Some lawyers retire at age 62, 65 or 70. Others choose a “Downtown death,” where your secretary hears a thud, enters your office and finds you lifeless, face down on the desk, arms protectively extended over documents, having just completed, at age 100, the most important transaction of your career.

When I step down from my job 12 months from now, I will be 74; in China, 75, pursuant to Chinese natal calculations where you are deemed a year old at birth.