What are you going to do when you retire? That’s usually the first question after the big announcement comes out. Everyone has plans, but retirees often discover that these were not as sustainable, lasting or rewarding as they’d thought, and they have empty hours to fill. At this point, developing meaningful alternatives can be overwhelming. Time passes, and opportunities are lost.

So well before I retired, I started a list of activities that I could do and might want to do in retirement if I got bored. It quickly reached 16 pages without much time or effort. It’s not a Plan A or a bucket list, and I can’t do everything on the list. It’s only a resource to consult if I’m stuck for ideas or want to reconsider my options.

It’s easy to create your own, and it’s not valuable just for those approaching retirement: Colleagues half my age now realize the value of starting early, not just to plan for retirement but to have ideas ready for any occasion, such as an unplanned sabbatical or a vacation. Regardless of age, one’s circumstances and interests change over the years; with more options ready now, you won’t waste precious time later.

Making an attainable list

I didn’t think that I’d need a list. But a lunchtime conversation with yet another bored, unhappy retiree caused me to reconsider. Back at the office, I opened a Word document an entered several retirement activities that readily came to mind—and then stopped. Racking my brain for more ideas would waste time and turn this into a burdensome project to avoid. So I put the list aside, knowing that I could return later. It was enough just to begin and allow my mind to work in the background.

Sure enough, as I walked to my car, my mind drifted. An idea emerged. It wasn’t new; it had just been buried deep in my brain. I didn’t want to misplace it again, so I stopped to dictate a note on my cellphone. I soon realized that immediately preserving a thought is a critical step in making the process work.

Later, as I read a magazine, new ideas came to light. There was an interesting book that I might like; a bicycle excursion to try in Missouri, which also reminded me of a nice Ohio ride; and a volunteer opportunity with the national Rails To Trails network that I might enjoy. And joining a local bicycle club would replace some of the workplace socialization that I would miss! I’d added five activities to my notes in five minutes. That was easy!

After a few more weeks of this serendipity, I added my notes to the Word document and found that I now had a full-page bullet list of interesting and fun activities. Categories emerged—biking, books, museums, volunteering, among others—so I put them in outline form. This generated more ideas. I liked running, and there were marathons that I wanted to run before my legs gave out. And so on. That took me to two pages without trying.

As I returned to my Word document from time to time, more ideas came to mind: piano lessons I could resume after many years, an incomplete urban studies degree that I could finish, and a geology course that I could take. And projects that I wanted to realize years ago but which had hit a brick wall: a historical marker, a veterans memorial along a local highway, and genealogical research. I didn’t have to or need to accomplish any of these, but the list would remind me that they were there to pursue.

It should be apparent that specificity is critical. Don’t just say “travel;” say where. For “movies,” list titles. Otherwise, your list will be a useless collection of vague notions. Further, specificity will trigger more ideas. You don’t have to come up with everything at once. List a few ideas, and let your mind percolate.

My list includes many minor activities that require little time—visits to certain museums, a research project or a short hike. Even if your Plan A is working nicely, it’s great to have a list of simple things that you can do. They fill an open day quite nicely. Yet they are easily forgotten unless you jot them down.

Closure—doing something for a friend or a relative before the passage of time makes it impossible and leads to regret—is the most intriguing category on my list. It included taking my older sister around Ohio to see places of personal interest but that she never was able to visit. We made that trip soon after my retirement, perhaps just in time. I wish I’d started my list decades ago: similar opportunities lapsed for lack of a constant reminder.

Put your list into action

How should you create your list? There are four guiding principles.

  • The naturalist John Burroughs notes: “How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.” Your retirement should be full of light and color, however you define the term, as well. So include only activities that are rewarding. A colonoscopy is not full of light and color. Nor is cleaning out the garage. They belong on some other list.

  • General Dwight Eisenhower cautions: “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” Retirement plans aren’t bulletproof. Change happens. So unleash your imagination, and consider possibilities. It’s fine to focus on yourself; these are ideas, not intentions. Who knows what lies ahead? In life, as in war, it’s best to have options ready.

  • The economist Paul Romer observes: “Possibilities do not merely add up. They multiply.”

  • Keep it simple. This is a list, not an essay. Use few words and one line per item.

What goes in it? Anything full of light and color. Routine or bucket list, simple or complicated, long or short, tangible or intangible, practical or speculative.

Everyone has ideas about what to do in retirement, but it’s practically impossible to remember them all when the time comes. It’s a huge project just to try. Many don’t, so they lapse into boredom. I think that’s why my retiree lunchmate was so unhappy.

Fortunately, there’s a simple solution. It’s easy to start early and maintain a big list of possible activities without getting bogged down. And it can serve many purposes: setting priorities, clarifying interests, filling an open day or providing ideas for Plan B.

What I’ve related may seem obvious now, but it’s not intuitive. Nearly everyone, young or old, that I talk to about my list, has an “a ha” moment and thinks it’s brilliant. You’ll have to decide for yourself. But I think you’d find that creating a list is worth the small effort that’s required.

I have. Though retired, I continue to add to my list. It’s now a seventeen-pager—and growing.

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Douglas R. Melin is a retired chief counsel at the Marathon Petroleum Corp.

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ABAJournal.com is accepting queries for original, thoughtful, nonpromotional articles and commentary by unpaid contributors to run in the Your Voice section. Details and submission guidelines are posted at “Your Submissions, Your Voice.”

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This column reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily the views of the ABA Journal—or the American Bar Association.

A Wisconsin woman who allegedly assaulted her boyfriend before fleeing the scene with her two young children was charged with child abuse after making the kids spend a long night outside in the freezing cold.

Angelica Saragosa, 47, appeared in court on Feb. 21, a day after she was arrested by the Thiensville Police Department.

She was ordered to be held on $100,000 bond after prosecutors told Circuit Judge Sandy Williams that Saragosa allegedly “spent the night outside with her two children, who were poorly dressed” in reported wind chill temperatures of -19 degrees Fahrenheit. The children were hospitalized for low body temperature and other “life-threatening” conditions related to exposure to the bitter cold, authorities said.

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3. Co-founder of defunct firm LeClairRyan may…

Law Firms

Co-founder of defunct firm LeClairRyan may be able to avoid tax liability after 4th Circuit decision on his exit

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 12, 2025, 10:44 am CST

The co-founder and former CEO of the defunct law firm LeClairRyan may be able to avoid tax liability in connection with the firm’s collapse because of a ruling Friday by a federal appeals court.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Richmond, Virginia, ruled for former partner Gary LeClair in a Feb. 7 opinion, Law360 reports.

The Legal Profession Blog published highlights.

The 4th Circuit ruled that LeClairRyan’s operating agreement didn’t bar LeClair from withdrawing as a partner after a vote to dissolve in July 2019. Bankruptcy and federal courts had reached the opposite conclusion, which made LeClair liable for some tax obligations because he was considered a partner on the day that the firm filed for bankruptcy in September 2019.

The firm had included LeClair on a list of equity holders filed with the bankruptcy court. LeClair wanted to amend the list to remove his name.

The 4th Circuit remanded for a determination.

“We leave it to the bankruptcy court on remand to determine whether any equitable considerations warrant denial of the motion to amend despite LeClair’s correct interpretation of the operating agreement,” the appeals court said.

See also:

Too big too soon: How LeClairRyan went under

LeClairRyan bankruptcy trustee targets firm co-founder, compares firm to movie ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’

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3. Town court judge resigns after using this…

Judiciary

Town court judge resigns after using this excuse to avoid jury duty

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 4, 2025, 3:17 pm CST

A town court judge in Rensselaer County, New York, has resigned after allegedly asserting that he should not serve on a grand jury because he is a judge, and he thinks that people who appear in his court are guilty.

Judge Richard T. Snyder of the Petersburgh Town Court in New York agreed to resign and never return to the bench, according to a Feb. 4 press release by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Snyder made the comments in October 2023 after expressing concern that he could not serve because he wouldn’t be able to return to his court in time for evening sessions, according to a transcript and a November 2024 complaint by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

“I know everybody come in front of me, I know they are guilty. They would not be in front of me,” Snyder allegedly said.

After being told to take a seat, Snyder raised his hand and approached the Rensselaer County judge presiding over the grand jury empanelment, according to the transcript.

“I just think I cannot do it because being a judge and everything,” Snyder said.

“You don’t think you can be impartial?” the grand jury judge asked.

“No. It would not be fair,” Snyder replied.

When appearing for testimony in the ethics case in July 2024, Snyder said he thought that people who appear before him “did something wrong,” and “that’s how they got a ticket,” the ethics complaint says.

Snyder did say, however, he knows that people who are charged are innocent until proven guilty, and there must be proof of the crime.

“In my court, I treat everybody the same: equal, fair, honest,” he said.

“I try to get everybody on the right track, you know, work with them and help them out,” he said.

Snyder also said during the disciplinary hearing he didn’t want to serve on the grand jury because he cares for a grandchild, and his family is his No. 1 priority. He said he should have mentioned that to the grand jury judge, but he figured that he wasn’t going to be picked because he is a judge.

Snyder represented himself before the commission. He is not a lawyer, but he did take judicial training. He has been a judge since 2014.

The ABA Journal was unable to reach Snyder by emailing and phoning the town court where he used to work.

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3. Diversity Lab changes online descriptions…

Diversity

Diversity Lab changes online descriptions to emphasize fairness, avoid misconceptions

By Debra Cassens Weiss

January 30, 2025, 8:52 am CST

A group that works with law firms to increase diversity has made changes to its website to remove some diversity-related wording and to avoid use of percentages in a description of its certification program.

Law.com noticed the differences in Diversity Lab’s website and its description of its “Mansfield Certification” program, named after the first woman admitted to practice law in the United States.

The changes follow a conservative backlash against some diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

For firms to receive Mansfield Certification, at least 30% of candidates for 75% of leadership opportunities must comprise historically underrepresented lawyers. The percentage differs for in-house legal departments.

Besides eliminating words in the DEI acronym, Diversity Lab removed references to required candidate pool percentages, Law.com reported. Now, the website says firms must “commit to expanding their talent pools for all leadership opportunities.”

DEI words have been replaced with words such as “equal” and “fairness,” the article notes. Objectives were rewritten to emphasize striving to level the playing field.

“Our north star is fairness,” the website says.

Caren Ulrich Stacy, founder and CEO of Diversity Lab, told Law.com that the changes are “normal website refinements” and said the word “diversity” is still mentioned on the lab’s website more than 150 times.

Stacy said the certification program still uses percentages, but the specifics were removed online because it was too difficult to summarize in one sentence the differing requirements for legal departments, midsize firms, large firms and U.K. firms.

“Industry feedback was that it was confusing,” Stacy told Law.com in an email. “To simplify, we removed the percentages from our website and instead explained it comprehensively in the certification documentation.”

“Our work remains the same,” Stacy added. “We are focused on equal access, equal treatment and equal opportunities. We are also keenly aware of the scrutiny on language right now at a national level, and we want to be as clear as possible on our focus so there are no misconceptions—with greater inclusion, comes greater diversity.”

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A 31-year-old babysitter in Indiana will not spend any time in prison for abusing and neglecting multiple children in her care, punching, slapping, and kicking the victims when they would act up. Hancock County Circuit Court Judge R. Scott Sirk on Thursday ordered Meleiah Fisher to serve three years on house arrest and an additional 2 1/2 years of probation, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

Fisher was initially arrested in 2022 and charged with 10 felonies, including multiple counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury and battery resulting in bodily injury to a person under age 14. However, she reached a deal with prosecutors in which she agreed to plead guilty to five counts of neglect in exchange for the remaining charges being dismissed.

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3. Florida lawyer says she used trust account…

Ethics

Florida lawyer says she used trust account funds to avoid becoming homeless

By Debra Cassens Weiss

October 17, 2024, 1:58 pm CDT

An Orlando, Florida, lawyer accused of client trust account violations has said she used some settlement funds during the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid becoming homeless when she lost her primary job as a schoolteacher.

The Florida Supreme Court placed the lawyer, Natalie Renee Jones of Florida, on emergency suspension in a Sept. 16 order summarized by the Florida Bar News.

The Miami Herald covered the suspension and Jones’ explanation.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton are further compounding Jones’ troubles, Jones said in a motion for an extension of time to comply with the suspension order. The hurricanes have displaced Jones from her home and law office, and she has limited access to essential documents and records, she said.

The ethics investigation began when Bank of America notified the Florida Bar of an overdraft of about $2,400 in Jones’ client trust account in March, according to the Sept. 11 motion for the emergency suspension. The bar determined that the overdraft stemmed from Jones’ payment of fees to herself from trust account money two weeks before she deposited the settlement check.

The bar initiated an audit. It found shortages in the trust account ranging from $3,333 to $37,052 from December 2020 to June 2024, according to the suspension petition.

Jones told disciplinary authorities in a June letter that she used client settlement funds for personal expenses because “the alternative would have rendered my son and me homeless.”

The letter said Jones began working as a schoolteacher a year before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also began drafting demand letters for attorneys and took on two significant accident cases against Walmart and Lyft, as well as some smaller cases.

After the pandemic shut down schools and courts, Jones wrote, “I was without a steady income and in an exceptionally precarious situation.” Because her “finances were depleted,” she had to refer her two best cases to large litigation law firms.

When smaller cases settled, she said, she did not immediately compensate medical providers and used the money for living expenses.

In her answer to the petition for an emergency suspension, Jones said there was no threat to the public because all clients received their full settlement funds. Medical providers impacted by delayed funds were contacted and informed.

Jones said she is an attorney with a 30-year career that is “devoid of bar violations or complaints.”

Since the bar inquiry began, Jones said, she has taken a continuing legal education course on emotional resiliency, has sought counseling, and has listened to podcasts on managing client trust accounts.

Neither Jones nor her lawyer, Christopher L. Clark of the First Neighborhood Law Firm, immediately responded to an ABA Journal request for comment sent to email addresses used in the disciplinary case.

Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to increase the pending prison sentence for a Florida man who fled ahead of his sentencing hearing for felony convictions stemming from the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

As Law&Crime previously reported, Christopher Worrell went missing in August days before he was supposed to report to court in Washington, D.C., for sentencing before U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth. Lamberth, a Ronald Reagan appointee, had convicted Worrell in May of seven felonies, including obstructing an official proceeding of Congress, civil disorder, and assaulting officers using a dangerous weapon.

Worrell was finally caught weeks later, in late September — and according to a memo filed by federal prosecutors on Tuesday, he pretended to overdose on drugs in an attempt to further delay facing his fate.

“He apparently had no intention of ever turning himself in,” the DOJ’s supplemental sentencing memorandum says. “Worrell was recaptured, however, when he attempted to covertly return to his residence. Worrell then faked a drug overdose prior to his arrest, and maintained that lie during a five-day hospital stay, wasting the time and money of both medical staff and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, which provided deputies to watch Worrell 24/7 in a non-secure hospital location and was left to foot the bill for Worrell’s unnecessary medical care.”