Through volunteer leadership she supports kids with heart conditions, and helps people through complex legal disputes
Age: 38
Andrea Luft knows that support changes people’s lives.
Born with a congenital heart condition, the lawyer and mom has undergone three open-heart surgeries and other cardiac procedures. Luft’s journey with the Children’s Heart Society showed her what it meant to be supported by a community of people facing similar challenges. Those experiences left an imprint. Years later, Luft returned the favour, volunteering with the organization.
“I know how meaningful it was when people helped me,” she says. Luft spent a decade on the society’s board, serving in leadership roles, raising money to support programming for children with congenital heart conditions and their families.
She launched and co-chaired the Live With Heart Gala, which raised close to $100,000 with its annual events over five years. It’s among the work of which she is proudest.
During her time with the society, Luft helped lead an investigation and navigate a crisis that threatened the organization after its chief financial officer was discovered to have stolen funds.
In 2024, Luft underwent heart valve replacement surgery and stepped away from the board, making room for new leadership. Today, she’s growing her career as a partner and litigator, while continuing to give back.
Called to the bar in 2014, Luft was drawn to law for its research, creativity and problem solving. Her practice spans commercial and estate litigation, where she helps clients navigate disputes, loss and complicated family circumstances.
“Litigation is problem solving from a creative perspective,” she says. “You have to advocate for your client within the bounds of legal rules and precedent.”
Luft volunteers with the Civil Claims Duty Counsel program, offering free legal advice to people in need. The thread remains the same: helping people through overwhelming circumstances. “I’ve advocated for people with heart conditions,” Luft says, “and for people navigating the legal system.”
This article appears in the November-December 2026 issue of Edify
