W. David Petras
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.Partner at Gowling WLG
- Called to the bar
- 1983
- Languages
- English
Business & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawAbout W. David Petras
Buying a company, selling one, raising capital or sorting out how a board should run: that's the ground W. David Petras covers as a partner in Gowling WLG's Waterloo Region office. David acts for software developers and internet businesses, advanced manufacturers and auto parts makers, along with companies in agri-food, medical products, financial services and alternative energy.
David has been practising since the Ontario call in 1983, after a mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo and an LLB from the University of Toronto, and went on to earn a Certificat d'Études Politiques in Paris in 1986. Inside the firm, David has headed the Waterloo Region Technology Law Group, sat on Gowling WLG's Board of Trustees and chaired its CEO Nominating Committee. Talking to The Globe and Mail about the firm's high-tech work back in 2000, David described tech clients as a different breed whose businesses move at internet speed, and who want their lawyers to match it.
Plenty of the work crosses borders, with deals involving both public and private companies at home and abroad. Today David is Canada's lead for the firm's European Initiative, and before that led its U.S. Initiative, the program that builds Gowling WLG's ties with American clients and law firms. In March 2025 David co-wrote a piece with partners Todd J. Burke and Wendy Wagner on how Canadian businesses can find opportunity in the European Union.
Outside the firm, David is an independent director on the board of Enova Energy Corporation and holds the ICD.D designation, earned through the Institute of Corporate Directors' Director Education Program at Rotman in 2018. Best Lawyers has recognized David since 2010, in Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law and Technology Law.
Practice areas
Mergers and acquisitions
David handles purchases and sales for public and private companies, both within Canada and across borders. Representative deals include SSIMWAVE's sale to IMAX, PrinterOn's sale to Samsung Electronics and Phoenix Contact's purchase of Perle Systems.
Venture capital, private equity and lending
On the financing side, David works on venture capital and private equity rounds as well as several kinds of credit facilities. One example is the recapitalization of managed network security company eSentire with Warburg Pincus.
Technology agreements
For tech companies, David negotiates agreements for development and research work, distribution, strategic alliances and the transfer of technology.
Corporate governance
David sets up boards and their committees, writes governance policies, and counsels directors and senior executives when difficult issues land on the table.
Education & credentials
- B.Math, University of Waterloo (1977)
- LLB, University of Toronto (1981)
- Called to the Bar of Ontario (1983)
- Certificat d'Études Politiques, l'Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (1986)
- ICD.D (Director Education Program), Institute of Corporate Directors and Rotman (2018)
Awards & recognition
Publications & speaking
- The "new" old world: How Canadian companies can unlock opportunity in the EU's modern market (with Todd J. Burke and Wendy Wagner), Gowling WLG (2025)
- Doing business in Canada (on-demand webinar), Gowling WLG (2024)
Memberships & affiliations
- Enova Energy Corporation: David serves as an independent director on the Enova Energy Corporation board.
- Institute of Corporate Directors: David is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors.
- American Bar Association, Business Law Section: David belongs to the Mergers & Acquisitions Committee of the ABA's Business Law Section.
In the community
- David is a partner in the Waterloo Region chapter of Social Venture Partners.
- Over the years David has been a director of local corporations and community groups, among them Communitech, the Accelerator Centre, the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation and Waterloo North Hydro Holding Corporation, where David served as chair.
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This listing was generated by AI from public sources in October 2026. It may contain errors, and we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or complete. Before you rely on anything here, verify it on their firm’s website. Confirm W. David Petras’s licence and standing in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗
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