Is It Worth It?

This is not a frivolous issue but rather a tragedy that should prompt sober reflection on all of us who work within large law firms, and who may face extraordinary pressures. This is a Cross Posting from the College of Law Practice Management‘s blog

Today’s Times has a lengthy discussion of the death of an overworked young associate at Freshfields who was putting in 16 hour days seven days a weekNote that any suggestion that Courtney’s death was causally related to his workload at Freshfields is a distortion of the facts as they currently stand. It is still unclear whether Courtney was stressed or if his death was anything more than a tragic accident..  See

Stressed-out lawyer, 27, dies in late-night fall at Tate Modern

The story is chilling:

As a lawyer at one of the “magic circle” of leading corporate legal firms, Matthew Courtney was expected to work 16 hours a day, seven days a week.

He hoped that his efforts would eventually be rewarded with a partnership – and a £1 million salary.

But weeks after Mr Courtney, 27, and other associate lawyers at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer spoke to senior partners about their long hours and stress, he was found dead at Tate Modern, The Times has learnt.

The case has sparked hundreds of comments from readers about the case and its implications. 

The English legal blogosphere is already debating the issue, though without the same passion and insight as is shown in The Times entry referred to in the main posting.

For three different takes:

File away under ‘S’ for stress – Office culture favours tough people who thrive under pressure; others just suffer.
Of Misery and Money
And finally the always readable Marcel Berlin

Sad.