This is my 50th year of practicing law. I do not have any intentions of retirement. The practice of law is unlike most athletic professions (like boxing) in the sense that when you get older, you have to give up your occupation. This also applies to occupations like roofing and any other job that requires stamina and youth.  But the practice of law is not one of them. Although there is an appreciable amount of stress, experience and talent have allowed the lawyer to practice up until the time that he or she wants to stop and not because they have to.

When I look back on my early career, I remember a tremendous amount of excitement and exuberance in handling a heavy caseload. As I got older and more experienced my abilities have increased but I still have the same desires I once had.  So, when a lawyer retires, particularly a trial lawyer, it is because he or she wants to. They have done everything they want to do in their profession and are ready to slow down. But there are others, like me, who find tremendous satisfaction in helping people and using decades of experience to do so.