Ascendion Law
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.3 lawyers · Metro Vancouver
One of 700 law firms listed in Vancouver, and one of 157 handling Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
About Ascendion Law
Ascendion Law is a small litigation firm in downtown Vancouver, led by principal Chilwin Cheng along with associates Janessa Mason and Cory Russell. The firm practises in three areas: complex commercial litigation, regulatory investigations and enforcement, and white-collar criminal defence. Much of its work comes through referrals from other lawyers rather than direct advertising, and its cases often involve businesses, investment funds, and professionals dealing with government investigations or high-value civil disputes.
Cheng was called to the bar in British Columbia in 1998, after an LL.B. from the University of Toronto and a B.A. (Honours) and later an M.B.A. from Simon Fraser University. Before moving into private practice, Cheng worked as Crown Counsel, as a prosecutor with the BC Securities Commission, and as Chief Counsel for the regulator overseeing Canada's public equities markets and trading systems. That regulatory background still shapes the firm's caseload today. Mason and Russell, called to the BC bar in 2018 and 2021, each joined after their own litigation experience, and Russell returned to the firm as an associate after first working there as a paralegal.
Practice areas
In the community
- Cheng served as pro bono counsel for the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers of BC in its application to intervene in Irvine v. UBC, a Supreme Court of British Columbia case concerning equity, diversity and inclusion requirements in law school faculty hiring; the court granted FACL BC leave to intervene in June 2026.
- Ascendion Law sponsored the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers of BC's annual gala in November 2025.
- Janessa Mason has volunteered with the Black Law Students' Association of Canada, appearing as a panelist on a litigation-practice discussion at its national conference in 2022.
- Cheng previously served as president of the John Howard Society (2004 to 2006) and of MOSAIC (2001 to 2002), and as a board member of Volunteer Vancouver (2004 to 2012).
- Cheng sits on the advisory committee of the BC Access to Justice Centre for Excellence and has served as a Law and Policy Officer for the Canadian Bar Association's BC Civil Litigation Section.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessible
By appointmentThis firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 2018–2021 · median 6 years in practice 2 of 3 lawyers
Where to find them
789 West Pender Street, Suite 720, Vancouver, BC V6C 1H2 · 604-639-2565
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Family LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionThis listing was generated by AI from public sources in September 2026. It may contain errors, and we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or complete. Before you rely on anything here, verify it on the firm’s own website. Verify licence status in the Law Society of British Columbia directory ↗
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