Toronto Sexual Abuse Lawyer

I’m Zahra vaid

ASSOCIATE

Survivors of sexual violence don't always know that they can use the civil justice system as a means to hold their abuser accountable. My goal is to ensure survivors know their rights and have meaningful access to justice as a step towards healing.
Zahra Vaid - Toronto Personal Injury Lawyer

My Support Team

Michelle Mercado

Intake Coordinator & Legal Assistant

mmercado@lerners.ca
416.775.7719

Kristen Doucette

Intake Coordinator & Law Clerk

kdoucette@lerners.ca
416.775.7655

Koen Verpraet

It is said that the most precious gift we can offer another is our attention. Never is that more true than when I sit with someone who has experienced a sexual violation. When someone's ability to trust may have been shaken to its foundations, we legal advocates must take time to hear the stories of survivors and do the hard work of building a trusting relationship.

  • For me, being a lawyer is about serving people who have been historically excluded from receiving justice. I'm here to help survivors gain control of their lives and take small steps forward — on their own terms.

  • Compassion, hard work and strong communication. I carry these three values into everything I do as a lawyer. They allow me to understand and work for you in a way that's supportive and mindful of your needs.

Let's Talk

The work that she put in is above & beyond anything I could have expected. She is positive, understanding, and one of the most dedicated & hardworking people I have ever met.

Anonymous

Insights from ZAHRA

Featured
Family And Intimate Partner Violence – ONCA Renders Landmark Decision In Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia

We consider the lessons learned from this much discussed and debated case, Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, 2023 ONCA 476, after summarizing both the trial and appellate decisions.

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Prohibitions On Non-Disclosure Agreements In Canada: Ontario’s Amended Bill 26

As a result of submissions by many stakeholders, including experts, community advocates, and student organizations, a number of amendments were made to the content of Bill 26, which the Legislature voted to approve on December 1, 2022.

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Prohibitions On Non-Disclosure Agreements In Canada: PEI, Ontario, And Beyond

One year after PEI’s Green Party opposition leader Lynne Lund introduced the Non-Disclosure Agreements Act in the province’s legislature, multiple jurisdictions across Canada have been prompted into action.

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    • Janet Lambert Book Prize in Equity Studies (2016)

    • The City of Toronto Women’s Studies Undergraduate Award (2015)

    • Dean’s International Initiatives Fund Recipient (2015)

    • Scholars Award, University of Toronto (2012)

    • Member, Mentorship Committee, Women’s Law Association of Ontario

    • Canadian Bar Association

    • Ontario Bar Association

    • Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association

    • South Asian Bar Association of Toronto

    • Group of Racialized Ontario Women Litigators (GROWL)

    • Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association

    • South Asian Bar Association of Toronto

    • Toronto Lawyers Association

    • The Advocates Society

    • Volunteer, Legal Services Coordination Pilot Program, Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW)

    • Vice President, Osgoode Peer Support Centre, Osgoode Hall Law School (2019-2020)

    • Co-Director of External Communications, Osgoode Women’s Network (OWN), Osgoode Hall Law School (2019-2020)

    • Junior Caseworker, Immigration Law Division, Community Legal Aid Services Programme, Osgoode Hall Law School (2017-2018)

    • Counsellor, 315NISA: Muslim Women’s Helpline (2015-2017)

    • Admitted to the Ontario Bar (2021)

    • J.D., Osgoode Hall Law School (2020)

    • Anti-Discrimination Intensive Program, Osgoode Hall Law School (2018-2019)

    • B.A. (Hons), Equity Studies and Women and Gender Studies, University of Toronto (2016)

    • Indigenous Resurgence & Sustainable Development Research Program, Center for Engaged Learning Abroad, Belize (2015)