Unfortunately, particularly in the challenging economic environment facing law firms today, many attorneys have become willing participants in this degradation of the profession.
On the FAA's website, the reason listed for the restriction is "to provide a safer environment for law-enforcement activities, " and the point of contact listed for the restriction is an FBI special agent.
"It's a real problem in this environment for a law firm to pay 10 or 15 cents out of every dollar of revenue to partners who have retired from the law firm, " says a senior partner at one firm with a generous pension plan.