The
Wall
Street
Journal
recently
ran
a
story
that
might
surprise
those
who
view
entrepreneurship
as
a
young
person’s
game.
Turns
out,
70-somethings
are
launching
new
businesses
at
record
rates.
Nearly
30
percent
of
employed
Americans
over
70
now
work
for
themselves
—
double
the
share
of
those
in
their
60s.
So
why
not
law?
Why
couldn’t
that
same
spirit
of
reinvention
take
hold
among
senior
attorneys?
Consider
the
context.
At
large
firms,
many
lawyers
in
their
60s
and
70s
are
being
eased
out
by
mandatory
retirement
policies.
Others
begin
to
feel
that
life’s
too
short
to
defend
policies
or
causes
they
don’t
believe
in.
Yet
as
older
lawyers
depart
the
work
force,
decades
of
valuable
experience,
judgment,
and
relationships
are
being
left
on
the
sidelines.
And
those
qualities
are
exactly
what
make
older
lawyers
perfect
candidates
for
law
firm
ownership.
Already,
older
lawyers
already
have
the
assets
that
younger
founders
are
still
scrambling
to
build.
That
includes
a
network
that
spans
industries,
a
reputation
that
opens
doors,
and
the
confidence
that
comes
from
having
weathered
cycles
of
boom,
bust,
and
burnout.
Plus
many
older
lawyers
are
financially
secure,
with
mortgages
and
children’s
college
tuition
in
the
rearview
mirror.
Even
better,
the
practice
opportunities
are
wide
open
to
serve
clients
with
a
similar
background
–
and
who
are
likely
to
feel
more
comfortable
around
a
lawyer
who
looks
like
them.
Potential
practice
areas
include:
-
Estate
planning
and
elder
law
align
naturally
with
older
lawyers’
stage
of
life
and
the
client
base
–
the
majority
of
who
don’t
complete
estate
planning
until
the
ages
of
55-64. -
“Silver
divorce”
cases
—
couples
separating
after
decades
together
—
call
for
empathy
and
realism
that
only
life
experience
provides. -
Later-in-Life
entrepreneurs
like
those
featured
in
the
Journal
article
will
need
small
business
lawyers
to
draft
up
corporate
documents
and
business
agreements. -
Fiduciary
disputes,
financial
elder
abuse,
and
age
discrimination
are
rising
issues
where
seasoned
counsel
can
make
a
difference. -
Independent
mediation
and
arbitration
services
offer
a
path
for
attorneys
with
decades
of
experience
in
family
law,
commercial
litigation
or
regulatory
practice
tov1
apply
their
skills
to
resolve
disputes
rather
than
initiate
them. -
Consulting
niches
—
ethics,
trial
strategy,
negotiation,
or
mentoring
younger
lawyers
—
allow
you
to
monetize
what
you
know
without
carrying
a
heavy
caseload.
In
fact,
the
Journal
article
featured
trial
lawyer
Judson
Graves
who
teamed
up
with
an
actor
to
produce
online
CLEs
on
entertaining
trial
performance
through
Judson
Squared.
Meanwhile,
the
emergence
of
generative
AI
promises
to
mitigate
many
age-related
concerns
about
older
lawyers’
mental
acuity,
stamina,
and
tech
competence
(a
2023
study
showed
that
73%
of
Oklahoma
lawyers
disciplined
are
over
50
years
old).
AI
is
intuitive
for
most
lawyers
to
use
and
can
tackle
much
of
the
repetitive
drudge
work
that
older
lawyers
struggle
with.
Older
lawyers
have
the
added
advantage
of
experience
which
enables
them
to
spot
hallucinated
or
suspicious
AI
output
more
capably
than
newer
lawyers.
Like
“That
70s
Show,”
a
70-something
solo
by
choice
sounds
like
a
sitcom.
But
it’s
really
a
reboot
—
where
you
finally
get
to
write
the
script.
You’ve
already
lived
the
first
few
seasons
of
your
career.
You’ve
seen
what
works,
what
doesn’t,
and
what
actually
matters.
The
70s
don’t
have
to
be
an
ending.
They
can
be
the
decade
where
you
take
everything
you’ve
learned
and
finally
practice
law
the
way
you
always
wanted
to.
Carolyn
Elefant
is
one
of
the
country’s
most
recognized
advocates
for
solo
and
small
firm
lawyers.
She
founded
MyShingle.com
in
2002,
the
longest-running
blog
for
solo
practitioners,
where
she
has
published
thousands
of
articles,
resources,
and
guides
on
starting,
running,
and
growing
independent
law
practices.
She
is
the
author
of
Solo
by
Choice,
widely
regarded
as
the
definitive
handbook
for
launching
and
sustaining
a
law
practice,
and
has
spoken
at
countless
bar
events
and
legal
conferences
on
technology,
innovation,
and
regulatory
reform
that
impacts
solos
and
smalls.
Elefant
also
develops
practical
tools
like
the AI
Teach-In to
help
small
firms
adopt
AI
and
she
consistently
champions
reforms
to
level
the
playing
field
for
independent
lawyers.
Alongside
this
work,
she
runs
the
Law
Offices
of
Carolyn
Elefant,
a
national
energy
and
regulatory
practice
that
handles
selective
complex,
high-stakes
matters.