The work culture of law firms in the UK have been brought into the spotlight in recent weeks, following an inquest into the tragic death of Vanessa Ford.
It’s been reported that Ford, who was a senior equity partner at law firm Pinsent Masons, died shortly after working 18-hour days on the high-profile acquisition of Everton Football Club.
According to the inquest into the circumstances of her death, Ford’s passing came after an acute mental health episode that culminated in her being hit by a train in September last year. The inquest also highlighted the intense pressure she had been under at work in the months leading up to her death.
Writing on her proximate cause of death, the coroner said Ford had “consumed a significant amount of alcohol while undergoing an acute mental health crisis”.
“She accessed the wall of the Dalston Lane road bridge and allowed herself to drop onto the railway tracks below, where she was later struck by a train. There is insufficient evidence to suggest that she intended to take her own life.”
In a statement to the inquest, Ford’s husband had described her as a person who was “good at everything” – at her job, being a mother and as a friend. He also said he had never known to work so intensely as she had on the Everton Football Club deal, saying it was “all-consuming”.
He said she felt guilty for not being able to spend much time with her children while working on the deal and that family holidays were often interrupted by long phone calls. Her father had also died in the previous year, with her not having had time to grieve fully, he said.
It’s notable that Ford was also the only woman on the Pinsent Masons team working on the Everton deal.
According to law.com’s report of the inquest into her death, Ford’s manager said she had never raised any concerns about her work/life balance or mental health.
The tragic circumstances of Ford’s death have renewed calls for employers to take more account of the mental health of their employees, as well as their access to a fair work/life balance. It’s particularly pertinent for the legal profession, with lawyers being at greater risk of poor mental health.
On LinkedIn, many women have shared their responses to Ford’s story, often speaking about how they relate in different ways.
“When I read the articles that report on the inquest the references to Vanessa’s alleged feelings of guilt and perfectionism sound all too familiar and that hits hard,” wrote Claire Sanders. “So, please please share far and wide the amazing (and too often undiscovered) work that LawCare do.”
Lisa Merron, a legal counsel, said: “Women, lawyers, people, should not be afraid of being seen as humans in the workplace. These hours and deals are grueling and finding ANY kind of work life balance can seem a near impossibility. Family and well being are far more important than any mega deal.”
Ruth Wood, a leadership coach, wrote: “It’s not good enough. We are still losing too many people as a result of undue stress and pressure at work and the impact it has on mental health. For organisations to truly embrace a responsible approach to the lived experience of their employees, we need to go beyond policies, helplines and wellbeing days. We need structural and cultural change.”
A lawyer, Stefanie Costi said: “Vanessa Ford deserved better. Her husband deserved better. Her children deserved better. And damn it, we all deserve better! What do you think we can do better in workplaces to ensure that no one else has to suffer the same fate?”
“Vanessa’s legacy should stand as a reminder to all that no case, job, or deal should override one’s life. It’s up to us employers to set the standard and instil a healthy working culture,” Vicky Humberstone said
“Vanessa’s passing brought to light how ignorant Law firms can be on how burnt out and overworked, their staff are..Vanessa doing 18-hour work days says enough. Sometimes mental health is just another checkbox for workplaces,” Sara Bham said.
Here in Australia, a culture of long hours and overwork was brought to light in an independent review of the professional services firm EY, undertaken by Elizabeth Broderick. The review followed the death of Aishwarya Venkatachalam, an audit and assurance specialist at EY, who tragically died in Sydney in 2022.
One of the key findings of the review honed in on long work hours and overwork being a “critical issue”. The review said it had “a negative impact on individual wellbeing, team cohesion and retention” with 46 per cent of staff reporting that their health has been negatively affected as a result, and two in five people considering quitting.
Meanwhile, 15 per cent of people had experienced bullying while working at EY in the previous 5 years, 10 per cent indicated they had experienced sexual harassment, and 8 per cent of people experienced racism.
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