Tragic death of the only senior woman on a deal team after 18-hour days

efinancialcareers.com:

The record for the inquest of Vanessa Ford, who was known at work as Vanessa Heap, is brutally short. The immediate cause of death was «multiple traumatic injuries,» said the London coroner on February 26th. 

The proximate cause of death, however, was more complicated. Writing on the Record of Ford's inquest, the coroner said:

«On 23 September 2023, Vanessa Ford 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.»

Ford, who was 47-years-old and lived in Hackney, London, left a husband and two school-age sons. She died after working 18-hour days at law firm Pinsent Masons on 777 Partners' acquisition of Everton Football club. The day before her death, the inquest heard that Ford travelled to Manchester for a celebratory lunch to mark the deal. She ended up staying the night with Everton director Katie Charles before returning to London at 7am, when her husband and children were out of the house. 

Ford's death has rocked the legal community, but stands as a tragic warning of the mental health problems that can afflict anyone working what her husband described as «all-consuming hours.» 

Hours after Ford's death, at 1.44pm on the 23rd, Pinsent Mason'spublished a press release announcing the successful completion of the Everton deal. In it, Ford said she was «delighted» to have helped Everton secure the translation. The senior members of the Pinsent Mason's deal team — Ford's fellow partners Julian Diaz-Rainey, Tom Leman and James Kaye, were all men. 

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