Law firm Clifford Chance 'in shock' after lawyer missing in yacht disaster

Rescue boats operate on the sea to search for the missing, including British entrepreneur Mike Lynch, after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy August 20, 2024. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

(Reuters) - A prominent New York lawyer who is among six missing passengers of a sunken yacht off Italy's coast was traveling with his longtime client, British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, just weeks after helping him avoid conviction in a 12-year legal saga.

Divers were still searching on Tuesday for the defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor Christopher Morvillo, a partner at law firm Clifford Chance, and his wife Neda, along with Lynch and three other missing passengers. There are 15 known survivors.