Field Fisher lawyers freed from Mumbai terror ordeal
As reported on TheLawyer.com, Abell was trapped in his room when the attacks began on Wednesday night (see story). He was released from his room in the Oberoi at around 5am UK time today, and Abell about an hour later.
The Lawyer spoke to Abell while he waited at the British Council for his flight back to the UK. He said that FFW brought a security consultant into its London office to give Abell advice via his BlackBerry on strategies for surviving the siege.
Abell added: "[A crisis] brings the best out in people. Everyone back at home was really pulling together and made sure my family were looked after. It made me appreciate what a supportive culture we have at the firm.
"Everybody - except perhaps for one person - was there supporting me," he added. "In 40 hours I received more than 3,000 emails from lawyers that I worked with all over the world and many lawyers that I haven't worked with. It's great to be part of a profession that looks after its people."
Abell described the chain of events that led to his first being trapped in his room.
"Chris and I had dinner with a client in the evening at the Kandahar Restaurant in the hotel. We left and 20 or 30 minutes later there was shooting in the restaurant. It sounds as if the waitress serving us that night got shot," he said.
"After dinner I was talking to some Japanese businessmen, waiting for the lift [in the lobby]. The lifts are usually very slow but that day they were fast. I got the lift up to my room and after about 10 minutes I heard a big blast. I think one of the Japanese men was killed in the blast. What I've been through is really nothing. There were so many other strong people."
Abell barricaded himself in his room on the 23rd floor of the hotel, after deciding not to make a run for it via the fire escape. He heard gunfire in the corridor outside his room, as well as other explosions. During the 40 hour siege Abell said he ate nothing, slept for about two hours and only had two bottles of water.
Despite the carnage, Abell said that he still managed to conduct FFW board meetings on strategy. "You've got to be in control of your space. I was in control of my space and I wasn't going to let the terrorists put me off my stride. Some of the partners said they would understand, given the situation, if I didn't want to attend the meeting. I said 'Why?'. You've just got to keep going."
Abell said he would take Monday (1 December) off to recover, but that he would be back in the office the following day.
FFW issued a statement saying: "We're immensely grateful to all our business contacts, friends and advisers both in the UK and overseas who are helping us in these difficult times."
Yesterday's story attracted a raft of reader comment:
Sad
Date: 28-Nov-2008 @ 13:17PM
From: Anonymous
I was sad to read the lack of sympathy presumably fellow lawyers for someone in such extreme dange, braving a horrific and completely unexpected encounter of terrorism.
I think he has been extremely brave and shown high character in daring to report to the news whilst he was barrackaded in his room so that we could know what was happening in Mumbai.
I think he is an example to others of how a lawyer being able to handle a horrific situation very well. I think we should be inspired by the courage and spirit that he has demonstrated.
Embarrassed to be a lawyer
Date: 28-Nov-2008 @ 12:49PM
From: Anonymous
What an embarrassment to the legal profession this guy is. I am a former City solicitor working in house; i don't read the Lawyer these days and i don't normally go on comment boards. But the namedropping of his firm through the Today interview takes the biscuit and has driven me to this site to comment; no wonder people think lawyers are tw*ts. What an inappropriate time to try and promote one's third division law firm.
FFW
Date: 28-Nov-2008 @ 10:39AM
From: Anonymous
So what firm does Mark Abell work for exactly?! It's a joke that someone who is in a life or death situation would take the opportunity to try to win some work for FFW!
Field Fisher partner trapped by Mumbai terror attack
Date: 28-Nov-2008 @ 10:32AM
From: Anonymous
He is now out of the hotel.
No surprise
Date: 28-Nov-2008 @ 08:03AM
From: Anonymous
Why am I not surprised by the shameless self-promotion at a time when so many people were suffering?
@Anonymous
Date: 27-Nov-2008 @ 20:29PM
From: think different
Don't be silly please, Mark Abell is now having extremely tuff times there, still being locked in his room (21:26 CET). He probably mentioned FFW just because he was on business trip there for his firm. Be decent.
Shameless
Date: 27-Nov-2008 @ 16:43PM
From: Anonymous
I thought the blatant FFW name dropping during the interview was shocking "Yes, FFW do a lot of work in India!!" But if that's the way you have to sell yourself, so be it.
Legal News?
Date: 27-Nov-2008 @ 15:40PM
From: Anon
The BBC's Today programme is hardly legal news, unless you think otherwise.
Last comment
Date: 27-Nov-2008 @ 15:07PM
From: Anon.
I have a feeling that what with all that's going on, those teenage terrorists might be a little too busy to read legal news on their Blackberries.
!!!
Date: 27-Nov-2008 @ 14:59PM
From: NonnyMus
Why is this being advertised?! Do they want the terrorist to knock on his door and hunt him down?
To read yesterday's story click here.
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Readers' comments (40)
Anonymous | 2-Dec-2008 1:09 pm
Mark Abell
I really hope Mark Abell reads these comments. It is just pathetic that the most important thing on his mind when people are being tortured and killed around him is letting people know that he works for FFW. There's more to life mate!
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Anonymous | 2-Dec-2008 1:58 pm
Pig Ignorant
There's only one way to describe Mark Abell's critics.
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Anonymous | 2-Dec-2008 2:07 pm
FFW
Callous self promotion of the worst kind. If there was ever a case of someone losing perspective of his own importance and what he does, this has to take the biscuit. If he really did care about the business of the board meeting, he would not have distracted the attendees by being there. I can just imagine his faux-modesty as colleagues come on his wellbeing. What a terrible way to try and manipulate people.
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Anonymous | 2-Dec-2008 2:33 pm
Pondlife
If there was ever a case of people losing perspective, it's these comments. So he name-dropped his firm - big deal. Stop getting all Daily Mail about it.
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Steve | 2-Dec-2008 4:15 pm
Cynical
I wouldn't be surprised if Mark Abell was the criminal mastermind behind the terrorist attacks, while all the time planning how he was going to use the carnage to maximise publicity for Field Fisher.
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Sebastian Cargutt | 2-Dec-2008 4:48 pm
Still attended meetings though...
Is noone else surprised that he still dialled in to board meetings while barricaded in his room? 'Some' of the partners would understand if he hadn't - well that's all very easy to say when you're sitting in a boardroom in London, which doesn't have armed terrorists patrolling up and down outside! Perhaps they asked him to mute his phone so the gunshots didn't interrupt the meeting?
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Steve | 2-Dec-2008 5:19 pm
I agree
I'm not surprised Sebastian - I'm sceptical about the claim he was 'barricaded in his room'. More likely he was orchestrating events from the terrorism command centre, while getting in a few more FFW name-drops on BBC News 24.
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Anonymous | 3-Dec-2008 7:33 am
Hear hear...
...to Anonymous's Be Careful comment posted on at 09:26am on 1 December 2008. How one surviving individual conducts himself after such an ordeal and whether or not that is appropriate is largely irrelevant in comparison to the 180 individuals who didn't make it.
Rightly or wrongly, Mr Abell is (in)famous, but his name is not and should not be the only one that people remember from last week's events.
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Max Arthur | 5-Dec-2008 9:35 pm
Field Fisher lawyers freed from Mumbai terror
What a lot of pompous, overbearing, self-righteous , cynical bigots you all are. Did none of you actually listen to what this man Abell said?
After enduring what must have been unthinkable fear and uncertainty for some 40 hours ,the first thing he did when he was interviewed by the press was to thank his rescuers, praise all of the heroes involved in this tragedy and say gracious things about the Indian people . Is that the first thing that you would have done after such an ordeal?
This man showed amazing coolness, modesty and courage. He took incredible risks to let us all understand exactly what was going on in that hell hole. Others who did the same were hunted down and mrdered for their troubles. Would any of you have the guts to do what he did? I doubt it!
So what if he mentioned the name of the firm he works for when he was interviewed. Is that a crime? Does it detract from his bravery ? You can all sit there and snipe away at him but you do not even have the courage to put your name to your barbed and poisonous comments. Sounds to me as though some of you have got a grudge against Mr Abell for some reason and you are cynical enough to use this tragedy to try and get one over on him. Shame on you. Mr Abell did us all a favour reporting on the events in Mumbai as they unfolded. I think that we should all be proud that one of our fellow professionals has the guts to get up and do something when the chips are down. You should also be ashamed of yourselves. Why don't you all get a life?
Rather than all this bitching why don't you start trying to understand the enormity of what happened in Mumbai and think what you can do to help those bereaved and orphaned by it ?
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Sarah Wells | 6-Dec-2008 9:17 am
Mumbai attack
I am not a lawyer. But I am someone who had to suffer the anxiety of having a near and dear one trapped in the Oberoi hotel last week. I have been shown this article and the attached blog by my housemate who is a lawyer. I cannot believe you guys. Your comments say an awful lot more about yourselves than they do about Mark Abell. I personally found his understated stoic courage a source of great comfort and inspiration at a time when I was very worried for the safety of my near and dear one who was stuck in the Oberoi and was unable to contact me or the rest of our family. To my mind and to that of the whole of my family - and I suspect the vast majority of people - Mr Abell demonstarted great courage and does not deserve to be subjected to your cruel and unjustified comments . So what if he said where he worked? Do you think that it registered with anyone other than a few sad individuals in the legal profession?
If you devoted half as much time to doing something useful to help the victims of the Mumbai massacre as you do to this bitching the world might be a better place!
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