City Partner Suicide
A West London Coroner’s Court was told yesterday that Catherine Bailey, 41, killed herself near Richmond Bridge on January 10 shortly after texting her husband. Ms Bailey was a specialist in banking and commercial law at City firm S J Berwin. She had returned to work just before Christmas after the birth of her third daughter. The coroner told the court: “It is probable she may have been suffering from a degree of postnatal depression.” Detective Sergeant …
A West London Coroner’s Court was told yesterday that Catherine Bailey, 41, killed herself near Richmond Bridge on January 10 shortly after texting her husband. Ms Bailey was a specialist in banking and commercial law at City firm S J Berwin. She had returned to work just before Christmas after the birth of her third daughter. The coroner told the court: “It is probable she may have been suffering from a degree of postnatal depression.” Detective Sergeant Bernard McCabe, who led the investigation said "She had a demanding job and was balancing between that and three young girls."
Ms Bailey became a partner at SJ Berwin in 2003. She focused on banking and regulatory disputes, including Financial Services Authority investigations, investment mismanagement cases and financial markets litigation. The volume of her work had increased significantly since the economic downturn began.
Separately, SJ Berwin has seen a fall in turnover from £215m to £184m during 2008-09 and a resulting 49% partner profits drop from £801,000 to £410,000, one of the largest falls in profitability recorded by a UK top 50 firm this year. It is understood that its corporate, private equity and real estate practices were badly hit by the credit crunch.
July 29, 2009
Very sad to think it can get that hard on someone.
July 30, 2009
Very sad indeed.
Sometimes the strains and anxieties of modern day life are thinly veiled by the outward appearance of success. Worries corrode life and paralyse you. In these demanding times, take time, if only for a while, to just stop…..and appreciate that we are all very fortunate…that there is goodness in the world and find something to smile about…whether spilling that cappuchino on one’s best trousers dashing to court or a smile from a stranger or just the smell of roses….andremember its always
darkest just before the dawn.
May she be at peace and her family have strength to guide and steel them at this time.
July 30, 2009
Amen.
July 30, 2009
That is tragic. There is an enormous amount of pressure on women (most especially Partners) to return to work (full time) & hit the ground running after giving birth. I hope SJB were supportive of her – many firms aren’t and we are sadly working in what continues to be a backwards profession where flexible working requests are declined without consideration etc.
July 30, 2009
I feel it really isn’t my place to comment or speculate on this tragedy, as a complete outsider. I am posting this comment because of the third post entitled RIP Feminism. Why does the post have this title? It seems wrong and tasteless to be contentious in this context. The poster does not know why this has happened-he or she has no idea if feminism is to blame, or work practices, or post natal depression, or anything else. Please, more decorum from professionals. This is a tragedy, not an opportunity to take a poke at feminism.