what we do

Dear visitor, welcome to my website! 

I work with companies and associations on removing barriers in international trade to make their trade more predictable, simple, efficient and beneficial. Over the last 15 years, I have been advising and consulting various companies on issues related to international trade law, WTO law and sustainable development. My achievements include successful representation of clients’ interests in WTO dispute settlement at panel and Appellate Body levels. In my work, I am known for professionalism, dedication and ability to find practical and creative solutions.

Do you have a question related to international trade? Please don't hesitate to ask!

Below is more detailed information about my education, qualifications and professional experience.

Please visit my blog and learn about my consulting services. 

Thank you for your interest. 

All the best, 

Natalia

Natalia Shpilkovskaya is international trade lawyer and consultant, provides consulting services in legal research in WTO law, analysis and analytical support in international trade negotiations and trade disputes at the WTO. She also assists in drafting regulations and submissions, developing strategies and capacity building, including training services. To learn more, please visit the page describing services. 

Natalia holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the Moscow State Academy of Law (1998) and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Ottawa (2007). In her studies, she focused on legal research in WTO law and subjects related to international trade regulation and the WTO dispute settlement mechanism. 

Natalia is a practicing specialist in international trade law, particularly World Trade Organization law, with more than 20 years of legal experience in international trade issues.  She was instrumental in presenting arguments and winning several disputes at the panel's and the Appellate Body's stages of the dispute settlement process in the WTO. 

For the last five years, she has provided legal support, drafted submissions and statements in several WTO disputes and presented arguments before panels and the Appellate Body. Natalia has provided legal analysis and interpretation of various WTO Agreements, including the GATT, the WTO Anti-Dumping Agreement, the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, and the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization. 

From 2011 to 2014 Natalia worked with the International Trade Law Group in a leading Canadian law firm (Borden Ladner Gervais LLP), where she assisted with legal research, analysis and preparation of submissions in three appeals before the WTO Appellate Body (US - Clove Cigarettes, US - Tuna II (Mexico) and US - COOL) and in a compliance dispute before the Panel (US - COOL (Article 21.5)).  

Natalia has participated in several projects related to international trade, sustainable development, legal research and international law, in particular with the University of Ottawa, and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) in Geneva.

For over 10 years, Natalia was the Managing Editor of the news and analytical periodical publication "Mosty" (Bridges in Russian) on international trade and sustainable development. 

In 2008 and in 2018-2019, Natalia participated in the JuriGlobe's project on World Legal Systems by translating the 2nd and 3rd editions of the site JuriGlobe - World Legal Systems into the Russian language. 

JuriGlobe is a research group formed by professors from the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa, which focuses on the development of a multilingual information data bank, accessible to all on the internet, containing general information relating to the different legal systems in the world, to the different official languages and to some of the most important international commercial conventions, as well as other multilateral commercial tools. 

Over the years Natalia has helped in several projects.  In particular, Natalia contributed with comments and editorial remarks to the editions of the  Trade Facilitation Terms: An English-Russian-Chinese Glossary published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. She has also volunteered at the Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard  (Ottawa Food Bank) and Friends in SportFishing.

The Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard (GEFC) is a critical part of the social infrastructure in east Ottawa, providing up to 3,600 residents a year with emergency food. 

Friends in SportFishing  is a volunteer run charitable organization dedicated to providing free fishing experiences for any group of people with special needs in Ottawa's community.