Was I alone in feeling dismayed by your recent editorial, which appeared to suggest the monetary rewards available in the City, to which young lawyers aspire, are adequate recompense for the harm that can be caused to them by arduous working patterns (see [2007] Gazette, 22 February, 4 & 15)?


The death of Matthew Courtney is a tragedy, and if it is the case that the pressures of work were a contributory factor to his untimely demise, that should be a cause for mature reflection, not an occasion to justify onerous working practices that can often have an inimical effect on one's physical or mental health and family life.



It may well be the case that those working in City firms are fully aware of the demands of the profession and the financial gain available to them. However, should not employers have a duty to consider the welfare of their employees?



I am sure that Matthew Courtney was motivated by the love of the law and the legal profession, which is what he studied for and enjoyed. If he is a casualty of the 'work 'til you drop culture' that exists, then surely that is something to be deplored and not celebrated.



Antony Salmon, Borough Crown Prosecutor, Havering Borough, Crown Prosecution Service, London