As the daughter of immigrants to Canada, Maria strongly values hard work, determination, and sacrifice for long-term communal goals. As a lawyer, Maria understands the devastating impact of an accident in light of these values.

A former Provincial Prosecutor, Maria also ran her own firm prior to joining Carranza LLP in 2010. She took a sabbatical to pursue her Master of Laws (specializing in Administrative Law) and serve as an adjudicator on the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board and the Health Services Appeal and Review Board.

Returning to Carranza, her primary focus is assisting persons injured in accidents, including motor vehicle accidents, slip and falls, injured cyclists and pedestrians. Maria has an appreciation for the complexities of the physical and psychosocial consequences of accident-related injuries.

Maria dedicates a portion of her practice to matters disproportionately affecting Ontario's Filipino Canadian and other recent immigrant communities, including culturally mindful legal representation for Healthcare Professionals (Licensing, Complaints, Discipline) and fairness advocacy through Judicial Review, Reconsiderations and Appeals.

She worked alongside the Caregivers' Action Centre, advocating for changes to the former Live-In Caregiver Program through public action and civil litigation. Maria has considerable experience assisting temporary foreign workers and recent immigrants injured in Canada, including Caregivers. Her knowledge of their unique challenges allows her to assist her clients in navigating complex legal issues.

Maria also serves as the Clinic Lawyer for the Mental Health Justice Legal Clinic, a joint venture between the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law and the Empowerment Council.

Education

• Masters of Law – Administrative Law(Osgoode Hall Law School) (2020);
• Admitted to the Ontario Bar (2007);
• Bachelor of Laws (University of Windsor) (2006);
• Bachelor of Arts (University of Waterloo) (2002);

Affiliations

• Ontario Bar Association;
• Ontario Trial Lawyers Association;
• Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers;
• Thomas More Lawyers’ Guild of Toronto;
• Kappa Kappa Gamma Women’s Fraternity;
• Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity.

Awards

• Co-recipient of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers Inaugural Social Justice Award (2012);
• Ontario Trial Lawyers Association 2011 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award;
• Ontario Trial Lawyers Association George Bonn Award for Best Cross Examination (2006);
• Cassels Brock & Blackwell Centennial Prize in Practice Skills (2006);
• John W. Whiteside Award (2006);
• Legal Aid Ontario Award (2006);
• University of Windsor, Faculty of Law Prize in Professional Ethics and Conduct (2006);
• University of Windsor, Faculty of Law Award for outstanding contribution to Legal Assistance of Windsor Law Clinic (2006);

Publications

• Blog post: The new distracted driving bill - what you need to know;
• “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly: Pleadings in bad faith claims” The Litigator, December 2013/January 2014.

Testimonials from Clients

“She not only answered all of our questions thoroughly, but was able to explain to us all the complicated legal details in a way that was easy to understand. Many times, Maria went above and beyond what was required in order to meet our needs and ease any concerns we had.”  S.W. and D.W.