Lawyer Profile
Peter M. Dillon
London, Ontario
Overview
Peter Dillon advises Canadian, U.S., and international businesses on how to structure and execute decisions that carry material legal and economic risk.
Peter is widely recognized for his work with foreign franchisors entering Canada. He advises on the design and implementation of franchise systems that comply with Canada’s fragmented disclosure regime, manage statutory rescission risk, and address the personal liability exposure of directors and officers. His work in this area is not limited to documentation; it centers on building legally and commercially coherent systems that can withstand regulatory scrutiny and operational stress.
In addition to his franchise practice, Peter advises on mergers and acquisitions, technology licensing, distribution structures, and enterprise-level risk management. He acts regularly for founders, CEOs, and boards on matters that affect enterprise viability, including data protection, cybersecurity preparedness, and cross-border regulatory compliance under regimes such as PIPEDA and GDPR.
Peter is the author of Franchise Legislation in Canada (Thomson Reuters), the leading annotated text on Canadian franchise law. He has served as the Canadian governmental expert to UNIDROIT in connection with the development of a model international franchise law, and as the only Canadian member of the Franchise Advisory Board of the North American Securities Administrators Association.
He has extensive prior experience in litigation and insolvency, with reported decisions in the Tax Court of Canada, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, and the Ontario Superior Court (in bankruptcy). That background informs a practical approach to risk: legal structures are assessed not only for compliance, but for how they will perform under stress.
Peter is frequently engaged as a trusted advisor on strategic business decisions, particularly where legal, commercial, and operational considerations intersect. His role is not to document decisions after the fact, but to shape them at the point where outcomes are determined.
Canadian Technology Law Association, Member Tech Alliance, Member Toronto Computer Lawyers Group, Member Legal Hackers, Member Blockchain Canada, Member American Bar Association Forum on Franchising, Member Canadian Bar Association, Past Member Canadian Franchise Association, Past Member Franchise Law Group, Commercial Law Affiliates, Past Chairman Ontario Bar Association, Past Member, Executive of the Ontario Bar Association Subcommittee on Franchising, Government Liaison
Peter is named in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as a consistently recommended practitioner for his expertise in assisting franchisor-side law.
Practice Areas
Bar Information
Called to the bar: 1988 (ON); 2005 (NY)