Senior Attorney Publications and Guides

The State Bar has compiled resources from California, out-of-state, and ABA sources that may be of interest to senior attorneys—some free of charge and some for purchase. Please note that some resources may cite non-California laws or ABA Model Rules. The ABA Model Rules are not binding in California but may be used for guidance where there is no direct California authority and no conflict with California policy.

Wellness and healthcare decision-making

• A Wellness Guide for Senior Lawyers and Their Families, Friends, and Colleagues, State Bar of California
• ABA Health Care Decision-Making
• Assessment of Older Adults with Diminished Capacity: A Handbook for Lawyers

Law practice management and succession planning

• Experience, The Senior Lawyer Magazine, ABA
• Guidelines for Closing or Selling a Law Practice
• Establishing a Succession Plan, West Virginia Lawyer Disciplinary Board (2013)
• Practitioner’s Checklist (for the sale or closing of a law practice), Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association
• Opening and Managing a Law Office, Solo Small Firm Section of the California Lawyers Association (2020)
• The Evolving Ethics of Selling a Law Practice, ABA Journal (November 2020)

Legal ethics and professional conduct

• Handbook on Client Trust Accounting for California Lawyers, State Bar of California
• Guide to the California Rules of Professional Conduct for Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Counsel, Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association (2020)
• Legal Ethics: Rules, Statutes, and Comparisons, Carolina Academic Press (2023)
• Practicing Ethics: A Handbook for Municipal Lawyers, Revised 3rd Edition, League of California Cities (2023)
• Professional Responsibility-The Rutter Group California Practice Guide, Thompson Reuters (2023)

Aging attorneys and cognitive impairment

• UCLA Memory Clinic at UCLA Medical Center, Westwood
• Dementia, Symptoms, and Treatment, Mayo Clinic (2023)
• How to Discuss Problems with an Aging or Impaired Lawyer, Texas Bar TLAP
• Losing your fastball: Strategies for lawyers experiencing cognitive decline, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (December 2022)
• The Emerging Issue of Cognitive Impairment among Attorneys, Alabama Lawyer Assistance Program (2019)
• The ABC’s of Helping the Senior Lawyer, Texas Bar TLAP (August 2015)
• A gentle landing: LAPs, bar associations help lawyers with age-related cognitive impairment, ABA Journal (May-June 2016)