City Lawyer 'suffering from stress at work' threw himself under Tube

 
Kiran Randhawa12 September 2013

A top lawyer at one of the City’s most prestigious firms hurled himself in front of a Tube train after suffering from work related stress, an inquest today heard.

David Latham, 58, a senior intellectual property partner at global firm Hogan Lovells, was hit by a train at Notting Hill Gate Tube station on February 15 This year.

The married father-of-three from Kensington, west London, described by colleagues as “charming” and “one of life’s true gentleman” had no history of psychiatric problems, but had been suffering from work related stress, Westminster Coroner’s Court heard.

Coroner’s officer Komi Omadoye told the inquest: “Mr Latham was not known to suffer any psychiatric problems or psychiatric conditions although his wife did disclose that he had been suffering from work related stress.

“On the morning of February 15 he was seen entering Notting Hill Gate. Underground station at 05.42 he was observed standing at the eastbound central line platform and then he hurled himself in front of a central loine train.

“The incident was captured on CCTV and confirmed no third party involvement.”

Born in Earls Court, west London, to a minister and a doctor, Mr Latham studied law at Emmanuel College at Cambridge University.

He qualified as a solicitor in 1980 and joined the forerunner to Hogan Lovells - then called Durrant Piesse - in 1986, making partner two years later in 1988.

He became a well known lawyer on both sides of the Atlantic, managing the firm’s influential New York office for some time and becoming a renowned expert in international trade mark and copyright.

Mr Latham’s firm paid tribute to their “great colleague” in a statement released at the time of his death.

In it the firm said: “Hogan Lovells is saddened by the loss of David Latham.

“He was a great colleague, a friend to many, and a highly regarded professional who we all enjoyed working with. He was a very well-known and highly regarded figure in the intellectual property world.”

In an article on their website the firm hail Mr Latham as an “utterly charming man”.

It states: “David was one of life’s true gentlemen. He had good sense, good principles and a good heart and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”

Mr Latham was married to Gilly Webb and had three adult children, Rebecca, Mark and Liana.

Members of his family and his law firm were sat in court to hear the inquest, which continues.

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