E. Melisa Celebican

International Trade Counsel / Ottawa

E. Melisa Celebican is an International Trade Counsel at the Ottawa Office of Cassidy Levy Kent. Ms. Celebican assists clients with trade remedies, customs, and government procurement matters before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal and the Canada Border Services Agency, as well as on judicial review matters before the Federal Courts of Canada. In addition, Ms. Celebican also helps clients navigate Canada’s import and export control matters, customs tariff classifications, international trade treaty compliance including under the WTO, and the enforcement of antidumping and countervailing duty orders.

Ms. Celebican holds a Juris Doctor (cum laude) degree from the University of Ottawa, with a concentration in International Law and a Master of Arts degree in European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies from Carleton University. During law school, Ms. Celebican was an Assistant Editor in the Ottawa Law Review, a Research Assistant for Professor Chidi Oguamanam, and has mooted extensively, representing the university in two of the largest global competitions, the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration and the Foreign Direct Investment moots. In addition, as a participant in the TradeLab legal clinic, Ms. Celebican co-authored a project for Centre for Trade Policy and Law, providing recommendations on the provisions of an investment protocol for the African Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement.

Ms. Celebican completed various internships at private, governmental and non-governmental organizations, including at the European Citizen Action Service in Brussels.

Government Service

Prior to attending law school, Ms. Celebican was a Desk Officer at Global Affairs Canada’s Europe and Eurasia Division between 2015 and 2016. As a result of her accomplishments over the period of challenging relations with Turkey, she was honoured with an award from then-Assistant Deputy Minister Alex Bugailiskis.

Professional Affiliations

  • Canadian Bar Association

Education

  • J. D., University of Ottawa (cum laude) (Dean’s Honour List)
  • M.A., European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, Carleton University (Recipient of SSHRC’s Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship for her master’s thesis)
  • B.A. (Bilingual), International Studies and Psychology, Glendon College, York University

Languages

  • English
  • Turkish
  • French

Bar Memberships

  • Ontario