Andrew Maloney’s Dec. 5 article entitled "Highest-Earning Partners May Be Looking to Cash In on Early Retirement" reports an interesting trend among some Big Law partners: A desire to maximize their books of business to retire early, rather than gain greater recognition among peers and clients. Reading this article, I wondered what drives these lawyers’ desire to pull the ripcord earlier in their careers, rather than die at their desks (as so many of their contemporaries vow to do)?