About us

Alicia S. Natividad lives and practices law in Ottawa, Ontario. She is an incorporated sole practitioner practicing under the firm name of ASN Law Professional Corporation. Her main areas of practice are Wills, Trusts, Estate Administration, Business Law, and Real Estate. She is the first Filipina to practice law in Canada and one of the founding members of the Filipino Canadian Lawyers Network – Réseau des avocats philippino-canadiens, and was its first President.

Franco Cabanos is civil litigator based out of Vancouver, whose practice is principally in the area of insurance law.  Franco is a partner at DWF and is DWF’s national subrogation practice group leader.

Franco received his law degree from the University of Manitoba in 2008 and was called to the Bar in British Columbia in 2009. 

In his spare time, Franco enjoys spending time with his family, in addition to playing golf, basketball and volleyball.

Bio to come

Christopher Rio Mortel is an associate at Creighton Law LLP where he practices primarily family law. Christopher was one of our first guests on NCA Office Hours and he plays a fundamental role as a mentor for internationally trained lawyers. Christopher is an FCLN-RAPC representative to RODA.

Bio to come

Irvin was born and raised in Manila, Philippines, and migrated to Canada in 2017 to join his wife and started a family here. His legal experience started in the Philippines after passing the 2007 Philippine Bar Examinations. After migrating to Canada, Irvin completed his NCA certification in 2020 and also completed his articles and Practice Readiness Education Program (under the CPLED program) in 2021. Consequently, he was called to the Law Society of Alberta on June 30, 2021.

Irvin currently works at Queck & Associates practicing in family law, civil litigation, immigration, and real estate law. Fluent in both English and Tagalog, Irvin has the privilege of serving a lot of Filipinos who are in need of legal service.

During his spare time, he likes spending it with his family and friends.

Patty has been a practicing lawyer in the Philippines for 7 years before she migrated to Canada in 2022. She practiced general litigation in Manila. After obtaining her NCA qualification, she started her articles in a downtown Vancouver law firm where she now continues to practice. She was called to the British Columbia bar in September 2025.

Patty loves weight lifting, playing tennis, swimming, and trying new recipes in the kitchen.

Ren Guidolin received his Bachelor of Environmental Studies at York University and completed his JD with a Specialization in Aboriginal and Indigenous Law (SAIL) at Bora Laskin Faculty of Law. Outside of legal studies, Ren previously represented the Green Party of Ontario in the King-Vaughan riding, worked as an intern for the Liberal Party of Canada, and is the founder of MOSAICC, a not-for-profit organization that supports the career development and advancement of youth. Ren is a longtime avid volunteer and advocate with a passion for creating a more sustainable future

Alona C. Mercado is a lawyer in Winnipeg practicing primarily in estate planning and estate administration, real estate law, corporate and commercial transactions, and immigration law. She was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1999 and opened her own law firm – Mercado Trinh Law LLP – in November 2015 with a colleague. Mercado Trinh Law LLP is the first Filipina owned and operated law firm in Manitoba.

Jessette Apao is lawyer practicing in Edmonton, Alberta. Her practice with the Edmonton Law Office focuses mainly in Wills and Estates. Jessette graduated from Mindanao State University in the Philippines. Jessette is passionate about helping NCA students get their legal accreditation. Outside of the practice of law and her volunteer pursuits, Jessette enjoys her family of five, spending time outdoors and a good game of chess.

Katherine Ann Fermo is a Barrister and Solicitor based between Toronto, Canada London, United Kingdom. She holds a Bachelor of Arts & Science from McGill University and pursued her LLB and LLM International Commercial Law at the University of Sussex. With a specialization in UK Immigration Law since August 2017, she can assist client with a broad variety of applications and has completed 7 approximately 700+ approvals and over 200 reviews of various immigration applications, both private and PBS visas and counting.

She is currently expanding her legal immigration knowledege to include providing Canadian immigration advice. Katherine Ann’s legal expertise extends beyond immigration law to criminal law, property law, commercial law, intellectual property law, litigation, family law, clinical negligence, and personal injury. Katherine Ann is an FCLN-RAPC representative to RODA.

During her free time, Katherine Ann enjoys singing, acting, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Lia brings over five years of Philippine legal experience, primarily focusing on corporate and commercial transactions. In particular, her role focuses on M&A transactions or providing advice to foreign clients wishing to enter the Philippine market. She regularly deals with cross-border issues and, as such, has fostered a skill in handling complex legal matters.

During her articles, she effectively provided immigration and refugee law services, which have resulted in favorable decisions for the firm’s clients.
Lia currently works at Ang Law Professional Corporation performing real estate, corporate, and immigration law.

Besides being a lawyer in Canada and the Philippines, Lia is a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) and Certified Information Privacy Professional/Canada (CIPP/C). Lia is fluent in English and Tagalog.

Rachel Sachs is a lawyer and business owner in Toronto, practicing elder law, estates, civil litigation and mediation, at her firm, Sachs Law Professional Corporation. Rachel meets the legal needs of the whole older adult client and, where appropriate, will incorporate collaborative elements into her practice. Educated in Canada, the UK and the US and armed with both her law and business degrees, Rachel serves clients with a diverse range of issues in Ontario and beyond. Rachel works regularly with Pro Bono Ontario providing summary legal advice to low-income Ontarians. Outside her practice, Rachel is a board member with ITLNCA NetworkS Association and a local not-for-profit childcare centre. Rachel is proud to have been one of the five founding members of the Filipino Canadian Lawyers Network – Réseau des avocats philippino-canadiens and to have served as a Director from 2021-2025 and as President from 2022-2025.