The mental health struggles and tragic death of big law partner lead to a tribute in LinkedIn from Pinsent Masons partner Matt Morgan, head of finance and restructuring at the law firm and relating to the mental health issues faced by many stressed lawyers.

Vanessa Ford was known professionally as Vanessa Heap and she died on September 23, 2023, after being reported missing from her home earlier that same day and following an “acute mental health crisis” according to the coronial report following the tragedy.

She had attended a celebratory lunch the day before the death before returning to London on the day of her death. The tragedy has lead to a further examination of mental health issues among legal professional who are often working under intense strain and for long hours.

A toxicology report showed that Ford’s blood alcohol level at the time of her death was “incredibly high”, and she also reportedly contacted a private health care provider in the hour before her death to seek help for alcohol consumption.

The coroner said in his report that in the months prior to her death there were “a number of stressors” in Ford’s life, but she appeared to have “found it difficult” to discuss them with others.

Her husband, wine educator Oliver Ford, told the inquest which described his wife as “the perfect person to be around” who was “good at everything”, including being a lawyer, a mother and a friend.

Vanessa Heap, Partner at Pinsent Masons. It is with great sadness that we share the tragic news that our friend and colleague Vanessa Heap was involved in a fatal incident in London on Saturday.

This is a devastating loss for her family and our hearts go out to her husband, two young sons and all her family and friends.

Vanessa was a talented and inspiring colleague who was highly respected and admired across Pinsent Masons. Her loss will be keenly felt throughout the firm.

Vanessa was a consummate professional and played a key role in helping grow Pinsent Masons over the last decade. Very much a specialist in her field, Vanessa was particularly knowledgeable and prominent in the leveraged finance market and, since joining in 2011, she made a significant contribution to the firm leading a team of finance lawyers in our London office. Vanessa was an intelligent and warm individual who was a dedicated and loving mother to her children and a good friend to so many of us.

At this devastatingly sad time, we hope you will join us in passing on our heartfelt condolences to Vanessa’s family, friends and all who knew her.

Mental health issues within UK law firms are a significant concern. A report by LawCare, (taken from 2020-2021) a mental wellbeing charity, found that 69 percent of lawyers had experienced some form of mental health illness in the previous 12 months, highlighting the prevalence of mental health problems in the legal profession.

High levels of stress are reported, with 83 percent of attorneys feeling stressed at least some of the time, and 15 percent working more than 60 hours each week.

To address these issues, some law firms are committing to new working practices to support their employees.

For instance, a report from Thomson Reuters examined how technology and well-being initiatives are making a positive impact on mental health for legal professionals. These initiatives can include flexible working arrangements, access to mental health resources, and efforts to reduce the stigma around discussing mental health in the workplace.

The UK government had plans to reform the Mental Health Act, being the legislation that outlines how individuals with mental health issues can be legally detained and treated against their will if they are deemed a risk to themselves or others.

However, the UK government shelves the Mental Health Bill despite the fact that reforms to the Mental Health Act were a key Conservative manifesto commitment in both 2017 and 2019. The decision has been met with criticism as there have been calls for the Mental Health Act to be overhauled to tackle persistent racial and social inequalities in detention rates for mental health issues.