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Freshfields associate dies

from http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article1381567.ece:

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.

He had gone alone to the art gallery after work on Friday and died instantly after plunging from a stairwell leading to the seventh-floor restaurant at 11.30pm.

The death of the Oxford-educated lawyer, the only child of the World Cup football referee George Courtney, has highlighted concerns about the stress suffered by City workers as bonuses reach record highs.

And the rebuttal to the implications of this article from http://www.thelawyer.com/news/daily.html

At The Lawyer we tend to leave these stories alone. Our editorial policy is to cover stories that relate to the business of law. But in this case we think it’s worth providing a counterpoint to the articles in today’s editions of The Times and the Evening Standard.

So let’s get a few things straight:

Any reports that imply Courtney’s death was causally related to his workload at Freshfields are a distortion of the facts as they currently stand.

Nobody yet knows for sure whether Courtney was stressed out, despite various headlines to the contrary. And even if he was feeling under pressure, nobody knows whether it was related to his work.

Contrary to reports, IP associates in magic circle firms are not "frequently called on to work 16-hour days, seven days a week, for weeks on end". Even M&A associates get some respite in their schedules nowadays. And as all regular readers of The Lawyer know, associates’ working conditions have never been higher up the agenda at law firms – and that includes Freshfields.

Most importantly, nobody yet knows for sure whether Courtney’s death was suicide. But if that turns out to be true, remember this: the level of despair that leads someone to take their own life is unimaginable to most of us. Leave him to rest in peace.

So, what do we think? The reputability of the Times on the law/legal careers has just taken a huge plummet for me. A very journalistic article up there, and I am pretty sure that the hours in IP are not that bad?

It seems the media is increasingly disliking the City/financial services - despite being a strength of the country's economy, it is suffering from a media backlash. Does anyone think this has got to do with the fact that the area is booming in a way it hasn't for a long time?

Certainly there seems to be a distaste towards the financial services sector. I once read a fairly disparaging article on the *third* page of the Times some weeks ago on Goldman Sachs about the bonuses IBers earned. Surely there are better/ more productive things to put on the third page of a national newspaper?

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Reply 1

puppy

Yeah, killing yourself is a better idea than quitting your job :rolleyes:

Must have been more than that.

I don't really think you can blame the City for that, perhaps he just got sick of living, it happens. Or was prone to depression. He'd probably thought about doing it a thousand times before, just because you go to Oxford and then work for FF doesn't mean you're not depressed/messed up/fantasize about killing yourself.

Reply 2

naelse

Absolutely. It's completely unfair to blame the firm. He must surely have known what he was getting himself into when he applied.

Reply 3

kidney thief

there's definately more to the death than meets the eye. No way can it have just been work related stress. City "bonus boys" are the latest target of negative press, particularly after the bumper xmas round. The papers will do anything to attack that whole culture.

Reply 4

chalks

This is cheap, lazy journalism. The Times appears to have made a couple of enormous assumptions from which they have reached a suitably sensationalist conclusion: X was an MC associate, therefore he must have worked long hours, therefore he must have been stressed, therefore his fall must have been suicide brought about by that stress. Ludicrous - I'd expect a 12 year old to pick holes in that sort of logic.

Do we know if it was suicide? I agree the facts as "reported" point in that direction, but before an inquest has been held it seems inappropriate for the paper to speculate in such a way. As to the causes of the suicide (if that's what it was), there could be a hundred reasons why he decided to take the decision he did. He could have had relationship difficulties, addiction problems, debt worries - all the usual things that drive normal people to make such a tragic decision.

Reply 5

puppy

chalks

He could have had relationship difficulties, addiction problems, debt worries - all the usual things that drive normal people to make such a tragic decision.

Exactly, you really never know what people are hiding. Could have been a heroin addict for all anyone knows, or manic depressive... list goes on.

Reply 6

Realist101

Such a shame a talented young man had to take his own life.

Reply 7

puppy

Browneyedboi

Such a shame a talented young man had to take his own life.

As opposed to an untalented guy because their life is worth so much less?

Reply 8

ooops!

its wrong to blame the firm - in realtion to working hours well he knew what he was letting himself into. i have spoken to many law firms this year and all of them have said that you should be expecting longs working hours. and he obviously isn't the only one working such long hours so there may be another factor or maybe he was more vulnerable to being affected by it.

Reply 9

chalks

You have to recognise that the pressure can be phenomenal. I still don't think this guy necessarily killed himself because of work stress. However, if he did, then it doesn't necessarily surprise me.

It can be the unrelenting nature of the work which can cause the problems. The stress of dealing with clients, your colleagues and your opponents. Its not the long hours per se, but rather what happens during those hours which is so stressful. Simply saying "Well, you knew what it was going to be like" isn't much compensation when you're returning home exhausted night after night.

The work stress can easily lead into other difficulties (relationship breakdowns, alcohol/drug dependancy, illness thru poor diet etc, gambling etc). Its incredibly easy for it to happen and for things to get on top of you. I had a period at work, for approx 4 months, when I worked late most nights (eg 9 or 10ish) and was often in the office for some time at the weekend. I wasn't doing all-nighters or spending 7 days a week in the office. But the cumulative effect was horrendous. I lost touch with friends. I'd hope that my cab got home before the off-licence shut so I could buy some booze. I had no time to exercise and my diet was appalling. You can easily feel that there's no escape from the work and all the other things that go with it. The important things to do, when confronted with work stress such as this, are:

(a) recognise there's a problem and that it doesn't represent a failing on your part. You're no less of a lawyer or person if you say "I can't deal with this"; and

(b) raise it with GP/family/work as appropriate. Many firms now have an independent counselling service who you can call to discuss issues such as this.

Reply 10

Realist101

puppy

As opposed to an untalented guy because their life is worth so much less?

No need to get into this argument.

Reply 11

Lewisy-boy

I agree, there was no need to bring that up at all puppy... it's almost as if you're just trying to inspire a heated debate full of flaming and hatred.

Again chalks, good points. You're right about the hours: I know what to expect in terms of quantity, but not really what goes on in there. The pressure to work faster from all angles I suppose could get to you. Just got to wait and see how it goes.

Reply 12

DaveDaveDave

puppy

As opposed to an untalented guy because their life is worth so much less?

Yep. I really hate untalented people. They should all go and die.

Reply 13

Lewisy-boy

Ok you're a clown. Thanks for that, really mature.

Reply 14

puppy

I don't think it was wrong for me to bring that up, that kind of attitude really bugs me and I'll bet the media frenzy has a bit to do with that as well as with targetting the City. Often people find it hard to comprehend that 'talented' people would possibly be unhappy, which is total rubbish. I'm sorry that I don't think this guy's life was worth more than someone else's, guess I'm just weird like that :rolleyes:

Anyhow, this is what Legal Week said: http://www.legalweek.com/Articles/1007910/Media+storm+surrounds+Freshfields+after+lawyer+death.html

Reply 15

Lewisy-boy

OK, so the Times are excessively anti-City, the Lawyer comes out with something that's very pro-City and hyping how ethical FReshfields are. Somehow I doubt either is correct. It's probably a contributory factor his hours, and I think the 16 hour thing was probably over-hyped, but I guess we'll probably never know the truth - a common factor as soon as a media circus surrounds anything.

Reply 16

Big4Monkey

puppy

As opposed to an untalented guy because their life is worth so much less?

What an unbelievably stupid comment. Of course the life of a hardworking, successful high-flier is much greater than a dosser. Which is why when the City lawyer and City banker were killed last year the stories made front page of the nationals, and when a crack dealer was shot last week barely anyone cared less.

Reply 17

puppy

Big4Monkey

Because there's something awfully wrong with our society? Why don't we just bomb every developing country rather than send charity there if we think like that?

We should ask ourselves why someone is a 'dosser' (to use your phrase), not write them off as useless.

Reply 18

blah_blah

Unfortunately, I have no sympathy towards drug dealers. Yes, it is sad that they live like that, but in this day and age they have so many options and free help that the only reason they live like that is because they choose to. Seriously. It is a choice. That does not mean that their lives should not be valued, because they are human like any city lawyer or banker but I can see why a nation (or a newspaper) would not want to mourn them. They contribute NOTHING positive to society.

I don't think you can compare it (even remotely)to developing countries though because most of the people who suffer in developing countries have no way out of it and do not choose to live that way. IMO

Reply 19

Lewisy-boy

Yeah, that analogy just doesn't fit and I think a drug dealer is a bit extreme.

At the end of the day, this story hit the papers not because they felt sorry for the loss of 'talent', but because they wanted to slam the City. Simple. It's not a reflection of how useful he was, but how high profile his employer was.