Overview

• Maxime Tessier, 34, one of two lawyers defending Joël Le Scouarnec, was found dead in Rennes and a prosecutor said everything points to suicide as an investigation gets under way.
• Tessier, a father of two young children, was praised by colleagues for his rigorous work ethic and high personal standards.
• Joël Le Scouarnec is serving a 20-year sentence after confessing to sexually abusing or raping 298 patients, many of them children, between 1989 and 2014.
• Child rights groups say the case exposed systemic failures that let Le Scouarnec continue practicing despite earlier convictions.
• Legal professionals and advocates warn that defending high-profile atrocity cases can place severe emotional strain on lawyers.