Criminal Justice
Prominent London Lawyer Killed in Police Shootout
Posted May 7, 2008, 11:26 am CDT
By Martha Neil
Updated: An alcohol-fueled argument between two married London divorce lawyers may have led to a police shootout last night in which one was killed in their home in the expensive Chelsea neighborhood, stunning fellow practitioners.
Complete details aren't available, but barrister Mark Saunders is dead, and "it is believed Saunders began firing rounds at police and neighbours from his flat off the King’s Road just after 5 p.m.," reports the Lawyer.
He was 32, and was educated at Oxford University, reports the London Times. The newspaper article says that Saunders had a severe alcohol problem that had led to difficulties in his approximately one-year-old marriage. Although Saunders had served in the military, he apparently was never in combat in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
Saunders was a member of QEB Chambers, as is his wife, Elizabeth Clarke, the Lawyer writes. She is reportedly 40.
Friends and colleagues say in multiple articles that Saunders was a skilled, successful, socially prominent lawyer who was a pleasure to be around at parties.
The Markham Square apartment in West London in which Saunders died cost the couple approximately $4.5 million in October of last year, according to the Mail.
An unnamed friend told the Evening Standard he was stunned to learn that Saunders hadn't been caught in the crossfire but was actually the gunman, the Mail notes. "He married Liz just over a year ago and they were family law's golden couple," the friend says. "She is a highly regarded barrister in her own right."
Together the two are estimated to have made between $1.2 million and $2 million annually, the Times reported in a separate story.
A subsequent ABAJournal.com post provides additional details.
Additional coverage:
The Guardian: "Rising star in legal field"
London Times: "Mark Saunders' father: we are shocked and stunned"
Updated at 2:15 p.m. May 8, to include link to subsequent ABAJournal.com post.
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Comments
Posted by Li Wuan - 1 month, 4 weeks, 3 hours, 48 minutes ago
Divorce no good. Love good. Marriage must be kept together. Men’s eye stray to another woman, problem begin. Not good to shoot away problem. If he kept his love to self, no probem.
Posted by Marc - 1 month, 4 weeks, 1 hour, 29 minutes ago
Tragic story. More proof that we laywers have our share of crazy and irrational people - maybe more than our share.
Li Wuan - Say what?
Posted by 2L - 1 month, 4 weeks, 57 minutes ago
Li Wuan, that is poetic!
Posted by Another 2L - 1 month, 3 weeks, 6 days, 22 hours, 24 minutes ago
Li Wuan -
I think your comment is incredibly off-point. I would never marry an alcoholic because the alcoholism alone will cause big problems, cheating or not. This is just another example of lawyers not taking care of themselves and allowing drinking to take over their lives because it is seen as acceptable. Tragic.
Posted by Another 2L - 1 month, 3 weeks, 6 days, 22 hours, 14 minutes ago
Just to clarify, I mean no disrespect to this man’s widow. I am not commenting on other people’s choice of partner. I wish all who are married and going to be married the best of luck and happiness in their marriage. I just think that lawyers need to take care of themselves before they become alcoholics or get treatment once they become alcoholics. It rips apart families. I am merely commenting on the fact that I could not deal with alcoholism in someone close to me and I probably wouldn’t be able to deal with the stress of trying to get them to treatment if they didn’t want to go. I make no insinuations about others and I sincerely hope that all who are dealing with acoholism personally or within their families are able to and have the courage to get the help they need before it is too late.
Posted by Bill Dickey - 1 month, 3 weeks, 6 days, 21 hours, 11 minutes ago
a 32 year old who goes around shooting guns off in London is not going to live long. And Li Yuan is just clueless. She should know from old Chinese Proverb: Man who go to bed with itchy a-hole.....wake up with smelly finger!