The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article entitled “Why High-Powered People Are Working in Their 80s.” It is especially relevant to me since I am about to celebrate my 84th birthday next week. Anyone following my columns knows that I am still driven and enthusiastic about my law practice. I am frequently asked why I continue to work, mostly by friends who are retired. Those of us in our 80s who still practice a profession know how lucky we are to be fit enough both mentally and physically to answer a client’s questions or diagnose a patient’s ills. I look forward to the Zoom calls and attacking an issue that needs a prompt solving strategy. My longtime clients attest to thefact that I am as responsive and timely in dealing with legal issues as someone intheir 30s. I never ran from the challenge of a tough question and still don’t. Occasionally I lose my patience when a simple task is made more complicated by the inexperienced associate. Yet I am reminded often that I made similar mistakes when I was a young lawyer. Notwithstanding my inexperience, I started my career with the same work ethic I had as a youngster, then college and law school: I never left a cluttered desk and completed every task even if I had to stay up at night. Working is my primary daytime activity and I truly enjoy having a “day job”. Of course, I occasionally play golf, fish the morning, or read a book, but above all I look forward to the everyday routine of practicing law. The Journal article accuses many of us as unable to “quit their careers.” Yes that may be true. I worked hard to study law, pass the bar, and spent some 50 years working my tail off to secure a living for my family. I am looking forward to celebrating my birthday and the prospect of being at my desk the following morning fielding calls and helping my clients and my partners solve problems. And of course, I truly enjoy getting paid. Many of my professional colleagues are seniors like me. We have practiced together locally since the 1970s. We have a camaraderie of trust and honesty—keeping our word—among the most important qualities in my field of practice.
