I have already passed the mandatory retirement age at some law firms, and am on my way to the age at which even judges are forced out to pasture. This was brought home to me when Norm Janes, the retired director of Statewide Legal Services and both past president and former executive director of the Connecticut Bar Association, spoke of a program he and some other emeriti are working on to allow retired lawyers to do pro bono work.
I understand that a proposal is on its way to the Rules Committee to allow folks who have invoked the Practice Book procedure which allows lawyers to designate themselves as retired (and, thus avoid the client security fund payment) to still do pro bono activity. Norm mentioned that one idea was to have a “lawyer for the day” at small claims sessions, giving advice and some gentle guidance to the public. There are probably many other places where such a resource would smooth the way for the many self-represented parties in our court system.
