Today comes the news that Mark Levy, a recently laid-off attorney at Kilpatrick Stockton, committed suicide in his office.

As we all blog and gossip about law firm layoffs, salary roll-backs and job deferments, we cannot lose sight that behind each number is a man or woman, a father, wife, daughter, son, parent. They are like us, stressing about the mortgage, how to put kids through college, high credit-to-debt ratios on credit cards, and student loan repayments.

As we gleefully rejoice that our jobs are safe (for now), we cannot forget to reach out to those who have not been as fortunate.

I suspect that today’s tragedy was not the first, nor will it be the last.

As we continue to “survive” the current economic crisis, we cannot forget that before we are a lawyer, secretary, paralegal or legal marketer, we are Mark, or Susan, or Bill, or Heather.

We are more than our job, title, or whatever is listed on our business cards. We have to seek our identity in things greater than what happens at our office locations.

My heart and sympathies goes out to Mr. Levy’s family.