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The London Years: Isadore Goldman & Son, 1895-1939 – Part Three

Posted on20 May 2024

In 1895, founder Isadore Goldman boldly moved his legal practice from Sunderland to 9 Southampton Street in central London. This fateful decision marked the beginning of over 125 years of continuous operation in the capital.

Joining his father in London, Isadore's eldest son Joseph "Joe" Goldman qualified as a solicitor in 1914 and became a partner in 1918. The firm's name - Isadore Goldman & Son - was formally adopted that same year.

Joe Goldman brought great energy and ambition to the practice. Despite being severely wounded at Passchendaele during World War I, he built up an impressive litigation practice focused on bankruptcy and agency work in the 1920s and 30s.

Vivid accounts from clerk John Topley reveal a bustling, Dickensian office with high stools at lofty desks, purple copying ink, temperamental coal fires needing constant stoking, and no phones, electric typewriters or dictating machines.

Yet Isadore Goldman & Son attracted prominent barrister clients like Douglas Hogg, later Lord Chancellor, due to a keen eye for legal talent. This fostered lifelong professional relationships spanning decades.

Joe Goldman relished colourful, high-profile bankruptcy cases, including those of 1920s politicians Horatio Bottomley and Maundy Gregory. Such cases cemented the firm's strong reputation in insolvency law - a specialisation they still pride themselves on today.

The decision to "go west" to London in Victoria's reign proved a pivotal moment for Isadore Goldman. It laid the foundations for an influential West End legal practice that has not only endured, but thrived over 13 decades.

Isadore Goldman and his wife Minnie Wolfe

Up Next Part 4: Isadore Goldman & Son: Weathering the WWII Blitz

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