C. Bruce Lawrence

The Senior Lawyer Section has focused this year on its members being lawyers in transition. Stephen Gallagher wrote in our magazine, The Senior Lawyer, on “Lawyer Well Being,” addressing the appropriateness of the Section looking at the issue of senior lawyers in transition. After discussions with NYSBA's Young Lawyers Section and General Practice Section, and support from their leadership, we contracted with Steve to develop programing for regional Gatherings around the state. We held the first gathering with the Monroe County Bar because of support from their Young Lawyers Section and Senior Lawyers Committee. Held in early October, it got great reviews from attendees. The seniors in attendance loved the format of short presentations followed by breakout groups to discuss and comment on each program section. It was for many in attendance their first opportunity to talk with contemporaries about transitioning, how they might go about selling their practice, and what life might be like if they weren't practicing any more. Most commented that they had never talked about these issues with others. We have heard from other regional bars about an interest in holding joint Gatherings with our Section. But first, we are going to discuss this type of programing at the Annual Meeting.

We are holding an Annual Meeting Gathering on Thursday January 17th at 10AM at the Hilton with invited speakers, including bar leaders, bar executives, and those involved in Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers. The program will include a roundtable discussion of the “Gatherings” being held by this Section, joint with all co-sponsoring entities including local bar associations, Young Lawyers Section and the General Practice Section. We will be inviting several local bar leaders who have expressed an interest in working with us, and key section and committee leaders who may share this same interest. We will reach out to the courts, the law school community, and health care providers who share our concerns about the aging legal workforce and the future of the profession. We want the meeting to exploring how we might be able to come together in new ways to help senior lawyers, as well as younger lawyers who are entering the profession. We invite our Senior Lawyer Section members attending the Annual Meeting to join us.

Prior, at 9 a.m., we will be holding the presentation of the Section's Jonathan Lippman Senior Pro Bono Awards; guests are most welcome. At 9:45 a.m., the Section will hold its Annual Meeting with election of officers and appointment of Executive Committee members. At 1 p.m., the Executive Committee will hold a working lunch.