Overview
Nora Osbaldeston is the Financial Services National Specialty Group leader at Miller Thomson. She has over 25 years’ experience acting for domestic and foreign financial institutions and corporate borrowers on a variety of domestic and international financings including syndicated and multi- and single-lender financing transactions, asset-based financings, acquisition financings, high-yield offerings, securitizations, and social impact bonds. She has advised lenders and borrowers across many industries and sectors including agriculture and food, Aboriginal, automotive and transportation, education, healthcare and pharmaceutical, hotel and hospitality, professional sports, retail, telecommunications and media, shipping, and private clients. Nora is also one of two Miller Thomson representatives at Multilaw, an international network of over 80 law firms in 60 countries.
Since 2013 Nora has been named to Best Lawyers in Canada for Banking and Finance.
Nora is the co-author of the “Financial Institutions” chapter of Doing Business in Canada, 2016 edition.
Nora is a past recipient of a Lexpert Zenith Award, celebrating leading Women in Canada. Nora was also the recipient in 2013 of the inaugural Federated Press Women in Law Leadership Award, for exceptional achievement and outstanding leadership by a Canadian Woman Lawyer.
In 2009 Nora was recognized by the Women’s Executive Network as one of Canada’s top 100 most powerful women and has been a mentor in the WXNWisdom Top 100 mentoring program. Nora has been listed in “Women in the Lead” published by the Richard Ivey School of Business, a national directory of Canadian women whose professional expertise and experience recommend them as candidates for corporate board appointments.
Prior to her appointment as the firm’s National Chair of the Financial Services Group, Nora served as the Managing Partner of the Toronto/Markham offices of Miller Thomson from 2009-2012, and she was the Ontario Co-Chair of the firm’s corporate department from 2005-2008.
Throughout her legal career, Nora has volunteered through the Law Society of Upper Canada (now the Law Society of Ontario). For several years Nora has participated in the LSUC agreement series, and developed and presented “The Annotated Loan Agreement.” Since 2010 Nora has been a lecturer at the University of Windsor Law School for the Advanced Business Law course (Banking and Secured Transactions).
Nora is a founding member of, and continues as an active volunteer at, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, a grassroots charitable organization whose focus is ensuring swimmable, drinkable, and fishable waterbodies in our communities. She has also volunteered for Golf Canada and its Links to Education Program and held several national positions with UNICEF Canada over a period of 10 years.
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Professional achievements & leadership
- The Best Lawyers in Canada, Banking and Finance Law, 2013 – 2019
- The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Banking & Financial Institutions, 2018 – 2019
- 2013 Lexpert Zenith Award Winner celebrating Leading Women Lawyers in Canada
- 2013 recipient of Inaugural Federated Press Women in Law Leadership Award, for exceptional achievement and outstanding leadership by a Canadian Woman Lawyer
- Martindale-Hubbell BV Distinguished Lawyer 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
- 2009 recipient of Women’s Executive Network 100 Top Most Powerful Women in Canada (Professional Category)
- Lecturer, University of Windsor Law School – Advanced Business Law Course (Secured Transactions), 2010 – present
Thought leadership
Presentations
- Lecturer, Windsor Law School Advanced Business Law Course, 2010 – present
- Chair and Presenter, Law Society Upper Canada 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2010 “The Annotated Loan Agreement”
- Panelist, Inaugural Federated Press Women & Leadership in the Legal Profession
- Panelist, Federated Press, 6th Women and Leadership Summit.
- Speaker, “Business Agreements: Documenting a Deal from Start to Finish”, The Law Society of Upper Canada
- Presenter: Joint Meeting of Canadian Corporate Counsel Association and Canada Bar Association, “Financings and Biotech Companies”
- Chair and Presenter, Canadian Bar Association, Ontario “Due Diligence in the Wired World”
Publications
- Financial Institutions Chapter, Business Laws of Canada, a Thomson Reuters business publication, 2013 – 2016
- LSUC Annotated Loan Agreement, 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2010
Corporate directorships
- National Chair Financial Services, Miller Thomson, 2013 – present
- Director, Vice President, Scarboro Golf & Country Club, 2014 – present
- Director, Multilaw, 2016 – present
- Managing Partner (Toronto/Markham), Miller Thomson, 2009 – 2012
- Co-Chair, Ontario Corporate Department, Miller Thomson, 2005 – 2009
- Steward, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, 2013 – present
- Member, Advisory Council, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, 2008 – 2012
- Board of Directors, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, 2001 – 2007
- National Secretary, Board of Directors, Unicef Canada, 1996 – 1999
Professional memberships
- Canadian Bar Association
- Law Society of Ontario
- American Bar Association
Bar admissions & education
- Ontario Bar, 1990
- LL.B., University of Windsor, 1988
- B.A. (honours), Western University, 1985