Justin Peacock Dies: ‘Suits’ & ‘Lincoln Lawyer’ Writer Was 52

Nellie Andreeva
·2 min read
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Justin Peacock, a former lawyer who switched careers to become author and then TV writer-producer, died July 13 at his Los Angeles home of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to the L.A. County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s office. He was 52.

Peacock graduated from the University of Michigan with BA, from Columbia University with MFA and from Yale Law School. He worked as an intellectual property and First Amendment attorney in New York — with his experience ranging from death penalty defense to First Amendment cases and big-firm litigation — before publishing his first novel, A Cure for Night, in 2008. Published by Doubleday, it was nominated for an Edgar Award and honored by the Washington Post as a Book of the Year.

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He went on to become a full-time writer and relocated to Los Angeles in 2011 to work on Suits. Peacock wrote for the hit USA Network legal drama for three seasons in 2012-15. He went on to work as writer-producer on another legal drama, Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer, created by another lawyer-turned-TV writer, David E. Kelley. Most recently, Peacock was writer-supervising producer on Fox’s freshman series Alert: Missing Persons Unit, which was renewed for a second season.

Like thousands of his peers, Peacock spent the last few months of his life on the WGA picket lines standing up for the future of the profession he loved and gave up his legal career for.

“Justin’s brilliant mind, biting wit and passionate convictions will be forever missed by his friends and family,” Peacock’s family said.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Peacock’s honor can be made to the WGA Strike Fund.

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