It is not easy to think about circumstances that could render you unable to continue practicing law. Unfortunately, accidents, illness, disability, planned or unplanned retirement, and untimely death are events which do occur. Under any of these circumstances, your clients' interests, as well as your own, must be protected.

The New York State Bar Association Planning Ahead Guide is provided to all attorneys as a courtesy of the New York State Bar Association and outlines the steps a lawyer must take to protect his or her clients in the event of a sudden inability to continue in practice. The Committee on Law Practice Continuity created the guide in 2005 to help attorneys establish an advance exit plan in the event of disability, retirement or death. The Committee on Law Practice Continuity became a part of the Law Practice Management Committee in 2011. The LPM Committee updated the guide in 2015 to reference the New York Rules of Professional Conduct.