Maria Esmatyar

Maria Esmatyar is a Partner at Lecker and Associates, bringing over a decade of experience in employment, disability, and human rights law. Her practice is centred on providing strong representation for employees facing difficult workplace situations. Maria has successfully guided clients through various complex legal matters, including wrongful dismissal, workplace harassment, discrimination, and disputes over denied disability benefits.

Recognized for her compassionate and client-focused approach, Maria is committed to making the legal process accessible and understandable for her clients. She believes in empowering individuals by ensuring they are fully informed about their rights and options. Her dedication to advocating for fair treatment has earned her the trust of clients who value her personalized attention and legal acumen.

Maria’s passion for employee rights drives her work, as she consistently strives to secure the best possible outcomes for those she represents. Her tireless efforts to uphold justice in the workplace have made her a respected figure in the legal community.

Maria has appeared before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, as well as in Canada Labour Code adjudications.

Prominent Cases:

Keenan v. Canac Kitchens, 2015 ONSC 1055.   Maria was part of the team that represented plaintiffs Marilyn and Lawrence Keenan, who were classified as “independent contractors” by their employer and were let go with no severance pay after three decades of service. This precedent-setting case directly led to a re-writing of Ontario’s Employment Laws, recognizing a new class of worker, the dependent contractor, who has the same rights as employees and is now clearly identified in Bill 148, Ontario’s Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act.

Bassanese v. German Canadian News Company. Maria represented Heidi Bassanese in an egregious case of workplace harassment. Because of their inaction, the judge found the employer equally culpable of harm as the employee who perpetrated the harassment, awarding our client a notable $200,000 in damages.