Retirement tends to be a common end-of-year event. If you are considering ending your practice in Pennsylvania, what should you do about your license? One thing is for sure ̶ do not do nothing! Your retirement from the practice of law only affects your license status if you effect a change. If you simply choose to not complete your annual registration or your CLE requirement, you will receive late penalties and ultimately be administratively suspended. Instead, pursue one of the following options:
- Continue maintaining active status. If you would like to keep your ability to practice open, continue to maintain active status by completing all requirements of an actively licensed attorney (annual registration, CLE, etc.).
- Assume inactive status. While inactive status still requires annual registration, assuming such status automatically defers your CLE requirement. If you are unsure of your need to practice law in the future, consider maintaining inactive status. Please see the Board’s "Reinstatement" webpage for information about reinstatement from inactive status.
- Assume retired status. If you believe that your need to practice law in Pennsylvania has concluded, assuming retired status will end your annual requirements (annual registration, CLE, etc.). Please see the Board’s "Reinstatement" webpage for information about reinstatement from retired status.
- Assume emeritus status. After assuming retired status, an attorney may request to assume emeritus status. Emeritus status allows a retired attorney to provide pro bono services to eligible Legal Aid Organizations. For more information, please see the FAQs regarding emeritus status and the Board’s "Pro Bono" webpage.
Visit the Board’s "Forms" webpage to find appropriate forms to request the above status changes and, as always, ensure that your contact information is up-to-date.
Not retiring any time soon? It's still never too early to start planning for retirement as there are steps that you must take before walking out the door. In November 2021, the Disciplinary Board and Pennsylvania Bar Association collaborated to present "The Retirement Discussion" which included information on succession planning, license status options, applicable rules, ethical implications, and available resources. The on-demand video is available through the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.