Attorney Was 'on Top of the World' Before Yacht Tragedy, Planned to Make Up for Lost Time with Family (Exclusive)

Chris Morvillo had “missed a lot," but after a recent legal win, he was looking forward to "devoting" himself to his family, a friend and former colleague says

After a years-long legal saga that resulted in the acquittal of his client Mike Lynch, Christopher Morvillo was looking forward to finally getting some time to relax and spend more time with his family, a former colleague and friend tells PEOPLE. Sadly, the New York City attorney and his wife, jewelry designer Neda Morvillo, died after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

Ed O’Callaghan, a former Justice Department official and close friend of the attorney, tells PEOPLE that Morvillo, 59, hoped to spend time with his wife, 57, and two adult daughters, Sabrina and Sophia Morvillo.

“He missed a lot,” O’Callaghan says. “He was just buried in putting together the defense for Lynch. And I think he really thought the near future was going to be a lot of wonderful payback time with the family.”

Related: Captain of Sicily Yacht Under Investigation for 'Negligent Shipwreck and Homicide': Reports

Chris and Neda were among the guests aboard the Bayesian to celebrate the fact that Lynch had been acquitted of 15 fraud and conspiracy charges. Then, on the morning of Monday, Aug. 19, a powerful storm sunk the 183-foot vessel.

Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, and the ship’s chef Recaldo Thomas also died in the tragedy.

O’Callaghan, who worked with Morvillo both at the N.Y.C. office of Clifford Chance and when they were federal prosecutors, says the attorney was “ebullient” after winning the court case.

“It is just an enormous degree of satisfaction that you can take as an attorney,” O’Callaghan tells PEOPLE. “The percentages are not with you going to trial in a federal criminal case as a defense lawyer, and to win an acquittal across the board in a case like that, the Department of Justice is literally put over a decade of work into is a career accomplishment that very few very top-tier lawyers experience in their careers.”

In a post on LinkedIn following the June verdict, Chris thanked the team of trial lawyers which he co-led defending Lynch, noting that he was “so glad to be home” after the San Francisco trial, and ended his post by writing, “And they all lived happily ever after….”

O’Callaghan says, noting that in addition to being a celebration, the yachting trip was supposed to be a way for Morvillo to relax.

“He's invited to celebrate a tremendous victory on his billionaire client's yacht,” O’Callaghan says. “I mean, that's some amazing stuff...and he rightfully was going to have at least some period of time where he didn't have client demands."

Related: Captain of Sicily Yacht Under Investigation for 'Negligent Shipwreck and Homicide': Reports

But more than anything, he says his friend was "looking forward" to "really devoting himself" to the "family life that he had missed out on" with his wife and kids.

"He was on top of the world," O'Callaghan shares. "It's just heartbreaking."

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