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.