Pink October

Black and red may be Jim Pritikin’s favorite colors, but he’ll devote his wardrobe this month to something a little more personal: pink.

Pritikin, a partner at Beermann Pritikin Mirabelli Swerdlove, wears an array of pink neckties every October in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. “I’m hopeful that someday, we’ll find a cure,” he says.

CL: Why did you start this tradition?

JP: My first wife, who is the mother of three of my four children, died of breast cancer in 1988 when she was 44 years old, so I’m sensitive to the issue. I believe it deserves recognition on my part and I honor her memory by wearing a pink tie.

CL: What are you thinking about when you put on a pink tie?

JP: I put it on to honor her memory, honor my children who lost a parent and to encourage other people to make cancer awareness something that should be more than just one month a year.

CL: Do you donate to any breast cancer organizations?

JP: The American Cancer Society is a worthwhile contribution, and the Cancer Wellness Center in Northbrook named a library after my first wife after a group of her very, very close friends organized a fundraising event.

CL: Do a lot of people ask you about the pink ties?

JP: I’m in court probably three or four days a week. When I wear the pink ties, I get mostly comments from the judges, and mostly the female judges. Rarely do I get comments from the men. Women are much more aware.

CL: What draws you to family and divorce law?

JP: The interaction with people. We’re dealing with lives and children. You can do good and you can do evil. You can help people rebuild their relationship after divorce or you can undermine that relationship and cause dissension with their children.