The Oklahoma Bar Journal April 2023

T O QUOTE THOMAS JEFFERSON, “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” shall dictate that every lawyer will stop practicing law at some point. Clearly, it will be best if that event was occasioned by thoughtful planning and a smooth transition or a calculated termination of practice.

immortality. Then, regale in your good health, retire and enjoy it. As we discuss this, know that I speak from experience. I have had to close down two lawyers’ prac tices: one after a sudden death and another when the lawyer (now deceased) contracted Parkinson’s disease and became permanently disabled. Both times it was difficult and eye-opening, with many unexpected issues from office leases, canceling multi-year contracts with book or research technology providers and multi ple client issues, ranging from the unhappy to the unreachable. Listen to me well and think about your own practices and what could happen if that driver who is busy texting their opinion of that latest Sooner game doesn’t see you in the crosswalk. (Spoiler alert: Moving vehicles usually prevail over pedestrians.)

prevent us from addressing or formulating a plan. If we do, some of us suspect we shall hasten that inevitability. I AM NOT PLANNING TO DIE Yes, of course. You’ll be the one lawyer who lives forever. Good on you. Don’t plan to retire or transi tion. People will admire your ines timable work ethic, right? Wrong. Judges will be calling the bar asso ciation, asking someone to involun tarily take away your license. Your secretary will have to help you to the restroom, and curiously, they are not thrilled with those chores. Your trust account will bounce, and many people will spend hours curing your many oversights, all on your nickel. You will, indeed, get your name in the bar journal, but for the wrong reasons. Strategy: Check with a medi cal expert as to the likelihood of

But most of us are frail humans, burdened by work, doubt and a studied avoidance of our mortal limits. The following factors and evasions all work in a suspicious conspiracy to block us from doing what our brilliant legal minds tell us is prudent, thoughtful and caring for those who are affected by our lives and careers. Most of us proudly declare that we are attorneys at law. Even though society enjoys demeaning the profession and its demands, we still take pride in the accom plishment that rendered licensure. So the primacy of our concerns in practice turns to churning out the work, billing and collecting. Although many lawyers acknowl edge their inevitable decline and demise, our fears and superstitions THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PRACTICING LAW

Statements or opinions expressed in the Oklahoma Bar Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oklahoma Bar Association, its officers, Board of Governors, Board of Editors or staff.

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THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL