Peter Dillon

Peter Dillon advises Canadian, U.S., and international businesses on how to structure and execute decisions that carry material legal and economic risk.

His practice is focused on situations where the consequences of getting it wrong are disproportionate—cross-border expansion, franchise system design, technology transactions, and regulatory exposure in areas such as privacy and cybersecurity. He is most often engaged before commitments are made, when structure, sequencing, and risk allocation determine whether a strategy will succeed or fail.

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 has received the following distinguished appointments:

• By the Deputy Attorney General for the State of Maryland to the Franchise and Business Opportunities Advisory Board of NASSA (the North American Securities Administrators Association) in Washington, D.C., as the only non-American representative.
• By the Government of Canada to the Committee of Governmental Experts of UNIDROIT (the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law) in Rome, in connection with the preparation by UNIDROIT of a Model Franchise Law recommended for adoption by all nations.

In Autumn 2022, Peter was named to the Mondaq Thought Leadership Awards in Data Protection for his authorship of Data Privacy Comparative Guide

Peter is named in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as a consistently recommended practitioner for his expertise in assisting franchisor-side law.

Listed in Who’s Who Legal

Named “Franchise Lawyer of the Year – Canada” in 2017 by CorporateINTL

Prior experience with litigation an insolvency law, with reported decisions in the Tax Court of Canada, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, and the Ontario Superior Court (In Bankruptcy).

• Franchise Legislation in Canada, Canada’s leading legal commentary on provincial franchise legislation, published by Canada Law Book.
• Contributing Editor to the Lexis/Nexis Siskinds Netletter on Franchise Law
• Contributing Editor to the Journal of Franchise and Distribution
• Author of more than 40 other published articles

• Tech Alliance, Board of Directors
• 1855 Accelerator, Board of Directors
• Neighbourhood Association, President
• London Community Foundation, Past Director
• Junior Achievement, Past Director

• Common legal mistakes foreign franchisors make when entering Canada
• Key legal issues for foreign franchisors entering Canada
• How the Canadian franchise market differs from the United States
• Is Canada a good market for franchise expansion?
• Franchising in Canada: What foreign franchisors need to know before expanding
• Privacy laws in Canada: to infinite fees and beyond
• Changes on horizon for Canada’s privacy laws thanks to Bill C-11
• Who has you covered? Ontario Court of Appeal narrows the availability of coverage for cyber matters under traditional insurance policies
• Top five things you need to know to get your business to be PCI compliant
• Google’s landmark win could set precedent for Canada
• Data breach highlights how easily it can happen
• Canadian case provides valuable lessons for crypto users
• Vehicle ‘black boxes’ need tighter rules
• Coffee giant, franchisee group close to settling two class action lawsuits
• If it looks like a franchise, it’s a franchise
• E-signatures legally equivalent to handwritten ones
• Cities could add another layer to data protection
• Tech firms must follow Canadian anti-spam laws
• Siskinds files proposed class action against Facebook
• Canadian companies may soon be impacted by the GDPR