When Simona Farrise gets really depressed about a case, she walks her duck.
It’s a hand-crafted wooden bird with webbed feet made of rubber that flap about. Farrise, a plaintiffs attorney specializing in asbestos cases, explains that one of her first clients made it. He took up the hobby after being diagnosed with mesothelioma — a terminal cancer linked to asbestos exposure. Farrise won a settlement for the man before he died to ensure his family would be provided for. He gave the duck to her as a gift. Today, it serves as a reminder of the stakes involved in the cases she fights.
