Cassels

Canadian Corporate Law Firm

Osgoode Hall Law School

Bobby B. Solhi

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Bobby Solhi is a partner in the Tax & Trusts Group at Cassels, where he leads the firm’s Canadian sales and commodity tax practice, as well as its tax disputes and controversy mandates. He serves as a strategic tax advisor to major organizations across a range of sectors, including transportation, logistics, real estate development, technology, energy, lending, and financial services.

Bobby maintains a leading tax litigation and dispute resolution practice. He has achieved significant success in managing and defending tax audits, advancing tax appeals, and litigating complex tax disputes before the Courts when resolution is not possible.

He is also a frequent writer and speaker on tax law issues for accounting, financial, and industry audiences..

Recent representative work includes advising:

  • A post-secondary institution on a tax appeal with respect to the application of GST/QST on payments receive from its US parent company
  • A leading re-fueling supplier on a tax appeal with respect to the Ontario Fuel Tax Act
  • A multinational consumer electronics retailer on the application of GST/HST/PST to its online marketplace and platform operations as well as negotiating with tax authorities across Canada on the application of the tax rules and transitional relief
  • A global travel retailer on the Canadian tax implications to its e-commerce platform operations including implementing changes to consumer terms of use, commercial agreements, and cross-border supplies
  • Loblaws Inc. on its $875 million acquisition of the Lifemark Health Group to expand Shoppers Drug Mart’s healthcare services
  • Canadian Premier Life Insurance Company in its acquisition of Gerber Life Insurance Company’s Canadian insurance business from US-based Western & Southern Financial Group
  • A purchaser on the tax aspects of a successful acquisition of a Canadian bank
  • Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment on its acquisition of Fallsview Casino and Niagara Falls Entertainment Centre
  • A purchaser on the tax aspects of a significant acquisition of agricultural businesses in western Canada
  • A multi-national chemical supplier on the tax implications of interprovincial sales
  • Various multi-national technology firms on the tax implications of cross-border technology service/SAS arrangements
  • Various foreign technology companies with tax aspects of inbound transactions
  • Automotive suppliers on tax implications of exports and outbound transactions
  • Wholesalers of tobacco products in significant tax dispute
  • Various individual and corporate clients in tax disputes at the Tax Court and Federal Court level

In addition, Bobby has advised clients on:

  • Transaction taxes related to purchases by private equity investors
  • The application of the carbon tax to major clients in the energy sector
  • The tax aspects of renewal energy projects
  • The tax aspects of multi-billion-dollar class action settlements
  • The tax structuring of several multi-unit real property developments
  • Tax residency issues for foreign clients with Canadian business activities

Select tax cases include:

  • 1351231 Ontario Inc. v. The King (2020-2170(GST)G)
  • Champlain College of Vermont – Montreal Campus v. His Majesty the King (Consent to Judgment Order) (2021-948(GST)G)
  • Champlain College of Vermont – Montreal Campus v. His Majesty the King (Motion for Particulars Order) (2021-948(GST)G)
  • 4Refuel GP Corporation, General Partner of 4Refuel Canada LP v. The Minister of Finance (Ontario Superior Court of Justice – CV-21-00655460-0000)
  • Champlain College of Vermont – Montreal Campus v. His Majesty the King (2021-948(GST)G)
  • Alec Bradley Cigar Manufacturers of Canada Inc. v. The Minister of Finance (Ontario Superior Court of Justice – CV-21-00656871)
  • Ontario Electrical Construction Company Limited v. Her Majesty the Queen (2019-3772(GST)G)
  • Rybakova, et al. v. Her Majesty The Queen (2019-3772(GST)G)
  • Garipov, et al. v. Her Majesty the Queen (2015-2106 (GST)I, 2015-2110(GST)I)
  • Rybakov, et al v. Her Majesty the Queen (2019 TCC 284)
  • Rybakov, et al. v. Her Majesty the Queen (2019 TCC 209)
  • Lohas Farm Inc. v. Her Majesty the Queen (2019 TCC 197)
  • 2253787 Ontario Inc. v Her Majesty The Queen (2014 TCC 121)
  • 2266504 Ontario Inc. v Her Majesty The Queen
  • Faisal Javaid v. Her Majesty The Queen (2015 TCC 94)
  • Ranjbar v. Canada (2016 FCA 116)
  • Kniazev v. Her Majesty The Queen (2017-456 (GST)I)
  • Kniazev v. Her Majesty The Queen (2017-457 (GST)I)

Prior to joining Cassels, Bobby served as a partner in the Tax Group of a full-service Canadian law firm.

Cindy Njoki Kamau

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Cindy Kamau is a member of the 2025-2026 Articling Student class at Cassels. She is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and completed her undergraduate at the University of Toronto – Victoria College, graduating with High Distinction in the Honours Bachelor of Arts.

Cindy has distinguished herself through her leadership, advocacy, and commitment to equity in the legal field.

Throughout her academic journey, Cindy held multiple leadership roles, including serving as the two-term Co-President of the Osgoode International Law Society. She also held leadership roles as Director of Alumni Relations, Treasurer, and Social Coordinator for the Osgoode Black Law Students’ Association at Osgoode. At the national level, she was appointed as the National Moot Director of the Black Law Students’ Association. The cumulation of her leadership roles led her to be awarded with the Osgoode Student Leadership Award and the Distinguished Volunteer Award by the University of Toronto African Alumni Association.

Outside of articling and academia, Cindy enjoys creating fashion lookbooks, blogging about her favourite food spots in Toronto and photography.

Chioma Oriuwa

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Chioma Oriuwa is a member of the 2025-2026 Articling Student class at Cassels. Chioma completed her Juris Doctor degree at Osgoode Hall Law School. Before law school, Chioma began her journey at Humber College, where she was a Student-Athlete, playing for the Varsity Women’s Basketball team. She excelled academically and athletically, earning multiple recognitions in addition to her team’s various accolades. During this time, she completed a Social Service Worker Diploma with honours and later earned a degree in Family and Youth Social Services, graduating with honours. Chioma later went on to complete a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, specializing in children, youth and families. She graduated, receiving a distinction for her commitment to interprofessional education.

Before law school, Chioma worked in various capacities within the social services sector, bringing a diverse array of experiences. Chioma has worked within the child welfare system, including group homes and fostering, and she also has experience with youth mental health, youth incarceration and the education system.

While at Osgoode Hall Law School, Chioma has been an active member of her law school community. In her first year, she was the 1L representative for the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and was a part of the admissions committee. In her 2L year, she took on the position of BLSA’s Vice-President and student ambassador for Osgoode. She was also the Program Coordinator for the Raise the Black Bar initiative, where she was actively involved in developing programs to engage Black youth to explore the legal field and foster positive change within educational systems. In her final year, Chioma was the President of BLSA, the lead student ambassador and student recruitment coordinator for Osgoode Hall Law School, and was a part of the BLSA Canada Conference committee. Chioma won the Dean’s Gold Key award, which is given to students who have significantly influenced Osgoode through their leadership, initiative, and commitment to improving the school and its community.

Alex Burrell

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Alex Burrell is an associate in the Real Estate Group at Cassels and a member of the firm’s commercial leasing team. Alex offers extensive experience interpreting, drafting, and negotiating commercial leases for all property types, including retail, office, industrial and mixed-use properties, with leased premises ranging in size from 1,500 square feet to 300,000 square feet.

Alex offers unique insight gained from experience working as a Property and Leasing Manager for a commercial property management company responsible for multiple retail, medical, and office properties.

Alex’s practice also includes a broad range of construction law matters, including the negotiation of construction contracts and the drafting of supplementary conditions for such contracts and between owners, contractors, architects, engineers, and consultants.

Prior to joining Cassels, Alex served as an associate in the Real Estate Group at another national firm.

Jacob Cawker

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Jacob Cawker (he/him/his) is a partner in the Capital Markets Group at Cassels. Jacob’s practice focuses on securities and corporate law with an emphasis on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and special situations (encompassing contested shareholder meetings and transactions).

Jacob has acted for both public and private issuers as well as underwriters in a variety of public and exempt market offerings (equity and debt), and strategic investments. He has represented both purchasers and targets in public and private acquisitions. He has also acted for both issuers and activist investors in contested shareholder meetings and transactions, and on complex matters relating to corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and related-party transactions. Jacob regularly advises reporting issuers in a variety of industries in connection with their continuous disclosure obligations, stock exchange regulatory requirements and matters of general corporate law.

Jacob has volunteered as a high school coach for the provincial OBA/OJEN Competitive Mock Trial in partnership with the Ontario Bar Association and the Ontario Justice Education Network.

Talia Rotman

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Talia Rotman is a partner in the Real Estate & Development Group at Cassels. Her practice encompasses all aspects of commercial real estate, including the acquisition, disposition, financing, leasing, and development of land. Talia represents clients in all aspects of real property purchases, sales, and financing transactions, with a specialization in transactions relating to development projects.

She regularly advises institutional and private lenders on real estate financing matters and has experience negotiating and preparing commercial leases across a variety of asset classes. Talia also provides strategic and practical legal advice to municipalities and public authorities on matters involving land use, infrastructure development, and expropriation.

Talia earned her JD from Osgoode Hall Law School, where she was actively involved in the legal community. She worked intensively on the Innocence Project, served as Director of Mentorship and Internal Networking for the Osgoode Women’s Network, and was a Dean’s Fellow for Contract Law. She was awarded the Jack Friedman, Q.C. Book Prize in Commercial Real Estate for academic excellence in the field.

Prior to joining Cassels, Talia practiced in the Real Estate Group at a full-service business law firm on Bay Street in Toronto.