(Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
We’ve got some sad news to report out of Massachusetts today, where a Biglaw litigator who was recently honored for his dedication to pro bono work drowned in a powerful riptide at a Nantucket beach.
Terrell “Terry” Iandiorio, 46, was a 2005 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, and served as counsel in Ropes & Gray’s government enforcement and white-collar practice. Waves on the day Iandiorio died were estimated to be about 12 feet high, and the beach was closed to swimmers due to a high surf advisory issued by the National Weather Service in light of Hurricane Gert. According to reports, Iandiorio was found unresponsive in the water amid a search for a child in distress. The Boston Globe has more information:
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Terry Iandiorio
A lifeguard found Iandiorio’s body floating face down shortly after noon Wednesday. He was brought back to shore, where a lifeguard performed CPR on him. He was pronounced dead at Nantucket Cottage Hospital.
“It was a very sad and unfortunate incident,” Nantucket Police Lieutenant Angus MacVicar said earlier this week.
About a dozen swimmers had been caught in a rip current at the beach on the island’s south shore on Wednesday, police said.
Joshua Levy, a partner at the firm, released this statement about Iandiorio: “Terry’s kindness, tenacity and thoughtfulness made him the consummate professional, an outstanding enforcement attorney, and a wonderful colleague. [His pro bono work] provided an immeasurable impact on the lives of people in need of legal services at critical junctures in their lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this tremendously difficult period.”
Iandiorio’s brother, Brady, who serves as general counsel at building materials supplier Environmental StoneWorks, said Terry would be remembered as an “outstanding father to his two children, a committed husband, a caring brother and son, and a loving friend to all the people whose lives he touched so deeply every day.” Iandiorio’s family has set up a memorial fund in his name.
We here at Above the Law would like to extend our condolences to Terrell Iandiorio’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.
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Ropes & Gray Lawyer Found Dead in Nantucket Surf [Am Law Daily]
Nantucket drowning victim was Boston lawyer [MassLive.com]
Nantucket drowning victim remembered as a family man, skilled lawyer [Boston Globe]
Staci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.