Zaira Petruf

Zaira advises clients, including Indigenous nations and private companies, on commercial transactions, corporate structuring and strategic business ventures, and is developing a growing practice in regulatory matters and Indigenous governance.

Zaira works with Indigenous and corporate clients on a range of economic development initiatives, including partnerships, corporate reorganizations and equity participation in infrastructure and natural resource projects. Her work is informed by experience with tax and dispute-resolution considerations, enabling her to identify regulatory and risk issues early and support practical, commercially sound outcomes in complex matters. She is building expertise in Indigenous governance, intergovernmental relations and regulatory frameworks affecting Indigenous lands and communities.

Prior to joining MLT Aikins, Zaira practiced for six years at a national law firm in Vancouver, where she advised public and private companies on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations and tax matters across industries including mining, technology, financial services and aviation. She also provided strategic advice on Indigenous taxation and tax dispute resolution.

Zaira clerked at the Federal Court of Canada and interned with the Provincial Court of British Columbia and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, where she developed a rigorous analytical approach and strong professional judgment. She also has experience in transitional justice, having worked on reparations and community engagement initiatives with survivors of conflict in northern Uganda, including collecting testimonies of human rights abuses and facilitating advocacy workshops with women and former child soldiers. This experience informs her commitment to community-centered approaches in her legal practice. Prior to law school, she managed a multi-million-dollar industrial training program at the University of British Columbia, supporting the commercialization of academic research by science entrepreneurs.

Zaira holds a Juris Doctor from the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia, a Master of Arts in International Studies from Simon Fraser University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from UBC. She has completed Years 1 and 2 of the CPA Canada In-Depth Tax Program. Zaira has been the recipient of several academic awards and scholarships, including a SSHRC Graduate Scholarship and a Soroptimist Foundation Scholarship for her work supporting former child soldiers and women survivors of violence in northern Uganda.

• Member, Canadian Tax Foundation (2020–present)
• Member, Canadian Tax Foundation Young Practitioners (2020–present)
• Member, Law Society of British Columbia (2020–present)
• Member, Law Society of Ontario (2020–present)

• Recognized in the 2026 edition of the Best Lawyers in Canada (Ones to Watch – Mergers and Acquisitions Law and Tax Law)