In-house lawyers were among those who were caught up in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York last month.
Shortly after the attack, the American Corporate Counsel Association (Acca) issued an e-mail to its entire membership in an effort to identify and assist those members that were affected by the blast on 11 September.
The group said 30 Acca members worked in law departments that listed the World Trade Centre as their address.
As Legal Director went to press – just over a week after the attacks – Fred Krebs, president of Acca, said: "Our information is that most of the members are safe. A small number (three to seven) remain missing or unaccounted for."
The headquarters of the Greater New York division of the Acca was also destroyed in the attack, but the group has confirmed that all staff had escaped injury.
Lawyers were among those who died in the terrorist attacks.
Around six lawyers were travelling in the hijacked planes that crashed into the WTC and the Pentagon. These were of counsel Alan Beaven of Berman De Valerio Pease Tabacco Burt & Pucillo and PricewaterhouseCoopers tax and legal partner Daniel Brandhorst.
Also reported dead are Karen Kincaid, who was a partner at Wiley Rein & Fielding; Lisa Raines, a lawyer and lobbyist for Genzyme Corp; Todd Reuben, a partner at Washington firm Venable; and Barbara Olson, a former solicitor general of the House of Representatives.
The office of Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, which was based in Tower One of the WTC, is destroyed. The firm has reported that all its 600 staff who were based in the building managed to escape, bar one who is still missing.
In the meantime, law firms with offices based in New York are offering space to clients whose offices were destroyed in the attack.
It is understood that space has been made available at Clifford Chance's New York offices for as many as 100 people from client companies, including insurance company Aon.