One of the interesting features of research on age at work is the industry-specific nature of what is considered ‘old’ or ‘older’. An example often cited is that of IT workers, often considered old when they are 30 or 35.

At the other end of the spectrum is the judiciary. In the UK, there is no upper or lower age limit for judicial candidates – though there is a statutory retirement age of 70 for all judges. The guidance suggests that would-be judges should be able to offer a ‘reasonable length of service’ – usually at least five years. However, unlike many European states with their codist legal systems where judges are a sort of parallel legal profession, the UK and the USA with their common law systems tend to appoint judges from the ranks of lawyers in later life.

This item on the Capital website (which covers New York…