How a Wilson Sonsini Partner Died From Drug Use and No One Saw It Coming
"It's hard to imagine addressing lawyer mental health and wellness without addressing the operational model of billable hours—to expect someone to not be depressed billing every six minutes," said Eilene Zimmerman, author of the new book "Smacked."
February 11, 2020 at 11:30 AM
9 minute read
The original version of this story was published on The American Lawyer
All of the signs were there. But none of the right conclusions were drawn. And it may not have mattered if they were.
Weight loss, quick temper, constant illness, late-night trips to the convenience store that lasted for hours, frequent absences, missed deadlines, sleeping the weekend away, even tourniquets mailed to the office.
Those closest to the man, a partner in the intellectual property practice in the San Diego office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, saw different pieces of the puzzle in the year or two leading up to his death in July 2015. But they all chalked it up to his being depressed or perhaps struggling with the thyroid condition he said he had. And he always blamed it on work. Client demands. The price of being a Big Law partner.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1The Law Firm Disrupted: For Big Law Names, Shorter is Sweeter
- 2Wine, Dine and Grind (Through the Weekend): Summer Associates Thirst For Experience in 'Real Matters'
- 3'That's Disappointing': Only 11% of MDL Appointments Went to Attorneys of Color in 2023
- 4What We Know About the Kentucky Judge Killed in His Chambers
- 5'I'm Staying Everything': Texas Bankruptcy Judge Halts Talc Trials Against J&J
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250