Paul DeFrancesca

Paul is a partner in the firm and leads the Real Estate law group, which provides counsel and commercial and multi-residential real estate and mortgage law services to institutional and private lenders, developers, builders, investors, landlords and property owners across the province.

Prior to joining Wildeboer Dellelce, Paul founded De Francesca Law, a residential and commercial real estate law firm in 2004, to provide counsel and legal services to institutional and private lenders, developers, builders, investors, landlords and real property owners. De Francesca Law also provided expertise in land development and planning.

Prior to De Francesca Law, Paul worked at a selection of different large law firms in Toronto’s financial district. His expertise extends to land development and urban planning, having worked in the planning departments of the Town of Markham and the City of Toronto.

Paul is the co-author, with John Mascarin, of Annotated Land Development Agreements, an important reference work in the land development field in Ontario that is updated annually. He was the editor and contributor to the De Francesca Real Estate and Mortgage Report, his firm’s monthly newsletter to clients, and also contributes regularly to publications on different legal topics.

Paul holds a B.A.A. degree in Urban & Regional Planning from Toronto Metropolitan University and earned his LL.B. degree from the University of Windsor in 1998. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 2000. He is a member of the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario; the Canadian Bar Association, Real Property Law Section; the Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association.

Paul is a supporter of the Faculty of Law at the University of Windsor where his firm established the Annual Real Estate Award and Bursary for a student in financial need excelling in the Real Estate Law course. He also contributed personally to the Faculty of Law where a meeting room is named in his honour.  At the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University, the firm established the De Francesca Real Estate Award for a student in financial need excelling in the third-year Real Estate Law course as well as the De Francesca Property Law Award awarded to a student in financial need excelling in the first-and second-year Property Law courses.

He plays an active role in the life of his community, supporting worthy charities, organizations and causes that promote education and the growth of individuals and families across the GTA. Paul established the Annual Law Award and Bursary at De La Salle College awarded to a Grade 12 student excelling in the upper year law course, is an ongoing supporter of SOS Childrens Villages in Africa, Italy and Greece and is a long time supporter of the Withrow Ball Park Hockey League through the De Francesca Law Lions team sponsorship. He is a member of the International Karate Association of Canada, holds a sixth-degree black belt in karate and volunteers his time to train aspiring youth in the sport.