“Fighting ageism and promoting a culture of age inclusion is essential to make the most of talent at all stages of professional life”

Our partner María Sol Rubio writes for El Confidencial about legal career management in the age of longevity.

“According to a study published in The Lancet in April this year, life expectancy worldwide has increased by 6.2 years compared to three decades ago, based on research carried out by 11,000 scientists in 200 countries. As well as affecting key issues such as generational change, public health and pensions, this means that various sectors, including the legal sector, are facing new challenges, including in this area,” says María Sol.

In this sense, she affirms that “although there are many professionals who want to retire and are happy to do so, there are many others who want to remain active and the value they bring is truly remarkable: being 65 years old today is not the same as 30 or 40 years ago“.

Ageism in the legal sector

María Sol stresses that another important issue is the ageism or age discrimination that still exists in the recruitment of professionals in the legal sector. Despite increasing longevity and the fact that many experienced lawyers are in optimal conditions to continue working, there is a tendency to prefer younger candidates.