This feels weird to realize because of how it snuck up on me.
Around a decade ago, maybe a little more, I doodled in my spreadsheet to come up with a “retirement plan.” It ultimately bounded down to a certain number of cases to win, a certain amount of legal fees to bill. This was written as something like a career goal or plan, just “the way through” until the next thing.
I did the things.
At some point I got a little sloppy in my record keeping, but the goal lines were crossed. The goals weren’t lofty, just earn enough money to retire in the most minimalist way possible. It was basically around 100 cases to win, along with a billing figure that was closely affiliated with the case count. I realized, almost in passing, a few years ago while reviewing tax returns for another purpose that I had long since crossed the line of my career billing goal, and checking my list just now confirmed I had gotten there by case count as well.
There was no fanfare or awards presentation, but sometime in 2024, more than a year ago, the ten year mark of my solo practice had been passed. The numbers that would have enabled retirement had come and gone, but of course, because of spending choices, didn’t put me where I am until an inheritance put me back on track. And now I’m basically here, but with some big asterisks. The numbers just barely work. But, I’m essentially semi-retired in a very real way.
What does semi-retired mean for me?
It means I get to be pickier about the cases that I take, because I’m not desperate for work. It means I get to start working on cases that are interesting long shots that probably won’t be profitable. It means I am free to do whatever work appeals to me, across the board, including work other than the practice of law.
I am truly free and it feels like somehow at the moment, it still ends up just feeling like another thing that makes me hard to relate to.