Cornelia Mazgarean obtained a Juris Doctor at Osgoode Hall Law School, at York University, in Toronto and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2011. The same university later awarded her a Master of Laws degree. Throughout her career, Cornelia has been motivated by social justice. For more than seven years, she worked at the Community and Legal Aid Services Programme, a student legal clinic at Osgoode Hall Law School, as review counsel, assisting clients who could not afford a lawyer. In that capacity, she covered a variety of areas of law, such as criminal, immigration, administrative and civil law. As review counsel she supervised students working on files, assisting them on each step of their preparation and court attendance, and guiding them in community work and outreach.

In addition, since 2011 Cornelia maintained a diverse private practice appearing regularly at different levels of court and tribunals, conducting trials, including jury trials, appeals and judicial reviews.  She is particularly passionate about assisting victims of crime, including providing legal advice and representation in sexual offences cases, on issues such as publication bans, third party records applications and prior sexual activity motions. Her practice also involves matters with discipline bodies overseeing different professions, such as the College of Veterinarians of Ontario, the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario, the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario, and at administrative tribunals, such as the Consent and Capacity Board, the Ontario Review Board and the Immigration and Refugee Board.  She is a member of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, the Ontario Bar Association, the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association and the Refugee Lawyers’ Association. As a volunteer member and expert lawyer for Lifeline Syria, Cornelia has assisted a multitude of sponsors passionate about helping refugees fleeing violence and war. In her capacity as a duty counsel lawyer since 2012, she has been providing legal advice to many clients detained or arrested by the police or immigration officers, and victims of crime who wnat to know the criminal trial process and their options. Cornelia is also a published author and researcher.  In 2020, Cornelia became a practicing lawyer with the Law Society of British Columbia, practicing law in that province remotely from Ontario, by phone and video conferences.

In her spare time, Cornelia enjoys spending time with her family and friends, volunteering at the Black Creek Community Farm, going to gym and playing with her Australian shepherd Spartan.