I received an email recently from a colleague I hadn’t spoken to in years. She opened with: “It’s nice to see you’re still around.”

Still around? Holy moly. What was she saying, “You’re not dead yet”? “You haven’t retired to Boca Raton”? “You’re still relevant (shockingly)”? That one little sentence carried the kind of sting that so many women of a certain age know all too well. It was a reminder that in the legal field, and frankly, in almost every profession, age is treated like an expiration date.

“Still Around?” Excuse Me?

That was the moment I decided enough was enough. Women of a certain age in the legal field don’t need condescending pats on the head. We need recognition, respect, and power. Because we’re still at the table. In fact, we built the table, invoiced for it, and billed it out in six-minute increments.

Women Who Prove the Point

Consider some of the women who are out there today, quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) proving that experience is not a liability but the biggest asset a professional can have.

Take the seasoned trial attorney in her 60s who has tried more cases than a hotshot associate could count in a lifetime. Opposing counsel still trembles when she walks into court, not because she’s “still around,” but because her reputation is formidable, her strategy impeccable, and her instincts impossible to teach. She didn’t “age out.” She leveled up.

Or the paralegal I placed who, decades into her career, has become the backbone of her firm’s litigation team. She has been through three major software rollouts, rescued frantic attorneys five minutes before trial, and built processes that keep billion-dollar cases on track. When “the tech-savvy kids” need help? They go to her. Why? Because she trained them in the first place.

And let’s not forget the high-profile HR consultant who built compliance programs back when “HR tech” was still a filing cabinet. Yes, she has her AARP card. Yes, she gets Medicare. (Thank goodness, her insurance prior to that was $2,000 a month.) Today, she’s designing AI-driven recruiting systems for global firms, mentoring the next generation of leaders, and coaching C-suite executives who are half her age and twice as nervous. She doesn’t just stay calm under pressure. She defines what calm under pressure looks like.

These women aren’t anomalies. They’re the rule we don’t talk about enough. They’re not clinging to relevance. They are relevance.

“We didn’t just get a seat at the table. We built the table, invoiced for it, and billed it in six-minute increments.”

Tech-Challenged? Hardly.

One of the greatest myths lobbed at experienced professionals is that they “don’t get technology.” Really? Let’s set the record straight. This generation of professionals didn’t just adapt to technology; they helped create it. We were the ones who transitioned firms from typewriters to WordPerfect to Word. We beta-tested early case management systems, designed workflows, and in many cases wrote the training manuals that firms are still circulating today.

No, we’re not afraid of technology. We’ve survived every upgrade, every rollout, every “mandatory new platform” that caused chaos at the firm. We were there when IT had no answers, and we were the ones who figured it out. So, when someone says seasoned professionals can’t keep up, it’s not just wrong – it’s laughable.

Resume Refreshers: Don’t Date Yourself

If you want your resume to say, “Still Billable, Still Brilliant,” you need to make sure it reflects today, not yesterday. Too many resumes are quietly undermined by signals that scream “outdated” before a hiring manager even gets to your achievements.

Start with your email address. Nothing says “stuck in the past” like AOL, Hotmail, MSN, Yahoo or God forbid, Earthlink. Yes, it may feel comfortable, but comfort won’t land you an interview. If you want to be taken seriously in 2025, get a professional gmail or, better yet, a custom domain that shows you understand modern branding.

I once had a candidate who insisted on using AOL for her email address on her resume. She just couldn’t find a job. I tried to explain to her how badly the AOL email address reflected on her because she was a law firm marketing consultant. You know, the role that is supposed to be up to date with everything? Her answer? “But everyone knows me from that address.” Excuse me. First, who knows what they’re thinking and second, potential employers have absolutely no idea who you are let alone, your email address. This is the first they’ve heard of you.

Look at your format. If your resume still leans on Times New Roman and double spacing, it’s time for a makeover. Modern resumes are sleek, clean, and easy to scan. Think Apple store: streamlined, fresh, and professional, not Grandma’s attic with doilies and dust.

And for the love of billable hours, stop leading with “25 years of experience.” Employers don’t care how many birthdays you’ve celebrated. What they care about is outcomes. Translate those years into impact: “Managed cross-border litigation with $500M at stake,” or “Pioneered firmwide e-discovery protocols.” That’s what wins interviews not your age.

“Forget fading into the background. Show up like the powerhouse you are.”

Dress for the Role, Not the Rocking Chair

The same goes for how you present yourself in person. Professional doesn’t mean frumpy. If your clothes whisper “retirement luncheon,” rethink them. Tailored blazers, bold colors, and sharp accessories say authority and confidence. Dressing like your grandmother may make you invisible but why in the world would you want to be invisible when you’ve worked this hard to get here?

And let’s not stop at clothes. Don’t forget to update your glasses, your makeup, and yes: your hair. I have a former colleague (who, let’s be honest, didn’t like me much) who is still wearing the same haircut she had in high school. Long, straight, with short bangs. I mean, who does that? Am I being catty? Well, yeah. But sometimes the truth hurts, and so does the haircut.

Updating your style doesn’t mean trying to look 25 again. It means presenting yourself as the sharp, modern, relevant professional you are. It’s about telling the world: I’m here, I’m polished, and I’m leading the conversation.

 How to Handle the Insults

Of course, when you’re “of a certain age,” people can’t resist handing you little digs wrapped in fake compliments. You know the ones: “Wow, you’re still working?”, “You look good for your age.” “When are you going retire?”

Here are some comebacks (polite but pointed) that let you keep your dignity (and maybe even enjoy the moment):

• “Still working? Absolutely. Someone has to keep the younger ones out of trouble.”
• “You look good for your age.” “Thanks. I don’t know what age that is supposed to look like, but I’ll take it.”
• “Aren’t you ready to retire?” “Not while I’m still billable, sweetheart.”
• “It’s nice to see you’re still around.” “Still around? I built the place you’re standing in.”

The trick is to deliver your line with a smile. Nothing unnerves a would-be ageist like a woman who refuses to be diminished.

 Still Billable. Still Brilliant. Still Here.

Here’s the truth: women of a certain age bring power, perspective, and presence that no 28-year-old associate can fake. The legal field doesn’t just benefit from us. It depends on us. Experience isn’t a weakness. It’s the very reason clients, firms, and entire organizations thrive.

So, the next time someone says, “It’s nice to see you’re still around,” smile sweetly and say:

“Still around? Sweetheart, I’m still billable. Still brilliant. And I’m not done yet.”

Ready to Refresh Your Resume?

Your career isn’t slowing down. It’s shifting gears. And your resume needs to keep pace. If you’re ready to claim your place at the table (the one you built, billed for, and are still running), now’s the time.

Pick up my new eBook on Amazon:

Hot Flashes, Cool Resume – Still Billable. Still Brilliant. Resumes for Legal Professional Women Who Aren’t Done Yet.  

It’s just $5.95 because investing in yourself should never break the bank.

And here’s the bonus: buy the book and I’ll gladly give you a free resume review. Because if you’re not done yet, your resume shouldn’t be either.

Let’s stop apologizing for being “still around.” We are not just still around. We are still leading, still fighting, still winning. The next chapter of your career isn’t about proving you can keep up. It’s about proving you’ve been setting the pace all along. And that is nothing short of brilliant.

Chere Estrin is the CEO of Estrin Legal Staffing and founder of The Estrin Report. She’s been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and CBS News. When she’s not placing legal professionals in amazing jobs, she’s writing about how to thrive—not just survive—in your career.  Chere@EstrinLegalStaffing.com