Hiscock & Barclay 150th Anniversary Timeline
Appendix A: Albany Office History

Hiscock & Barclay's Albany Office, which still exists today, merges with Poskanzer, Hessberg, Blumberg, Dolin, Barba, Greisler & Trombly to facilitate business with KeyCorp in Albany. The Poskanzer firm dates back to 1837 and takes on several names since its inception. The firm merges in 1979 with Trombly & Trombly, which consists of Francis H. Trombly and his son Edward Trombly, who currently is the Managing Director of the Albany Office. Francis H. Trombly began as a sole practitioner until Edward graduated from law school, thus forming Trombly & Trombly in 1971.

Hiscock & Barclay 150th Anniversary Timeline
Appendix B: Buffalo Office History
History of Saperston & Day

Saperston & Day is founded in 1893 by Willard Saperston, a telegrapher turned lawyer. Willard has three sons, Howard and Alfred who manages the law firm, and the third son Irving who founds Saperston Real Estate.

Retired partner Don Day identifies Al as a great “business getter.” The two brothers manage the small eight-person law firm in Buffalo when Day joins in 1948. “They head up many of the community organizations,” Day recalls. “Al and Howard both were lovers of track and field and they went to every Olympics where ever it was.”

Richard Day, Don’s son and current partner, said “When [Howard] died he was still mentally sharp as a tack, very dapper kind of guy. Until the day he died he dressed in starched shirts, french-cuff shirts, always looked the role of the premier corporate lawyer.” After the death of Howard’s wife in 1987, Howard travels to Europe, California, Florida and the Virgin Islands, all while in his 90s.

Don enters the firm when he is 24 years old and look up to Al as a mentor. “He was a wonderful human being and I think much of my success was due to what I learned and observed from him and I owe him a great debt of gratitude,” he said. Al worked for the firm for 60 years until he retired. Howard worked for 74 years and went into the office every day until the month before his death at 96-years old.

In 1948, Donald S. Day joins Saperston & Day following his captivity as a prisoner of war during World War II. During his career at the firm, he develops a reputation throughout Western New York and internationally for his commitment to community service. Mr. Day sustains worldwide regard as the former president of an international organization seeking to ensure equal educational and employment opportunities for people of all religious denominations. Mr. Day is also well regarded in Buffalo for his corporate law practice.

“My father was then certainly one of the premier corporate lawyers in all of Buffalo. He was and continues to be a great deal maker. You know he always hated the reputations of lawyers as being deal breakers. He was a deal maker. He always wanted to find a way of getting from point A to point B if you couldn’t get there in a straight line you would get there a different way,” Rich Day recalls.

The firm’s greatest growth is from 1979 to 1991, when Saperston & Day is selected to become general counsel for Goldome Savings Bank, at the time known as Buffalo Savings Bank. Goldome grows to be one of the largest savings bank in the nation. “And so that was the genesis and the catalyst if you will for the almost atomic growth of Saperston & Day from about 20 lawyers when I started in 1976 and I’m pretty sure it was just in excess of 100 lawyers in the early 1990’s.” Rich Day said. The firm opens several offices around the state in Jamestown, Olean, and Albany to accommodate Goldome. In 1981, the firm opens an office in Rochester, and in 1985 opens an office in Syracuse.

When Goldome is taken over in 1991, in the years that followed, nearly 50 lawyers came and left Saperston. “Much like what then happened to Hiscock & Barclay, with its relationship to KeyBank, our relationship with Goldome came to a very tragic end when Goldome was one of the victims of the failing thrift institutions back in the mid ‘90s where it got itself into financial trouble, the FDIC came in and closed the bank down,” Rich Day said.

Saperston embarks on its own rebuilding plan to expand the practice in New York, control expenses and yet remain profitable. At the time of the merger, Saperston & Day and Hiscock & Barclay each has about 50 lawyers in their Buffalo and Syracuse office, and 20 lawyers in Rochester and Albany.

Hiscock & Barclay 150th Anniversary Timeline
Appendix C: History of Bouck, Holloway, Kiernan & Casey

The firm, originally called Bliss & Bouck, is founded in 1946 by Walter Bliss, former State Supreme Court Judge, and Warner Bouck, who has been his confidential law clerk in the Appellate Division. In 1930, Gov. Roosevelt appoints Bliss to the Supreme Court to fill a vacancy and he is elected to one 14-year term in November of the same year. In 1933, Justice Bliss begins service on the Appellate Division, Third Department by appointment from Gov. Lehman; he serves on the court until the end of 1944. Bliss and Bouck are both from Middleburg in Schoharie County, where they open their first office. The firm later opens an office in Albany. According to John Casey, who practiced with Bouck, Holloway, Kiernan & Casey for 34 years, he said the firm was regarded as a general practice while concentrating on insurance matters, specifically fire insurance. In 1959 after Bliss retires, Francis Holloway joins and becomes a named partner thus changing the firm name to Bouck & Holloway. Steve Kiernan joins in 1962 and becomes a named partner in 1968 changing it again to Bouck, Holloway & Kiernan. Finally, Casey joins the firm in 1970 and in 1982 it becomes Bouck, Holloway, Kiernan & Casey until the merger with Hiscock & Barclay in 2004.

Hiscock & Barclay 150th Anniversary Timeline
Appendix D: History of Williams, Stevens, McCarville & Frizzell

Holland Williams starts Williams, Stevens as a solo practitioner in 1938. E.W. Dann Stevens joins the firm in 1952, when the name was Williams, Crane and Lawless. In 1956, Williams, Stevens forms; Terrance H. McCarville is added to the firm in 1961, and John T. Frizzell joins in 1963. The firm grows by about one lawyer a year through the 1960s and according to Stevens, grows to 13 lawyers.

The firm is well respected in the areas of tax, estate planning, trusts and estates, and civil litigation and develops the Western Savings Bank as a major client. Western Savings Bank is later taken over by Goldome and the firm loses that client, a common phenomenon that many other firms encounter at that time. According to Stevens, joining Hiscock & Barclay makes good sense because it merges Williams, Stevens' strong local reputation with Hiscock & Barclay's strong and growing statewide presence.

Hiscock & Barclay 150th Anniversary Timeline
Appendix E: Managing Partner List

Managing Partners

John Langan - 2000 to Present

George Deptula - 1995 to 1998

Ferdinand Picardi - 1975 to 1995

Gerald Henley - 1962 to 1975

George W. Lee - 1947 to 1962

Alexander Cowie - Prior to 1947

From 1998 to 2000, the firm was managed by a three member Management Committee, Edward J. Trombly, Mark McNamara, and current Managing Partner, John Langan.

Prior to Cowie, it is not likely there was one managing partner. In the '30s, Hiscock, Williams & Cowie was only a seven person law firm. According to the 1931 Martindale Directory, the firm was comprised of the three members: former Judge Frank Hiscock, Leroy Williams and Alexander Cowie; and four associates: Joseph B. Enders, Daniel Scanlon, George W. Lee, and Paul A. Androus.

Hiscock & Barclay 150th Anniversary Timeline
Appendix F - Elected & Appointed Officials

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L. Harris Hiscock

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Frank Hiscock

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William H. Gifford

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Judge Frank Harris Hiscock

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Alexander H. Cowie

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Donald Mawhinney, Sr.

F. Walter Bliss

John H. Terry

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H. Douglas Barclay

Judge Hugh R. Jones

Judge Edward F. McLaughlin

Judge Donald H. Miller

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Judge Howard G. Munson

Judge Anthony J. Carpinello

Judge Salvatore R. Martoche

William Barclay