Nick
Noonan

Nick combines his knowledge of the law with practical business insight to help clients navigate complex corporate and tax matters with clarity and confidence. His practice spans corporate-commercial law, tax planning, competition law and international trade.

Nick regularly advises clients on cross-border transactions, tariff issues and regulatory compliance, including matters before the Competition Bureau. From professional incorporations to complex reorganizations and commercial transactions, he brings strategic focus and sound judgment to every file. He has acted for clients across a range of industries and professions—including doctors, nurses, accountants, and lawyers—on business structuring, succession planning and long-term growth strategies.

He also has a growing practice in charities and not-for-profit law. He advises organizations at all stages of development, helping them with incorporation, registration with the Canada Revenue Agency, governance frameworks, and compliance with regulatory obligations. His advice is practical and tailored to the realities of mission-driven organizations.

He regularly advises the firm’s large First Nations clients on complex legal matters at the intersection of business, governance and public law. His work includes structuring corporate and partnership arrangements, supporting major development projects, and advising on tax and constitutional questions. He has a strong understanding of the needs of First Nations enterprises and brings a respectful, solution-oriented approach to his work. He has particular experience in the development of First Nations Property Taxation Systems under the First Nations Fiscal Management Act.

In addition to his legal practice, Nick maintains an active academic life. He is currently working on papers exploring legal frameworks for space resource governance and the regulation of artificial intelligence. He has published across a range of legal topics, including trusts and estates, tax, corporate law, corporate ethics, and sports law.

A proud Winnipegger and Manitoban, Nick believes in staying connected to his community. He serves on the Board of Directors of Agape Table, a local not-for-profit focused on food insecurity, and previously served on the Board of Swim Manitoba. He helped establish the Darius Maharaj Hunter Memorial Scholarship in memory of a late law school classmate and volunteers as a coach for the JDC West Team Manitoba Debate team. 

Prior to joining Fillmore Riley, Nick completed a Master’s degree in Law at Harvard Law School, focusing on corporate law, ethics, and governance, as well as tax law and strategy. While at Harvard, he completed a thesis on the intersection of directors’ fiduciary duties and corporate ESG goals. Before his time at Harvard, Nick was selected to serve as a judicial law clerk to the Honourable Madam Justice McVeigh at the Federal Court of Canada.

Nick is a graduate of the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law, where he served as President of the Manitoba Law Students’ Association and won more than 20 individual awards and prizes, including for second-highest academic standing in his year and the Emerging Leader Award. Before law school, he earned a degree in Finance from the I.H. Asper School of Business, where he was a four-year Academic All-Canadian as a member of the University of Manitoba Bisons Varsity Swim Team.