Work with a team that's always prepared.

Lawyer

Tony Merchant

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Involved as Counsel in thousands of cases including cases argued at the trial level in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, North Dakota, Montana, Oregon, and the Northwest Territories; trial and appeal cases in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Arizona, and before various Administrative  Tribunals; and cases in the Federal Court and the Supreme Court of Canada, with 1,300 reported cases in leading law journals.
• Received awards on two occasions from the Saskatchewan Action Committee for the Status of Women for exceptional contribution to the development of Court and political equity for women.  Received community service awards on three occasions from the Knights of Columbus.
• Awarded the Queen’s Decoration 1976, the Canadian Long Service Medal 1984, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Decoration 2002, the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal 2005,  the Decoration of Honour in Silver by the Nation of Austria, 2006, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2012.
• Awarded on two occasions Eagle Feathers by First Nations in recognition of work on behalf of First Nations and residential school victims, and in 2008 was made an Honorary Chief in a War Bonnet Adoption as a member the Black Foot Confederacy, name Aah-pha su-oy, Flanking Warrior.
• Honorary Consul in Saskatchewan for Austria.
• Western Canadian Corporate Counsel for a number of national firms, Corporate Counsel to a range of corporations, assisted thousands of new Canadians on immigration issues, acts in the development of First Nations Law, and acts extensively in the family law area and class and mass proceedings.
• Broad community involvement over the years in various sports associations, church organizations, the Austrian Edelweiss Club, the Assiniboia Club, the Cub Movement, the Saskatchewan Civil Liberties Association, the MS Society, and the Voice of the Handicapped.
• Lieutenant (retired) in the Navy Reserve and a member of various Naval and Officers’ Clubs.  Active over time in the YMCA Health Club, Queen City Track Club, and Mid-West Karate.
• Lecture and published paper,  Class Actions in Canada, Toronto, March, 2006.
• Barreau du Québec Class Proceedings Conference, Montreal, October, 2008.
• Speaker, 10th National Forum on Class Actions, Toronto, September, 2009.
• University of Ottawa “Environmental Class Actions”, Ottawa, November, 2009.
• Western Canadian Class Actions Conference, (BCLE) Vancouver, November, 2009.
• The Canadian Institute, Class Actions Litigation, Toronto, September, 2010.
• Predominance: Classless, even with Canadian Makeover, Développements Récents En Recours Collectifs Montreal, October, 2010
• University of Toronto, Class Action Seminar, Ragoonan decision, Toronto, March, 2011. 8th National Symposium on Class Actions, Osgoode Hall, Toronto, April, 2011.
• Class Actions in the Construction Industry, Saskatoon, April, 2012
• Rims Canada Conference for Canada, Tomorrow’s Risks Solutions, Saskatoon, September, 2012
• Restricting Spousal Maintenance 1986

BACKGROUND/EDUCATION

• 1965 – B.A. (Econ.); 1967 – LL.B. (Juris Doctor); 1984 – D. Admin

OCCUPATIONAL HISTORY

• Member of the Canadian Bar Association, 1974
• Member of the American Bar Association, 1987
• Member of the Trial Lawyers Association of America, 1988
• Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 1994
• Member of the Trial Lawyers Association of Saskatchewan, 1995
• Appointed Queen’s Counsel, 1995
• Associate Editor of the Reports of Family Law (Carswell)
• Member of the Advisory Board of the Canadian Journal of Family Law
• Member of the Advisory Board of the Family Law Journal
• Former Member of the Criminology and Corrections Association
• Former Member of the Canadian Association for the Prevention of Crime
• Lecturer at Bar Admission, CBA, and other professional fora.
• Former Agent for the Solicitor General of Canada
• Former Agent for the Attorney General of Saskatchewan

BAR ADMISSIONS

• Admitted to the Bar of Saskatchewan, 1968
• Admitted to the Bar of Alberta, 1976
• Admitted to the Bar of British Columbia, 1977
• Admitted to the Bar of Arizona, 1987

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE

• Former member of the Boards of Directors of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., Team Canada Inc., and BF Realty (formerly Bell Canada Enterprise Development)
• Former Member, Prime Minister’s Council on Asia Pacific
• Former Name with Lloyd’s of London
• Former legal counsel and business advisor to a number of significant corporations, including General Counsel for some years for the Saskatchewan Mining Development Corporation

PUBLICATIONS

• Class Actions in the Construction Industry in Canada, Construction Law Reports, Fourth Series, Vol. 16 Part 2, February, 2013.
• Lawyers’ Fees and Trend, Osgoode Professional Development 2011
• Predominance: Classless, even with Canadian Makeover, Développements Récents En Recours Collectifs, 2010, Volume 327, Barreau de Québec, P47.
• Développements Récents En Recours Collectifs, 2008, Volume 295, Qu’Appelle – The National Class, page 93.
• Child Custody Practice and Procedures (Carswell), publication July 2006.
• Canadian Institute – Predicting where Causation is Headed, February 2006.
• Suggestions for Practitioners – Child Support Guidelines Reference Manual, Dept. of Justice, Sept. 1997.
• Uncertainty:  Custody Support Mobility – The Plight of Family Law, Canadian Family Law Quarterly, Sept. 1997.
• Introduction to Battle, Child Custody Law & Practice, VI, 1994, Chapter 24, Child Custody and Practice, McLeod, Carswell, 1995.
• Risible Compensation for the Dead Child, Journal of Motor Vehicle Law, Oct. 1995, p. 37.
• The Bankruptcy Dodge, Family Law Quarterly, V9 1993, Sept.  P162.
• The Support Rights of Children Born Outside of Marriage, Family Law Quarterly, V7, #3, May 19, 1991, P359.
• Proposals Relating to Saskatchewan Matrimonial Property Legislation, Family Law Quarterly, V5, #2, May, 1991, P65.
• Numerous Case Notes and Commentaries in various publications.
• Restricting Spousal Maintenance: Danger in Indiscriminate Application

POLITICAL

• Former Member of the Saskatchewan Legislature.
• Alumnus of the International Visitors Leadership Program (US State Department).
• Past President and Director of a number of Liberal Provincial and Federal Executives.
• Active member of the province wide campaign committees in every Federal and
• Provincial Election since the 1970’s, involved in strategy, advertising, and policy formation roles.
• Member of the Saskatchewan Provincial Executive of the Liberal Party from 1979 to 1987, and 1991; principally engaged in media, policy, and fundraising.

MEDIA & PUBLIC AFFAIRS

• Former Open-line radio host doing two hour daily public affairs program.
• Former free-lance television interviewer with CBC Regina and Saskatoon.
• Co-ordinator of all radio and television communications for the Liberal Party in the Federal and Provincial Elections of 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1991, doing actual creation and artistic work and a member of the strategy and speech writing Committee in the 1982,  1986, and 1997 elections.

Lawyer

Satnam S. Aujla

AREAS OF PRACTICE

• Motor Vehicle Accidents
• Wrongful Death
• Immigration / Refugee
• Criminal Defence
• Family Law

BACKGROUND/EDUCATION

• LL.B. Canadian Equivalency, University of Alberta, 1991
• LL.B., Punjab University, India, 1986
• M.A. English Literature, Punjab University, India, 1983

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Numerous and successful appearances before the Alberta Court of Appeal, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, Alberta Provincial Court, Federal Court of Canada, Federal Court of Appeal, Immigration Tribunals, Taxi Commission Appeals, Canada Pension Plan Appeals, and Workers’ Compensation Board Appeals.

MEMBERSHIPS

• Law Society of Alberta
• Law Society of BC

BAR ADMISSIONS

• Called to the Bar, Alberta, 1993
• Called to the Bar, British Columbia, 2011

LANGUAGES

• English
• Hindi
• Punjabi

Lawyer

J.E. Joshua Merchant

AREAS OF PRACTICE

• Civil Litigation
• Residential Schools Litigation

BACKGROUND/EDUCATION

• LL.B., University of Dundee, Scotland

AWARDS

• Winner CPF Concours D’Art Oratoire, Saskatchewan 1991
• Winner CPF Concours D’Art Oratoire, South Saskatchewan 1986, 1987

MEMBERSHIPS

• Law Society of Alberta

BAR ADMISSIONS

• Called to the Bar, Alberta

LANGUAGES

• English
• French

Lawyer

Shaun P. Flannigan

AREAS OF PRACTICE

• Business Law
• Civil Litigation
• Corporate / Commercial Law
• Personal Injury
• Insurance Coverage Disputes

BACKGROUND/EDUCATION

• LL.B., University of Alberta, 2006
• B.A., distinction, University of Alberta, 2003

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Appearances at all levels of courts in Alberta

MEMBERSHIPS

• Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association
• Calgary Bar Association
• Canadian Bar Association
• Law Society of Alberta

BAR ADMISSIONS

• Called to the Bar, Alberta, 2008

REPORTED DECISIONS

• Hykawy v. Hykawy 2008 ABCA 324, 298 D.L.R. (4′”) 620 Deciding the issue of whether one co-defendant can be excluded from the discovery of another co-defendant
• Holizki Estate v. Alberta (Public Trustee) 2008 ABQB 716, 462 A.R. 85 Motor vehicle accident case involving difficult issues of apportionment of liability between the drivers of two motor vehicles
• Watzke v. Minister of National Revenue 2011 TCC 351 Determination of whether a worker was an employee or independent contractor
• Peterson v. Khokhar (2007), 78 Alta. L.R. (4th) 294 (Alta. Master) Application to set aside judgment after a defendant failed to file a defence

Lawyer

Neels Joubert

AREAS OF PRACTICE

• Divorce and Family Law
• Criminal Law
• Civil Litigation
• Personal Injury
• Employment Law

BACKGROUND/EDUCATION

• B.Proc South Africa/ LLB equivalency Canada

MEMBERSHIPS

• Law Society of Alberta

BAR ADMISSIONS

• South Africa, 1981
• Canada, 2004

LANGUAGES

• English
• Afrikaans

Lawyer

Adam Rosenke

Executive Director

Donald I.M. Outerbridge

Donald became the Executive Director of Merchant Law Group LLP starting in 1993, nearly 30 years ago. His experience managing law firms at various levels and in multiple provinces across Canada goes back even further to 1981. Mr. Outerbridge has been a mentor, a colleague and a friend to many lawyers over the years, both junior and senior.

Donald is Past President, Association of Legal Administrators, Winnipeg Chapter (1991) and has been Guest Lecturer, Red River Community College, Legal Assistant Program’s, “Law Office Management” subsection, Winnipeg, MB (1989-1992).

Donald is also an avid sports enthusiast, a Green Bay Packers NFL football fan and a loyal Notre Dame Fighting Irish college football fan to name just two!

EDUCATION

• Certified General Accountant, Level 2 (1988), Certified General Accountants of Saskatchewan
• Honours Bachelor of Commerce (1983), University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario
• Bachelor of Arts (1981), The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario
• Graduated Grade 13 (1976), Trinity College Schools, Port Hope, Ontario

EMPLOYMENT BACKGROUND

• Merchant Law Group LLP, Executive Director (February 1993 – Present)
• W.J. Wladyka & Associates, Management Consultants, Winnipeg, MB (May 1992 – January 1993)
• Simkin, Gallagher, Barristers & Solicitors, General Mangager, Winnipeg, MB (January 1988 – February 1992)
• Outerbridge, Barristers & Solicitors, Administrator, Toronto, ON (September 1982 – December 1987)

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), President, Winnipeg Chapter (1991)
• Red River Community College (Winnipeg, MB), Guest Lecturer to the Legal Assistant Program’s, “Law Office Management” Subsection (1989-1992)