Hersh Wolch
Encyclopedia
Hersh Wolch, is a prominent Canadian
lawyer from Winnipeg
, Manitoba
.
In January 1978, he was called in as a hostage negotiator
, when a British Columbia
n gunman Bruce Archer took three hostages in a Doctor's Office after killing an RCMP
officer in a motel shoot-out where he shot 3 police officers in a small rural village of around 300 inhabitants. Archer and his accomplice both surrendered themselves.
Wolch gained high-profile attention in 1997 when his client, David Milgaard
, was cleared by DNA evidence after serving 23 years in prison for the murder of Gail Miller, a Saskatoon nursing aide found murdered in 1969.
Two years later, he acted as lawyer for the Assembly of First Nations
, following cries of racism when veteran RCMP
officer D. Voller shot and killed Connie Jacobs, an armed mother standing beside her children, also consequently killing her 9 year old son.
In 2001, Wolch was one of the major shareholders to loan Maple Leaf Distillers 3.1 million to help it expand and meet an agreement with Pernod Ricard
, the third-largest wine
distributor in the world.
Also in 2001, he represented Kenneth Szczerba, a member of the Hells Angels
, who was accused and found guilty of plotting to bomb the house of a local Alderman and set fire to another in an attempt to intimidate them.
Other notable cases include:
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
lawyer from Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
.
In January 1978, he was called in as a hostage negotiator
Hostage negotiator
Crisis negotiation is a technique for law enforcement to communicate with people who are threatening violence, including barricaded subjects, hostage takers, stalkers, threats, workplace violence, or persons threatening suicide....
, when a British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
n gunman Bruce Archer took three hostages in a Doctor's Office after killing an RCMP
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
officer in a motel shoot-out where he shot 3 police officers in a small rural village of around 300 inhabitants. Archer and his accomplice both surrendered themselves.
Wolch gained high-profile attention in 1997 when his client, David Milgaard
David Milgaard
David Milgaard is a Canadian who was wrongfully convicted for the murder and rape of nursing assistant Gail Miller.- Arrest and trial :...
, was cleared by DNA evidence after serving 23 years in prison for the murder of Gail Miller, a Saskatoon nursing aide found murdered in 1969.
Two years later, he acted as lawyer for the Assembly of First Nations
Assembly of First Nations
The Assembly of First Nations , formerly known as the National Indian Brotherhood, is a body of First Nations leaders in Canada...
, following cries of racism when veteran RCMP
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
officer D. Voller shot and killed Connie Jacobs, an armed mother standing beside her children, also consequently killing her 9 year old son.
In 2001, Wolch was one of the major shareholders to loan Maple Leaf Distillers 3.1 million to help it expand and meet an agreement with Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard is a French company that produces distilled beverages. The company's eponymous products, Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis, are both anise-flavoured liqueurs and are often referred to simply as Pernod or Ricard...
, the third-largest wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
distributor in the world.
Also in 2001, he represented Kenneth Szczerba, a member of the Hells Angels
Hells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a worldwide one-percenter motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Their primary motto...
, who was accused and found guilty of plotting to bomb the house of a local Alderman and set fire to another in an attempt to intimidate them.
Other notable cases include:
- 2003 - Defending Gurcharn Sidhu against claims that he bribed an Edmonton Workers' Compensation Board case manager to award him large settlements.
- 2004 - Representing Cpl. Tereposky of the RCMP in an investigation into $275,000 paid to a drug informant for the arrest of two heroin dealers in CalgaryCalgaryCalgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
. - 2004 - Acting as lawyer for Kyle Unger's appeal after the hair-comparison evidence used in his trial was found unreliable. Unger was convicted of the 1990 sexual mutilation and beating death of a 16 year Brigitte Grenier at an outdoor rock concert.
- 2007 - Wolch agreed to serve as appellate counsel for convicted Edmonton murderers Michael White and George Allen.