The pair had never spoken before
A junior lawyer at a US firm has saved a partner’s life after donating her kidney following a firm-wide email appeal.
Bernie Citron, a partner at Thompson Coburn’s Chicago office, developed kidney disease in his 40s due to an autoimmune condition. His health deteriorated sharply in 2024 after a stroke, leaving him on dialysis seven nights a week and facing a five-year wait on the deceased donor list.
Speaking to Law360 (£), Citron said doctors informed him he was unlikely to survive the wait and he launched what he described to as a “marketing campaign” to find a living donor. He eventually turned to his firm, who gave the green light and encouraged Citron to send his plea to all 800 staff, not just lawyers.
Junior lawyer Hope Watson, based in the firm’s Washington DC office, received the email in January 2025. Watson said she had been considering becoming a living donor since 2017, when she had learnt about the impact of dialysis on patients when staying with her aunt, who runs a health literacy non-profit. Ever since then she had been “planning to donate to the next person who came across my transom.”
She completed the donor questionnaire linked in the email, flew to Chicago for testing, and only told Citron once she was confirmed as a match.
The firm gave both lawyers — who had never spoken before — the time off needed for surgery and recovery. Watson’s kidney was successfully transplanted into Citron on 11 July 2025. Thompson Coburn has since donated $25,000 to the National Kidney Foundation in their honour.
The pair are now close friends. “We’ve developed this wonderful intergenerational friendship,” Watson said. “I consider him a very close friend and a member of my family.”
Smart move, now she knows she’s basically unsackable as the PR optics would be terrible for the firm
yes she definitely did it for the optics
Excuse me? The firm asked around on email? As if you don’t take enough time from their lives, now you want a kidney? Stop.
Wow, if it was you in that situation, waiting for a kidney, and the high possibility of you not finding a donor before you potentially died. I’m sure you’d try everything. Which he did.
Oi bernie is lowkey a stylish geeza tho
You’d not, if you were asked to, to donate one of your balls, would you just because think you’d be unsackable, maybe you’d.
You’d still have your sack but just one ball
I was on Dialysis for 2 years. My donor was also a living donor. We will be celebrating our 25th atransplant Anniversary the 15th of this month of May!!!
He saved my life!!! We are doing GREAT!!!
I was told my chances of getting a Kidney were slim to none because I am American Indian and Hispanic and they don’t traditionally donate their organs as often.
My donor is Caucasian!!
Bless this sweet lady. She has made a difference in this gentleman’s life that she will never understand!!! She made his life a blessing as well.
Good for her!
Does anyone know of any graduate recruitment staff with faulty organs? (asking for a mate)
Yes ,I have a faulty organs my kidney, and I am looking for a donor help a sister God bless you.
I’d think the opposite. Big boss exploiting junior colleague
George Lopez got a kidney from his wife and then divorced her…..she can always be wacked- kidney or no kidney. Wish her the best
Well… that’s one way to accelerate the track to partnership.
The power imbalance in BigLaw has never before been so cruelly exercised.