After 40 years of practicing and teaching law, I am taking a sabbatical. Well, I will as soon as I sort out a bunch of loose ends. (I also think there’s already a pool to see how long this plan lasts.)

I’ve got to grade one last batch of papers from a class I’ve been teaching at my alma mater, UConn Law School. It’s a first-year research, writing and analysis class I have taught on and off since 2001. I love dealing with new law students. They’re full of hope and promise and lack the cynicism, sharp edges and willingness to push back their upper-class colleagues sometimes develop. Sadly, I’ve come to realize that they’re my oldest granddaughter’s age and it’s really hard to talk about things that seem just yesterday to me but happened before they were born.