Susana Lee (Susana May Yon Lee) is an International Trade Counsel and a Certified Customs Specialist in the Ottawa Office of Cassidy Levy Kent. Ms. Lee assists clients with trade remedies, customs, and government procurement matters before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, and the Canada Border Services Agency. In addition, Ms. Lee helps clients to navigate Canada’s trade controls, including export and import controls, economic sanctions, and defense-related controlled goods. She also works on judicial review proceedings before the Federal Courts of Canada.
Ms. Lee holds joint Juris Doctor (magna cum laude) and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Ottawa. She previously interned with the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, assisting legal counsel with various customs issues, such as analyzing tariff classifications and the value for duty of imported goods. During her studies, Ms. Lee also spent a summer in Paris, France completing international law courses (honours) jointly offered through Cornell Law School and the Sorbonne Law School at the Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.
Ms. Lee is a proud wife, daughter, and mother to her young children.
Honors
- Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada in the area of International Trade and Finance Law
- Legal500, Recognized as a “Rising Star” in International Trade Law
Professional Affiliations
- Past Chair, Ontario Bar Association, International Law Section
- Vice Chair, Canadian Bar Association, International Law Section
- Former Chair, Ontario Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division-East
- Former Board Member, Ontario Bar Association
- Senior Editor, Canadian International Lawyer Journal
- Vice Chair of Programming, American Bar Association, International Trade Committee
Recent Speaking Engagements
- Speaker, “Impacts of COVID Travel Restrictions on Business Operations” Ontario Bar Association (November 2021)
- Speaker “Key Developments in Trade Controls and Their Impact on Supply Chains”, Ontario Bar Association (October 2021)
- Speaker, “International Trade Law Insights: Dumping and Subsidies”, Ontario Bar Association (May 2021)
- Speaker, “Playing by the Rules? Canada’s Changing Trade Remedies Regime”, Canadian Bar Association (April 2020)
- Interviewee, “Advising Clients amid NAFTA Uncertainty”, Law Times (November 2017)
Education
• Certified Customs Specialist Designate, Canadian Society of Customs Brokers
(Highest Mark in Ontario, 2018)
• J.D., magna cum laude, University of Ottawa (Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP prize for the highest standing in “International Trade Regulation”).
• M.B.A., University of Ottawa (Beta Gamma Sigma, international business honour society membership; Case competition, business strategy team).
• B.A. & Sc., with First Class Honours, McGill University (Cognitive Science; Cell and Molecular Biology).
Languages
- English
- Taishanese
- Cantonese
- Mandarin (conversational)
- French (conversational)
Bar Memberships
- Ontario
- District of Columbia
- New York