Colourful man whose law firm is suing Facebook

From Wikipedia on Anthony (Tony) Merchant, QC: "E.F. Anthony "Tony" Merchant, Q.C. (born October 19, 1944 in Yorkton, Saskatchewan) is a Saskatchewan lawyer and former politician. He represented Regina Wascana in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan as a Liberal member. He was born in Yorkton, Saskatchewan in 1944, the son of Evatt Francis Anthony Merchant and Sally Smith. Merchant studied at the University of Saskatchewan. He was admitted to the Saskatchewan bar in 1968, to the Alberta bar in 1976, to the British Columbia bar in 1977 and to the Arizona bar in 1987. He was also host for an open-line radio show in Saskatchewan and a freelance television interviewer. In 1976, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the leadership of the provincial Liberal party, losing to Ted Malone in a bitter campaign that divided and weakened the party.[1] Merchant ran unsuccessfully for the federal seat in Regina East in 1979 and 1980.

He was named a Queen's Counsel in 1995. Merchant served as a Lieutenant in the naval reserve. He was a director and partner for several oil and gas companies and has also been associated with real estate development. Merchant also serves as Austrian Consul for Saskatchewan. He is head of Merchant Law Group LLP, which has offices in Montreal, Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Regina, and Saskatoon. The firm employs approximately 150 people and is widely regarded as largest and most successful Plaintiff's side class action firm in Canada. Several of the largest lawsuits in Canadian history have originated from Merchant Law Group LLP's offices. Multi-Billion dollar suits concerning Vioxx, Cell Phone Access Fees, 911 Fees, defective automobiles, and securities[2]. Defendants have included General Motors, Glaxosmithkline, Merck, Honda, Wal-Mart and governments at all levels[3]. Merchant's law firm had major involvement in the residential school lawsuits. The firm was never paid for all the fees earned for its representation on the lawsuit.[4].

Despite his professional success, Mr. Merchant has had some problems with the Law Society: in the spring of 2009, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal confirmed a decision of the Law Society imposing a fourteen-day suspension for “two counts of conduct unbecoming a barrister and solicitor”.[5] The Supreme Court of Canada denied his motion for leave to appeal.[6]

His wife Pana is a member of the Senate of Canada."