A successful City lawyer struggling to balance the demands of her job and motherhood sent a text message to her husband asking him to look after their children just before drowning herself.

Catherine Bailey texted Neil Ashman, a consultant kidney specialist, half an hour before her body was found in the River Thames in southwest London.

She wrote: “Richmond. I am so sorry. BK [big kiss]. All my love to you and the girls. Hold them close.”

West London Coroner’s Court was told yesterday that Ms Bailey, 41, killed herself near Richmond Bridge on January 10. She had returned to work just before Christmas after the birth of her third daughter six months earlier. The couple also had Inez, 5, and Ruby, 4.

Alison Thompson, the coroner, told the court: “It is probable she may have been suffering from a degree of postnatal depression.”

She added: “Ms Bailey was a very capable and professional woman and a loving mother of three young children who found it hard to meet the demands of motherhood and the high standard she had set herself.”

Detective Sergeant Bernard McCabe told the court that Dr Ashman had raised the alarm at about 6pm on Friday, January 9. Bank records show that Ms Bailey had booked a room at the Thistle City Barbican hotel in Central London that day but staff could not recall seeing her. Using mobile phone records, the police tracked her movements on Saturday morning to Blackfriars railway station, and discovered that she had then travelled west. Her husband, believing that she may have been heading to Kew Gardens in southwest London, alerted friends who joined police in a search. Her body was spotted at about 5.50pm.

Dr Ashman, who was joined in court by his wife’s father and other friends and relatives, told the hearing: “We feel we have a sequence of events that led to her very sad death. We can’t bring her back.” The coroner then asked: “It was without warning?,” and Dr Ashman replied: “Absolutely.”

Both Ms Bailey and her husband were born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and attended university in Cape Town. The couple moved to London in 1995 after Ms Bailey accepted a job there. They married in 1999.

Ms Bailey became a partner at SJ Berwin in 2003. Her practice focused on banking and regulatory disputes, including Financial Services Authority investigations, investment mismanagement cases and financial markets litigation. The volume of her work had increased significantly since the economic downturn began.

According to legal experts, Ms Bailey’s skills as a financial litigator would have been much in demand. A 60-hour week is not unusual for a partner, including evenings and weekends.

Many lawyers, particularly if they have children, take work home with them so that they can spend as much time as possible with their family.

Newly qualified lawyers at SJ Berwin earn £64,000 but the most senior lawyers at the firm can expect to take home substantial six-figure sums.

At her funeral in January, at a church near the family home in Islington, North London, a prayer in the order of service read: “She was a woman of extraordinary strength, vivacious and passionate in upholding her deep sense of moral values. She loved deeply, with great loyalty. She was honest and forthright in her views and opinions.” It paid tribute to Ms Bailey as a “wonderful woman” with a “sharp wit and infectious humour”.

A post-mortem examination confirmed the cause of death as drowning and toxicology tests showed small amounts of alcohol, paracetamol and caffeine. The court was told that Ms Bailey had no history of psychiatric illness.

A verdict of suicide was recorded.

• The law firm at which Catherine Bailey worked revealed a 49 per cent slump in partners’ profits yesterday (Alex Spence writes).

Revenue at SJ Berwin fell by 14 per cent to £184 million as its corporate, private equity and real estate practices were badly hit by the credit crunch. Its partners received an average of £410,000 for the year to April 30, down from £801,000 last year, the firm said.

In an effort to cut costs, the firm made 40 junior lawyers and support staff redundant and closed its film finance division, losing a further ten jobs. More than 140 junior lawyers have volunteered for reduced hours, additional unpaid leave or sabbaticals.

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article6730400.ece