Maria Zeldis receives U of T Law Alumni Award

The University of Toronto Faculty of Law Alumni Awards biennially recognize the exceptional contributions of valued community members.

Maria Zeldis (JD 2009) is Senior VP Legal for the Onni Group of Companies, a Vancouver based real estate company with holdings across North America. Maria advises on the operation and management of the company’s extensive real estate and commercial assets and leads the legal team in Canada and the U.S.

After obtaining her BA (UBC) and JD (U of T), Maria served as a Law Clerk at the Supreme Court of British Columbia, then completed her articles and joined Borden Ladner Gervais as an associate in Vancouver. Prior to joining the Onni Group, Maria was Director of Legal Services at Cadillac Fairview, where she negotiated first-to-market leases with major international retailers and was at the forefront of the tech industry’s office boom in Vancouver. Maria has focused her practice on the area of real estate and enjoys building and supporting the communities where people live and work.

Maria is a long-standing mentor of young lawyers through the CBA’s Women Lawyers Forum, and regularly provides pro bono legal services to low-income clients through Access Pro Bono (a BC organization providing access to justice).

Maria has a very active life outside of law with three young children. She is also the President of Blind Beginnings, a non-profit whose mission is to support blind or partially sighted children and their families.

The U of T Law alumni awardees will be recognized during a fireside chat on Thursday, March 30, 2023. Alumni and colleagues are welcome to attend, and to join us in congratulating the 2022 recipients.

For nomination details or more information, please contact alumni.law@utoronto.ca.