Prominent La. Lawyer Kills Himself in Year Following Son’s Suicide
Prominent Baton Rouge, La., business lawyer Gordon Pugh, who practiced law for 44 years, killed himself on Monday.
Pugh’s son, Gordon Pugh Jr., had committed suicide last year, the Daily Reveille reports.
An interview with Pugh, a 71-year-old partner at Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was published in the Baton Rouge Business Report a week before he shot himself. The article begins this way: “Gordon Pugh has forgotten more about business law than some will ever learn.”
Pugh was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on a levee near the veterinary school at Louisiana State University, according to 2TheAdvocate.com. He was a school alumnus.
Scott Hensgens, managing partner at Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, told 2TheAdvocate.com that Pugh managed to have a successful law practice while maintaining his responsibility to the community. “He was a role model like none other, and I am proud to call him my friend,” he said.
In the Baton Rouge Business Report interview, Pugh talks about changes in legal practice over the years, including the rise of specialization and lawyer advertising, and the impact of regulation on business law (it creates more work for lawyers).
Asked why he stayed in legal practice for 44 years, Pugh replied: “The reason I love law is that I love working with people. I like helping them resolve issues. That’s it.”
Spelling of “levee” corrected at 10 a.m.
