We are very proud to announce that our Managing Partner, Maria Scarfo, was chosen as a winner of Lexpert’s 2017 Zenith Awards: Celebrating Women in Law.
In a changing environment where people are increasingly mobile, Maria has spent her entire career at Blaney McMurtry. In 2013 her partners elected her as their first female Managing Partner, and in a testament to her effectiveness and success as a leader, she was unanimously reappointed again in 2016.
Despite sobering statistics presented by organizations such as the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion’s “Diversity by the Numbers in the Legal Profession” report, Maria has flourished as an equity partner in one of Canada’s thirty largest law firms. Colleagues describe her as an exceptional manager and mentor, demonstrating daily how important empathy and listening are in the business of law. She continues to champion the success of women in the workplace by supporting young female partners and associates within the firm. When partner Sundeep Sandhu - a recipient of the Lexpert Rising Star Award: Leading Lawyers Under 40, 2015 - approached Maria to establish Blaney McMurtry LLP’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, she was simply volunteering to get the ball rolling and be a part of the initiative. Maria insisted she head the Committee.
Maria’s relationships within the firm are sincere and deep. Executive Committee member Dennis Tobin explains, “the decisions she makes are based upon people and profit. While that is not unique to women, it exists in her in a balance I have rarely seen in a man.” As former Managing Partner Ian Epstein puts it, “Long after Maria’s term is completed, I expect that she will be viewed as one of the firm’s best Managing Partners.”
Congratulations to Maria for this honour, and to all recipients of this year’s Lexpert Zenith Awards: Celebrating Women in Law. Read more about this year's winners here.