Joanne Luu, FCIArb

Practice Focus

Joanne Luu has a decade of experience in commercial and corporate dispute resolution. Her practice focuses on complex and high stakes disputes, including corporate and commercial, energy and natural resources, and joint venture matters.

Joanne has appeared in numerous arbitration hearings and court proceedings. She sees real value, and has demonstrated experience, in running efficient and fair proceedings. Joanne is one of 12 Canadian lawyers named to the Arbitration Place NextGen Arbitrators Roster.

What Clients Say

“Joanne’s quick and comprehensive grasp of complex issues and technical details is a huge asset in litigated matters. She truly understands the client perspective and her insightful, practical and timely advice is always very well received.”

Arbitration Experience

Joanne is a thought leader in the arbitration space. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has published book chapters in The Leading Practitioners’ Guide to International Oil & Gas Arbitration and Arbitration World.

Her representative work includes:

• Counsel in an arbitration involving a tax and telecommunications dispute in the Middle East.
• Counsel in a multi-million dollar arbitration relating to a cross-border pipeline.
• Counsel in several joint venture disputes, including accounting matters.
• Counsel to a consortium of energy companies in relation to a royalty dispute against the government.
• Tribunal secretary in a large-scale construction dispute regarding a project in Eastern Europe.

Litigation and Other Experience 

Joanne brings a broad range of experience, with other representative work including:

• Counsel successfully representing Inter Pipeline Ltd. (IPL) in a precedent-setting case, Re Bison Acquisition Corp., 2021 ABASC 100, before the Alberta Securities Commission. The case addressed Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P.'s use of total return swaps in its takeover bid of IPL. The decision is the first time that a Canadian securities regulator has directly addressed the use of total return swaps within the context of takeover bids following the changes to the Canadian takeover bid regime in 2016.
• Counsel in a successful leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada on behalf of Peace River Hydro Partners, in Peace River Hydro Partners, et al. v. Petrowest Corporation, et al., a case which involves the question of whether a receiver can disclaim an arbitration clause while still enforcing the underlying contract
• Counsel to a leading global insulation manufacturer and its Canadian subsidiary relating to a distribution agreement (see 2019 ABQB 684). The team was successful in obtaining full solicitor-and-own client costs and punitive damages in the amount of $750,000.
• Counsel in a complex, multi-contract, shareholder oppression and director/officer liability dispute.
• Counsel to class plaintiffs in a $10 million real-estate based securities class action (successfully settled).
• Represents and advises on cases before the Alberta Securities Commission for alleged misconduct, including insider trading, tipping, market misrepresentation.
• Advises on blockchain, license agreements and other technology matters.