Holden Day Wilson

Last updated
Holden Day Wilson LLP
Company type Limited Liability Partnership
Dissolved1996

Holden Day Wilson LLP was a law firm in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. When it closed in 1996, it was the largest law firm failure in Canadian history. [1] [2]

History

The firm was founded in the early 20th century as Day, Wilson, led by founding partner Jimmy Day's expertise in the incorporation of mining companies. [3] In 1990, the firm merged with the prominent firm of Holden, Murdoch and renamed itself Holden Day Wilson. [3]

In 1993, one of its partners, Garry Hoy, died after throwing himself against a glass window of its downtown Toronto-Dominion Centre office, in a playful attempt to demonstrate the strength of the window. The window frame gave way and Hoy fell to his death from the 24th floor. [1] [4] The shock of losing one of its most successful lawyers was a contributing factor in the firm's decline and fall, and the firm lost nearly 30 lawyers in the following three years. [1]

In 1996, the firm closed permanently amid controversy over unpaid bills. [1] [5] Until the closing of Goodman and Carr in 2007, it was the largest law firm failure in Canadian history. [1] [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Crosariol, Beppi (13 December 2006). "When partnerships are a fragile business". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  2. 1 2 McNish, Jaquie (14 March 2007). "Law firm Goodman and Carr shutting down". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2011-09-08.
  3. 1 2 Moore, Christopher (3 February 1997). The Law Society of Upper Canada and Ontario's Lawyers, 1797-1997. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division. pp. 311–312. ISBN   0802041272.
  4. "The Bizarre Death of Garry Hoy, the Lawyer that Accidentally Threw Himself Out a Window". Curious Archive. 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  5. McMahon, Kirsten (19 March 2007). "Goodman and Carr closing its doors". Law News Times. Retrieved 6 February 2014.