Margaret Hyndman

While studying for the bar exam, she worked as an articled clerk for F. W. Wegenast, doing much of the research for his book The law of Canadian companies.^[2][4] Later they partnered and founded Wegenast and Hyndman, with Hyndman acting as sole partner at the firm after Wegenast's death in 1942.^[2] She later practiced law as part of Wegenast, Hyndman & Kemp and with Cassels, Brock & Blackwell.^[1]

In 1938 Hyndman became the second woman in the British Commonwealth to be named King's Counsel.^[5][6] Hyndman was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 1973.^[7] Of her accomplishments as a woman lawyer, Hyndman told Maclean's in 1949: "Only the fact that I am a lawyer matters. That I am a woman is of no consequence. I make a point of not knowing how many women lawyers there are in Canada."^[2]

Among the notable cases Hyndman worked no was the Margarine Reference. Representing the Canadian Consumer's Association, she but before the Supreme Court of Canada the position of housewives operating with tight household budgets and the high cost of butter. The Court ultimately found that the Government of Canada had been acting beyond their power by forbidding the sale of margarine.^[2] She also worked on the Eastview Birth Control Trial and Canada (AG) v Lavell.^[1]

Hyndman died in Toronto on January 18, 1991.^[1][6]