For reasons not entirely clear to me (except perhaps my longevity), our section editor has asked me to reflect upon my career and offer whatever pearls of wisdom I may have gleaned.
My esteemed colleagues (Harvey J. Kirsh and Geza Banfai) came to construction law relatively early in their careers. In my case, however, it took me many years before the winding road I followed led to this door, and even then my practice also focussed on a few other areas of law, such as real property disputes, failed real estate deals, and commercial lease litigation. My practice also was exclusively as a sole practitioner or in a small firm (never larger than 9 lawyers). It was not until the early 1980s that I had my first construction case under the old Mechanics Lien Act, and only at the end of that decade did I begin to develop a construction law practice.
Unlike my colleagues, I also know when I will stop. In July of 2024 I had an epiphany: I realized that I was about to turn 79 and was into my fifty-second year of being a lawyer. I still loved what I was doing, my clients still thought I had my “A-Game”, and (better yet!) were still calling and paying. Nevertheless, I had a long bucket list of other things I still wanted to do, and it was time to get started on everything that I could not do while being a full-time lawyer. I have set June 30, 2025 as a retirement date from private practice, but not from my legal interests – my final comment in this reflection.