Recent Law School Graduate Commits Suicide After Failing Bar Exam
This is incredibly depressing.
Welcome to the latest installment of The Struggle, a series where we examine the mental-health issues that students encounter during the oftentimes grueling law school experience. We are posting these stories because sometimes what law students really need is to know that they’re not alone in their pain. Sometimes what law students need is to know that they’ve got a friend who is willing to share not just in their triumphs, but also in their struggles. These are real e-mails and messages we’ve received from real readers.
If these issues resonate with you, please reach out to us. Your stories need to be heard. You can email us, text us at (646) 820-8477, or tweet us @atlblog. We will share your stories anonymously. You may be able to help a law student who needs to know that someone else has been there before and survived.
Today’s story is different from the others we’ve featured in this space previously. Today’s story is not a story of survival, but one of tragedy. This afternoon, graduates from the UC Hastings College of Law Class of 2016, current students, faculty, and staff members received the following email from administrators concerning the untimely death of one of their classmates, who took his own life after finding out that he’d failed the bar exam.
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Dear Hastings Class of 2016, Students, Faculty, and Staff –
We must write to share some sad news with the Hastings community: the death of Brian (Chris) Grauman, who graduated from UC Hastings this past spring. Brian’s family has asked us to share the following information with the community:
Our son Brian Christopher Grauman unexpectedly took his own life on Friday evening 18 Nov 2016, after learning he did not pass the California Bar Exam. We are still trying to understand such an extreme reaction by Brian. We know he loved studying and debating law, and he was intently focused on fulfilling his dream of practicing law in the courtroom. Like his friends who have now begun their own professional lives after completing their university studies, he was very anxious to achieve life on his own which to him meant complete independence and control. Brian was intense, impatient, and had never faced a significant failure. It appears the idea of repeating the last 7 months of his life to again prepare for the Bar Exam and then once more nervously await months for the results was too much for him. We deeply regret that he did not take the time to talk to anyone after learning his exam results.
Brian made friends easily and there are hundreds of them who, like his family, must now face life without him. We hope this tragic loss will point out to others the high stress level that may be experienced by intense and high-achieving students who are not prepared for the extreme disappointment of not passing the Bar.
We invited anyone who knew Brian to visit the website we set up as it provides information about the funeral service. It also shares photos and videos of Brian and his friends. We welcome any and all additional photos or videos that may depict Brian’s life at UC Hastings or with fellow law students and professionals.
Funeral services for Brian Grauman will be held at the Oakhill Funeral Home and Memorial Park in San Jose, California, on Sunday, December 4, at 10 a.m., with his burial following shortly thereafter at 11 a.m. A reception will be held from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Our thoughts are with Brian’s family and friends during these trying times.
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Most colleges and universities have counseling and psychological services resources that students and graduates can turn to if they are in crisis or would like counseling, even after hours. If these services are not available at your school, and if you’re depressed and in need help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) or a lawyer assistance program in your state. Remember that you are loved, so please reach out if you need assistance, before it’s too late. Don’t become a statistic — seek help.
Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. She’d love to hear from you, so feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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