Aging Lawyers Who Love Their Work, Clients Who Love Them - Yet, Are They Being Sent to Mao Zedong-Like "Re-Education" Retreats?

"Father Time always wins." That's what Warren Buffett observed as he stepped down from chairmanship at Berkshire Hathaway. He remains involved with the corporation, though. And he didn't admit this kind of defeat until age 96.

If Buffett's hold on that title, power and influence clogged the mobility pipeline there wasn't balking. At least not in public. It was at age 63 that Greg Abel took over Buffett's CEO responsibilities.

Yet, here we are with large law firms contending that aging lawyers have to be eased out or, worse, pushed out, to facilitate upward mobility for the next generations. If that's not done, reports The Wall Street Journal, impatient talent could leave. That is sometimes called keeping the firm "culturally young." The example given is this:

"When six lawyers stunned the legal world by leaving Wachtell for Gibson Dunn recently, one of the reasons was a feeling that Wachtell wasn’t clearing the way for new leadership, according to people familiar with the matter, a characterization the firm disputes."

An organizational strategy to "help" aging lawyers pivot out of the firms is to provide consultants and retreats in the Southwest for what seems to me to be an attempt at generating a psychic shift. The WSJ documents:

"Latham & Watkins, Morgan Lewis, Debevoise and other large firms have even hired consultants to help lawyers think about their next phase of life." 

One client at such a reteat was encouraged to be more "introspective." To me, that seems to be code for a process that might just remind us Boomers of Mao Zedong's re-education camps. That was part of the Cultural Revolution. Those assessed as requiring re-education were the educated, the elite and urban youth. The latter were turned over to rural peasants who were assigned to teach them supposed right values.

However, as with Buffett, what we know is that aging has plenty of variables. Therefore, in itself, it's an unreliable metric for determining who requires counseling about "their next phase of life." That might not only be unwanted but also unneeded. Why not their being left alone to continue doing the work they love and which clients love to have them doing.

Powerhouse bankruptcy lawyer James Spraygren joined Paul, Weiss at age 67. Also at Paul, Weiss, at age 66, Brad Karp returned to full-time litigation, exiting firm management. His nine-figure book of business includes clients such as Apollo, Citi and NFL. No way are these guys going off to a retreat about no longer practicing law. 

Many others aren't either. They will find a way to stay in the game. A comment to the WSJ article from a real-estate partner at a California law firm reads:

"I gave up firm management, work exclusively from home and only practice law, I gained a new lease on my career. My continued presence doesn't prevent new young partners from moving up. To the contrary, I serve as a mentor and feed work to the associates and cultivate them to becoming partners."

This movement to motivate professionals to take that next step which is known as enjoying life has also taken over other sectors. To dodge it you need to be able to ignore the pressure. Another comment to the article reads:

"Not a lawyer but do own a business and am past retirement age. When people ask me when I am going to retire, I tell them, when I want to. I tell younger people that if they can do it better than me open a business, do it better and you will get my business."

At age 68 it became obvious that I had "aged out" of the New York Metro communications market. But I got about eight years more runway in that line of work by relocating my boutique to less-age-biased Arizona. BTW, It wasn't age that ended my run in communications. It was the beginning of the end of the collapse of demand. I got out before the thud. For the past several years I have been working in what aging can be a plus: intuitive coaching and psychic services. I have gotten used to being pestered: When are you going to retire?

Careers. Forget all that. It’s about earning a good living, no matter what.

Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova, StreetSmart Coaching (janegenova374@gmail.com)


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