Lawyers, like everyone else, want to believe they will live forever. Or at the least, they believe that they will work until they make the decision to retire, and then transition smoothly into retirement. They expect that when the time comes, they will either sell their practices, hire a young lawyer who will eagerly take over their firms, or refer their existing clients to colleagues, and then have a steady stream of referral or residual fees to supplement their Social Security and pension benefits.