth. All living things have this in common. As humans, we are bestowed with the gift of self-awareness and consciousness. We have the ability to plan for our later years and set a goal to age with purpose and enrichment.

I often say I will never retire. With at least 20 years to go until it happens, it is difficult to imagine what I would do with myself if I were to stop working. My work is my hobby, and my own father passed not long after his retirement. This, I am sure, informs my desire to keep on working for as long as I can, hopefully postponing the inevitable physical and mental decline associated with aging.

In an article on MarketWatch.com, Jessica Hall writes about the impact retirement has on a person. It’s not just a paycheck and meetings we lose, we also reduce social interaction and complex mental challenges. Mitch Anthony, the author of “The New Retirementality”, says retirement results in a 30% reduction in shortterm memory. He describes boredom as a real thing. People need to keep productive, or there will be cognitive decline. “Use or lose it,” as they say.

However, most folks I talk to look forward to retiring, or at least they are content with the inevitability of retirement. And most people do, in fact, retire The question is what does one do to keep busy to avoid the tedium, decline, and depression that can result from aimlessness and a lack of purpose?

Fortunately, for Marin lawyers who have extra time on their hands, MCBA has plenty of opportunities to keep busy. MCBA provides a number of pro-bono benefits to the Marin community that ensure our neighbors have access to the legal work they need.

For those interested in learning and providing assistance regarding estate planning, Legal Aid of Marin has partnered with MCBA, Vivalon, and the Spahr Center to provide a series of estate planning clinics to provide basic estate planning documents to underserved individuals. The clinics include roles for both estate planning and non-estate planning attorneys and training for the latter is provided. You can learn more about this exciting project in Bonnie Ross’ article.

Lawyers in the Library takes place on the fourth Thursday of every month Volunteers sign up to provide a 20-minute session on a number of topics, including family law, estate planning, landlord-tenant, personal injury, employment, and general civil law. You might be surprised how effectively a brief meeting with an attorney can quickly resolve an issue or address a need. Sign up here.

For those interested in litigation, mock trials can use scorers to rate and guide our young lawyers of tomorrow. Marin County has an excellent history of successful, hard-working, mock trial participants, who need experienced, levelheaded attorneys to judge their competitions. The next opportunity will be this Fall 2023. Look out later this year for emails from MCBA to volunteer for our teens.

MCBA has a great need for volunteers for the Modest Means Mediator or Fee Arbitrator program. The State Bar provides training by video for those interested. MCBA can use skilled attorneys to provide resolution for conflict in our community. Contact Mee Mee Wong at MCBA to learn more.

Upon reaching retirement age, some may be more than ready to step away from aspects of their jobs that were tedious or offered little fulfillment. At the same time, as we move into our golden years, it’s crucial to remain useful and productive, keep our brains active, and keep our memories whole and our spirits vitalized. MCBA has many opportunities to utilize our legal skills and our experiences by volunteering in our community.

Warmly

Ahtossa Fullerton