She has over 20 years' experience advising asset managers, other institutional investors
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) has added Emily O’Donohue, an experienced capital markets and derivatives lawyer, as counsel in the firm’s corporate and capital markets group in Toronto.
O’Donohue assists clients with derivatives, credit support arrangements, repurchase and reverse repurchase arrangements, and other financial instruments for pensions, asset managers, and other institutional investors, according to the firm’s news release.
BLG added that she helps negotiate International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) protocols and master agreements. In the area of derivatives, she also advises on regulatory compliance issues and the development of new structures.
The firm said O’Donohue’s strategic legal advice has spanned fund formation, private credit, various investment-related matters, and the impacts of domestic and international laws and regulations on transactional agreements.
O’Donohue’s over two decades of “experience advising asset managers and other institutional investors on derivatives and other financial instruments will strengthen our ability to support clients as they navigate complex financial markets,” said Prema Thiele, national group head of BLG’s corporate and capital markets group, in the news release.
The firm’s national team for corporate and capital markets covers matters relating to investment management, M&A, corporate finance, and private equity.
BLG shared that O’Donohue is a regular speaker at industry forums and conferences. She had speaking engagements at ISDA symposiums, Ontario Securities Commission conferences, and other industry events.
Before her appointment at the firm, O’Donohue served as lead derivatives counsel for the Ontario Teachers​’ Pension Plan for more than a decade. In that role, she assisted with a broad range of capital markets and derivatives matters.
In its news release, BLG noted that she previously worked at an international law firm and co-chaired its derivatives group. Her LinkedIn page said she also recently worked as senior counsel for capital markets at BCI.
O’Donohue’s bio on BLG’s website stated that she was a member of ISDA’s Canadian steering committee from 2011–24, a volunteer at the 519 Legal Clinic from 2021–23, and a director at the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity from 2023–24.
She joined the Ontario bar in 2003. She graduated with an LLB from Western University in 2002 and a BA honours degree from Brock University in 1999.
