What constitutes a successful life? How do middle-aged men and women who are at the pinnacle of their profession conceptualise success? Do such men and women differ markedly in their conceptions of what constitutes success?

Sheelagh O'Donovan-Polten provides an unprecedented window into the most private thinking about success of four male and four female middle-aged lawyers, each of whom is widely recognised to be at the apex of the legal profession in Canada. Using a phenomenological mode of inquiry, she compiles a comprehensive profile of each lawyer's unique construction of...