The PDF which includes endnotes and footnotes in which this article appears can be found in Bifocal Vol. 45 Issue5.
From May 16th through 17th, I attended my first (but certainly not last) National Aging and Law Conference. It was a remarkable experience; allow me to share.
I attended the conference solo, safe for knowing a few friendly faces from the Commission on Law and Aging. And I was not slated to present, nor host any gatherings. (Shout out to those who were and who performed fabulously!)
Rather, I was able to fly under the radar and remain nearly anonymous. It was a feeling I have not felt in some time. As a probate judge in Delaware, a tight-knit legal community, rarely do I attend a professional gathering without someone approaching me with a smile, outstretched hand, and respectful “Your Honor.”
But at NALC, very few knew my role in the aging community. And as a “Millennial Judge” as one attendee dubbed me, I expect no one saw me and assumed jurist. It was freeing, a welcome change of pace. I think it also freed panelists to (unknowingly) speak truth to “power.”