August 2025 Margaret’s Notes
I thought I would share a bit of good news that I received and in hopes that it might be encouragement to others to pursue interests and goals from their formative years.
As a girl and young woman, I told all my family that I was going to be a prosecutor and a judge. I became a lawyer at twenty-four and worked in a civil litigation practice during law school and afterwards. But when I came out of law school it was a very tough job market in the mid-90s in southern California. Becoming a prosecutor was not in the cards for me. I was just grateful to have a job, as a lot of my classmates did not.
My life then went in a different direction, and I moved to London, went into transactional work for businesses and then eventually estate planning. I do not regret never becoming a prosecutor; but being a judge still sounded interesting, and I would ask friends of mine who have become a judge about their experiences. Then about a year and a half ago following a conversation with one of my kids about goals and dreams in life, I decided to investigate what is involved in becoming a judge and whether that was still something that excited me. After exploring it further, I decided that a full-time judge was not the right fit for me (assuming, I’d even get it). But I did pursue becoming a substitute judge or a Judge Pro Tempore, as it is formally called.
This summer I was appointed as Judge Pro Tempore for both civil and probate matters and I am excited to get started on my first case, which I just received. This is a very part-time volunteer position. But it feels wonderful fulfilling a dream from my youth and reminding myself that even though I qualify for AARP, I can still pursue interests and goals throughout my life. I hope that sharing my good news and enthusiasm about this appointment will inspire you to pursue something you have always wanted to do.
Our blogs this past month discussed foreign real estate and what to expect in a Probate attorney. We hope you enjoy those and find them informative. We will be posting new articles this month, but as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to call the office 480- 525-6244 or email us info@bizestatelaw.com.
