Peter Ruby

Practice Areas

Peter Ruby is a partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group. He has a national and international practice focused on the litigation and arbitration of a wide variety of business disputes, including related to technology, energy, corporate, commercial, and restructuring matters.

His technology dispute resolution work includes software, cloud services, hardware, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, telecommunications, film, television, privacy and data protection, intellectual property, ecommerce and internet litigation, and Canadian and cross-border arbitration and mediation. Peter has a balanced practice, representing multinational and entrepreneurial vendors of technology and services, along with many end-users of information technology.

Peter handles disputes and regulatory matters relating to the energy industry, has acted as counsel for Electricity Canada, the Electricity Distributors Association, electricity utilities, developers and operators of renewable power projects, resource companies and provincial government bodies. He has appeared at the Ontario Energy Board with respect to generation, transmission, mergers and acquisitions, real estate development and distribution issues, and before other provincial energy regulators.

With respect to privacy and data protection, Peter has litigated business-related privacy cases and has considerable experience assisting clients, on a highly confidential basis, on data breach incidents and cybersecurity. He also assists organizations to deal with privacy inquiries and investigations by privacy commissioners and to negotiate privacy-related agreements.

Peter also represents clients with respect to a variety of corporate, commercial and restructuring disputes, including shareholder matters, contract interpretation and application issues and acquisition-related disputes.

He has appeared at all levels of the courts of Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as at many arbitration proceedings. In honour of Peter’s advocacy and professionalism in dispute resolution, in 2021 one of his clients endowed a Dispute Resolution Award in his name at Osgoode Hall Law School.

In addition to his busy counsel practice, Peter acts as a sole and panel member arbitrator and mediator. He is a roster member arbitrator/mediator at Arbitration Place, and on the roster of the AAA’s International Center for Dispute Resolution. Peter is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Career

Peter is recognized as a leading litigator and arbitration counsel in Chambers Canada and Chambers Global, The Legal 500 Canada, The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, the Lexpert Special Edition: Technology and Health Sciences, Euromoney’s Guide to The World’s Leading Information Technology Lawyers, Best Lawyers in Canada, Benchmark Litigation Canada and Who’s Who Legal, with peer reviews such as “brilliant IT litigator” and “vast experience resolving complex IT disputes”.

Professional Memberships

He is a former President of the International Technology Law Association, a member of the Board of the Osgoode Hall Alumni Association, the founder of Canada’s popular Tech Law Discussion Forum, the co-lead of the North America committee of the Silicon Valley Arbitration & Mediation Center, and served as a co-chair of the 2017 World Technology Law Conference in Chicago.

He is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, President, International Technology Law Association (ITechLaw), Arbitrator/Mediator, Arbitration Place, International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) International Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators, and roster member of ICDR Canada, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Fellow, Co-Lead of North America Committee, Silicon Valley Arbitration & Mediation Center, Former Director and Member, Canadian Technology Law Association, Member, The Advocates’ Society, Member, Canadian Bar Association.

Personal

Peter was a law clerk to the Federal Court of Canada and for over a dozen years was a Professor of Law (adj.) at the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall Law School teaching internet law.

During law school, Peter was the recipient of several awards of distinction, including the Ronald D. Manes Alumni Award for demonstrated excellence in academics and leadership and the Fraser & Beatty Award.