We have disturbing news to report from Europe: A respected partner at Biglaw was recently reported missing after his client’s luxury superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily, Italy.

Prominent Clifford Chance partner Christopher J. Morvillo – from the prestigious Morvillo family of lawyers behind the Morvillo Abramowitz firm – is believed to be among the six missing. Morvillo, whose corporate law firm is based in New York, was on board the yacht celebrating a hard-fought victory in a federal fraud case with tech billionaire and Autonomy founder Mike Lynch, who was acquitted of all charges. Lynch is now missing at sea, and this is where things start to get a little spooky: his co-defendant Steven Chamberlain died in a car crash the same day when the yacht capsized. The Mirror has more details on the shipwreck:

The lawyer is one of six people believed to still be trapped in the yacht’s hull, 50 metres underwater. Divers loaded a rescue boat in the harbour of Porticello near Palermo after an initial search ended unsuccessfully on Monday. Firefighters reported that divers could not get into the cabins below deck because they were blocked by debris that had been displaced during the violent storm that capsized the luxury sailing boat early Monday.

Fifteen people survived, including a mother who said she held her one-year-old baby over the waves to save him. One body was recovered, officials said.

In a now-powerful LinkedIn post, Morvillo praised his trial team and thanked them for all their hard work in Lynch’s case, which finally came to an end after 13 long years. The Biglaw partner, now presumed dead, concluded his post with the following words: “And they all lived happily ever after…”

Clifford Chance made the following statement to American Lawyer regarding the accident:

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Our thoughts are with our partner Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda, who are among the missing.

Our highest priority is to support the family and our colleague Ayla Ronald, who fortunately survived the incident together with her partner. Our thoughts are with the other passengers and crew and all those affected. We have no further comment at this time. We and the families ask that their wish for privacy be respected during this time.”

Our thoughts here at Above the Law are with Christopher Morvillo’s family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time.

Christopher Morvillo’s haunting final seven words after his disappearance in a Bayesian yacht disaster (The Mirror)
Partner of New York-based lawyer Clifford Chance missing after Mike Lynch’s yacht disaster (American Lawyer)

Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she has worked since 2011. She welcomes your feedback, so feel free to email her with tips, questions, comments, or criticism. You can follow her on X/Twitter and threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.