Nadia_Effendi

Nadia Effendi

Partner and National Business Leader, Commercial Litigation

Toronto
Ottawa
NEffendi@blg.com
416.367.6728

Nadia represents a wide range of clients in both English and French, in complex and often high profile proceedings, including class actions, administrative, regulatory, constitutional, and human rights law cases.

Nadia has represented clients in industries including transportation, financial services, broadcasting and telecommunications, energy, and entertainment, and has particular subject-matter expertise in transportation law, electoral law, access to information and official language rights.

Nadia regularly appears before all levels of federal and provincial courts, administrative tribunals, and commissions of inquiry, and has appeared numerous times before the Supreme Court of Canada. Nadia is a member of the CBA Federal Courts Bench and Bar Liaison Committee. She is the chair of BLG's Appellate Advocacy and Public Law Group and serves as the Regional Manager of the Commercial Litigation and Construction Group in Toronto. She is also a member and Past President of the Board of Directors of the Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Ontario (AJEFO), as well as a member of the Ontario Bar Association Official Languages Committee. Prior to joining BLG, Nadia served as a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada to The Honourable Mr. Justice Bastarache.

Testimonials

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Experience

  • Counsel for the Honourable Louise Arbour appointed to carry out a review into the Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence, in response to reports of harassment and sexual misconduct within Canada’s military.
  • Counsel for Amazon in an unpaid wages and overtime class claim (2020-present).
  • Counsel before the Supreme Court of Canada for the Federation of Law Societies of Canada in its intervention in Law Society of Saskatchewan v. Peter V. Abrametz.

Beyond Our Walls

Professional Involvement

  • Director, Canadian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies (2024-present)​
  • Vice-President, Fédération des associations de juristes d'expression française de common law inc., 2023-present
  • Secretary, Appellate Advocacy Practice Group, The Advocates' Society
  • Chair, Interventions Committee, Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Ontario
  • Member, The Advocates Society, 2020-Present
  • Past Member, Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)'s Law Program Committee​
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association, Ontario Bar Association
  • Member, County of Carleton Law Association
  • Former Member, Canadian Bar Association, Federal Court Bench and Bar Association, 2019-present
  • Member, Divisional Court Users' Committee, 2019-present
  • Member, Organizing Committee of the Judicial Assistants of the Supreme Court of Canada's 2020 Conference
  • Federal Courts Bench and Bar Liaison Committee, 2021-Present
  • Member, TAS Appellate Advocacy Practice Group
  • Past Member, Official Language Committee, Ontario Bar Association

Community Involvement

  • Past director and secretary, Citizen Advocacy (a charity that helps people with disabilities participate more fully in community life)

Awards & Recognitions

  • Recognized in the 2025 edition (and since 2020) of The Best Lawyers in Canada® (Appellate Practice), since 2021 for Administrative and Public Law, and since 2022 for Corporate and Commercial Litigation.
  • Recognized in 2025 edition (and since 2022) of the Chambers Canada — Canada’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Litigation: Administrative & Public Law - Ontario)
  • Recognized in the 2025  edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Class Actions), since 2020 (Litigation - Regulatory & Public Law) and in the 2018 editions (since 2016) (Litigation: Public Law)
  • Recognized in the 2024 edition (and since 2021) of Benchmark Litigation as a Litigation Star.
  • Recognized in 2024 edition (and since 2022) of Benchmark Litigation in the Top 100 Women in Canada, and in 2021 and 2020 in the Top 50 Women in Canada
  • Recipient of the Ordre du mérite 2023 of the Association des juristes d’expression française (AJEFO)

Bar Admission & Education

  • Ontario, 2004
  • LLB (summa cum laude, gold medalist), University of Ottawa, 2003