Article
Lawyer Retirements Loom
Posted Apr 19, 2007, 07:03 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
Forced retirement of hundreds of thousands of baby boomer lawyers in coming years could affect their mental health as well as their pocketbooks, according to a story in the National Law Journal.
"The No. 1 driver for what attracts lawyers to their profession is mental stimulation," Larry Richard, a psychologist and law firm consultant with Hildebrandt International, told the NLJ.
In general, the typical lawyer is not a social creature, Richard says. After retirement, isolation can cause physical and mental health problems.
ABA President Karen Mathis is encouraging retirees to step up their pro bono activities in her Second Season of Service initiative.
"We don't just want to brush up on our golf game," Mathis told the legal newspaper. "Most lawyers will want to keep on serving."