The legendary trial attorney Gerry Spence wrote many years ago that trial lawyers are great storytellers who weave the facts and law into a narrative that the judge and jury can understand and identify with. In “Finding Your Landing Zone,” trial attorney Kevin McGoff weaves his journey to an active and fulfilling life after 40 years as a trial lawyer in a way that many of us will understand and identify with.
In all too many law offices, the succession or transition plan is for the lawyer to remember to dial 911 as they collapse and fall out of their desk chairs. Early in his career, Kevin was warned not to try to outwork the founding partner, who often worked 70-hour weeks and would eventually die with his boots on. In the book, he describes a lifelong effort to balance a challenging professional life with a meaningful personal life.
Where we are in life and where we will go in the future are shaped by where we came from and our experiences along the way. Through the course of the book, Kevin describes how where he is today is shaped by childhood, military service, work experiences, and travel that led to him understanding the French philosophy of working to live rather than living to work - ultimately leading to his decision to plan an active life after 40 years in the courtroom.
Kevin McGoff was urged by lawyers who couldn’t envision life after practicing law to write about his journey. Many lawyers struggle to plan for a life after being a lawyer. He seldom mentions the word “retirement” in the text, his plan was for an active and engaged life free from the demands of representing clients and the business of a law practice. He is enjoying being in charge of his time and staying busy at the things he wants to do.
Kevin followed the advice lawyers give clients all the time to get expert advice, with his engaging a career coach, an investment advisor, and a Medicare insurance expert to develop a plan. Every chapter in the book has one or more exercises, likely learned from his career coach or financial advisor, to guide the reader into understanding how they became who they are, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and their priorities, and to answer the essential question of “what do we want to be when we grow up?” The chapter on money starts with a fundamental that many of us fail to do, and that is creating a spending plan or financial goals. The appendix offers a detailed outline for estimating your actual cost of living and projecting income. Investment advice should come from a trusted professional advisor; Kevin explores how to project drawing against investments and savings to fund a post-employment life. In a polite way, he warns that the goal of your investment advisor may be very different from your goal and what you really need to live well.
As I write this, I am nine months into my landing zone. Though our paths in life and practice were very different, reading the text I was able to understand and identify how our journey through planning follows similar routes. I wish I had read this book ten years ago. The text and the exercises would have made the planning process easier.
The book is a biographical narrative, interwoven with the essential elements of planning for life after the practice of law in a very relatable story. The book is not a technical laying down of the facts and rules (law) of what must be done to plan for life after employment. It is the story of the life of someone who has succeeded at planning an engaged life beyond the Bar. A short bibliography at the end of the book suggests additional reading for in-depth understanding where needed.
I recommend “Finding Your Landing Zone” for anyone who has ever wondered what to do next or is planning for a life after practicing law. Ideally, we should read this book ten years before our exit date from the office. I found the book very useful in understanding where I am nine months after my last day in the office.
Published by the American Bar Association Senior Lawyers Division. $34.95 list price, $27.95 for ABA Members, also available from your favorite booksellers.
