A national association of professional firms sharing a common name, referral work, fees, insurance, and branding may constitute a partnership at law, making all individual members of constituent firms jointly liable for the acts of any one firm. The holding out provision in s 14(1) of the Partnership Act applies to tort claims, not merely contractual claims. A partnership may be effectively terminated by conduct (cessation of all professional association and establishment of a replacement office) before the formal notice period expires, even where administrative matters such as insurance and business name registration remain outstanding.
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