Jetting along in high-powered positions, top in-house lawyers can make the mistake of failing to prepare for the day when their landing gear drops for the last time. But what happens after that final flight? What is it like when the phone goes silent and the constant flow of emails slows to a trickle?

“I wasn’t ready for retirement,” said Michael Callahan, who left his role at LinkedIn earlier this year. The 50-year-old had been a GC for about 15 years, first at Yahoo and then at Auction.com, now Ten-X.com, before joining LinkedIn about four years ago. “I certainly thought about the transition for some time and felt like throwing myself into a new challenge, which has been rewarding.”