Lawyer Profile
T. Ryan Lax
Toronto, Ontario
Overview
Ryan’s civil litigation practice focuses on public, commercial, and international investment law, most often in relation to the development and operation of major infrastructure, energy and resource projects, and related Indigenous rights.
Ryan has extensive experience advising governments, Crown corporations and project proponents on developing meaningful relationships and partnerships with Indigenous communities, as well as on the duty to consult and accommodate; this includes advising on some of Canada’s most complex, high-profile and contentious consultations. He also has extensive experience litigating and negotiating disputes involving Indigenous matters and major projects, often on high-stakes or sensitive matters.
Ryan also regularly advises businesses on international trade and investment law issues. He has an active practice acting for claimants in international investment arbitrations under various bilateral and multilateral treaties. He also routinely provides guidance to natural resource, infrastructure and energy companies on sustainability issues.
Ryan has appeared as counsel before all levels of court in Ontario, the Federal Court and the Supreme Court of Canada, in arbitrations under the ADRIC, ICC, ICSID, LCIA and UNCITRAL rules, and in ad hoc arbitrations.
Alamos Gold in its arbitral claim brought by its Netherlands subsidiaries against the Republic of Türkiye, under the Netherlands-Türkiye Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), alleging expropriation and unfair and inequitable treatment in connection with the development of its Türkiye project – the Kirazli, Ağı Dağı and Çamyurt gold mines in Çanakkale Province, Türkiye
Evolugen in successfully resisting an application for judicial review brought by Mississauga First Nation alleging that public authorities did not discharge the duty to consult in respect of historical impacts associated with the construction of hydroelectric facilities on the Mississagi River
Scotiabank in its arbitral claim against the Republic of Peru, under the Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement, alleging unfair and inequitable treatment, expropriation, and breach of national treatment in connection with a constitutional court proceeding challenging the accrual of default interest during a period of delay caused by the state
a school board Trustee in a successful anti-SLAPP motion in the Ontario Superior Court dismissing in full a defamation claim brought by former Cabinet Minister Joe Volpe and Corriere Canadese, an Italian-language daily newspaper, in connection with the Trustee’s statements defending LGBTQ2S+ inclusion measures in Catholic schools
Practice Areas
Bar Information
Called to the bar: 2013 (ON)