Annie Chang (she/her/hers) was a member of the 2025 summer student class at Cassels and will return as an Articling Student in 2026.
University of Toronto
Syeda Hasan
Syeda Hasan was a member of the 2025 summer student class at Cassels and will return as an Articling Student in 2026.
Emily Ernst
Emily Ernst (she/her/hers) was a member of the 2025 summer student class at Cassels and will return as an Articling Student in 2026.
Robyn Cumiskey
Robyn Cumiskey (she/her/hers) was a member of the 2025 summer student class at Cassels and will return as an Articling Student in 2026.
Orlando E. Silva
Orlando Silva is a partner in the International Trade Group at Cassels. Orlando’s practice focuses on the areas of international trade and regulatory matters, including economic sanctions, international arbitration, anti-dumping and countervail, foreign corruption matters, customs and tariff issues, import and export controls, and WTO and USMCA matters.
Prior to joining Cassels, Orlando worked in-house as a Senior Director and Trade Compliance Officer at a leading Canadian technology company that specialized in secure communications, mobile productivity, and intelligent security software and services. In this position, Orlando developed specialized expertise in economic sanctions, export controls and customs matters relating to the export of cutting-edge hardware, software and technology.
Before moving in-house, Orlando served as a partner in the International Trade Law and Investment Group at another national law firm. During his time at the firm, Orlando was recognized as a leading practitioner in Legal Media Group’s Expert Guide to the World’s Leading International Trade Lawyers and as a leader in his field by Chambers Global, where clients described him as “friendly and really on the ball, careful with detail and good at pinpointing the important information.”
Orlando regularly speaks at conferences and seminars on matters related to trade, economic sanctions and export controls. He has appeared as counsel and represented clients before the Canada Border Services Agency, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) and the Federal Court. He is also a past chair of the OBA International Law Section.
Clara Pencer
Clara Pencer is an associate at Cassels and a member of the firm’s Charity & Not-for-Profit team. Clara’s practice focuses on assisting not-for-profit organizations, both charitable and non-charitable, across Canada, with a focus on establishing effective corporate governance practices, and advising on tax and regulatory compliance to ensure their long-term operations. In her work, Clara aims to provide both actionable advice and strategic counsel to allow organizations to better focus on their mission and impact.
Clara regularly provides transactional and risk management support in corporate structuring, governance compliance, compliance with charity-specific tax regulations, fundraising agreements, and commercial contracts.