Cassels

Canadian Corporate Law Firm

University of Victoria

Harjan Padda

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Harjan Padda (he/him) is an associate in the Capital Markets group at Cassels and previously summered with the firm. He received his JD from the University of Victoria. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University with concentrations in Finance and Operations. Before attending law school, Harjan has worked in various roles prior to coming to law school including accounting, operations, financial analysis, writing, and corporate partnerships.

At the University of Victoria, Harjan was the President of the Sports and Entertainment Law Students Association and was the captain of the law school’s softball team. Harjan also placed in the top 4 schools for the New York Law School Soccer Dispute Competition.

Harjan likes to spend his time watching sports, playing sports, and travelling. He also enjoys reading up on sports through books and articles.

Jack Welsh

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Jack Welsh was a member of the 2025 summer student class at Cassels and will return as an Articling Student in 2026.

Taylor Bornhold

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Taylor Bornhold (she/her) is a member of the 2025–2026 Articling Student class at Cassels, having previously completed a summer term with the firm. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Victoria Faculty of Law, where she cofounded the UVic Law Running Club. In her final year, she studied abroad at the University of Sydney in Australia.

Before attending law school, Taylor completed an Honours Specialization in History at Western University, where she was President of the Western Outdoors Club. She has worked as a legal assistant to the Assistant Judge Advocate General (Europe) and brings a diverse range of experiences to her legal training. Prior to beginning her legal career, Taylor worked as a tree planter in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, where she later served as a wildland firefighter.

Sunil Joneja

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Sunil Joneja is a partner in the Banking & Specialty Finance Group at Cassels. Sunil represents and advises borrowers, banks, and other financial institutions on a wide variety of transactions with an emphasis on domestic and cross-border syndicated and bilateral debt financings (both secured and unsecured), including asset-based lending, project finance, real estate and construction finance, acquisition finance, automotive dealership finance, note offerings, distressed lending, and debt restructuring transactions. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Lexpert and Best Lawyers in Canada.

Sunil also offers experience in the area of derivatives including over the counter commodity, cross-currency, and interest rate hedging transactions.

Prior to joining Cassels, Sunil served as a partner in the Calgary office of a global firm.

Mark Davis

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Mark Davis* (he/him/his) is a partner in the Intellectual Property Group at Cassels. An accomplished intellectual property litigator, he is certified as a Specialist in Intellectual Property (Patents/Trademarks/Copyright) by the Law Society of Ontario. Mark offers significant experience in patent and trademark litigation, including in proceedings involving pharmaceutical and biologic products under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations, as well as in anti-counterfeiting, trade secret and breach of confidence, copyright and industrial design disputes. Mark has successfully argued numerous precedent-setting intellectual property cases at trial and on appeal.

Described as a “gifted appellate and trial lawyer” who “inspires confidence” and provides “smart and practical” advice, Mark is consistently recognized by clients and peers for both his trademark and patent litigation skills in publications such as Chambers, Lexpert, IAM Patent 1000, WTR Trademark 1000, IP Stars, Best Lawyers in Canada, and the Lexpert Guide to the Leading 500 Cross-Border Lawyers in Canada.

Mark is also a Registered Trademark Agent who designs brand strategies and manages trademark portfolios for some of the world’s largest companies.

Recent representative experience includes:

  • McCain Foods Limited v. J.R. Simplot Company, 2019 FC 1635, 2021 FC 890, 2021 FCA 4, 2021 CanLII 58911 (SCC) – representing McCain Foods in patent litigation relating to pulsed electric field technology
  • J.R. Simplot Company v. McCain Foods Limited, Court File No. T-569-17 – represented McCain Foods in an industrial design infringement action relating to the design of twisted potato products
  • The Clorox Company – representing Clorox in Canadian litigation and brand strategy
  • Bayer Inc. v. Fresenius Kabi Canada Ltd., 2016 FC 581 and 2016 FC 970 – obtained an order under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations preventing approval of generic equivalent to Bayer’s AVELOX I.V. product – this decision is significant because it is one of the rare times a prohibition order was granted on the basis that the notice of allegation was insufficient
  • Canadian Urban Transit Association v. Dovden Investments Ltd., Federal Court File No. T-1337-13 – successfully argued that the Canadian Urban Transit Association, an industry association, had standing to bring a patent impeachment proceeding in a representative capacity on behalf of its members against the defendant, Dovden, a non-practicing entity [patent troll] in this precedent-setting case
  • Denturist Group of Ontario v. Denturist Association of Canada, 2014 FC 989 – successful application to expunge certain trademark and copyright registrations that were being asserted by the Denturist Association of Canada and the Denturist Association of Ontario against members of a rival professional organization
  • Meyer Housewares Canada Inc. ats. Bodum USA, Inc., 2012 FC 1450; affirmed 2013 FCA 240 – successfully argued eight-day trademark infringement, passing off and depreciation of goodwill case – counterclaim successfully resulted in FRENCH PRESS trademark being declared invalid – marshalled overwhelming fact and expert evidence showing that French Press did not function as a trademark
  • Michael Kors, LLC v. Beyond the Rack Enterprises Inc., 2012 FC 1355; affirmed Beyond the Rack Enterprises Inc v. Kors, 2013 FCA 107 – trademark infringement, passing off, depreciation of goodwill, unfair competition and copyright action on behalf of Michael Kors against unauthorized Internet reseller – precedent setting Federal Court of Appeal case established that “…as a practical matter BTR may well be unable to defeat MK’s claims by simply asserting that it acquired the goods from an authorized distributor, without producing any supporting evidence…”
  • Timbercon, Inc. ats Oz Optics Limited, 2011 ONCA 714 – appeal from successful trial judgment (2010 ONSC 310) in defence of breach of confidence action – the Ontario Court of Appeal reversed the trial judge on the limited issue of negligent misrepresentation

A prolific writer and popular speaker, Mark has taken active leadership roles in many important professional associations for intellectual property law in Canada and the United States. Recent publications and presentations include:

Publications

  • “Costs,” Intellectual Property Disputes: Resolutions and Remedies, Toronto: Thomson Reuters Canada, 2022
  • “Canadian Law of Industrial Design,” Canadian Copyright/Industrial Designs Benchbook, Second Edition, Toronto: Thomson Reuters Canada, 2022
  • “Trademark Disputes,” Lexis Practice Advisor® Canada, Intellectual Property and Technology Module – practical online resource for lawyers includes precedents, checklists, practice notes and more
  • “Trade-mark Litigation,” Intellectual Property Litigation Forms and Precedents, Toronto: LexisNexis, 2016
  • “2015 Patent Law Year in Review,” 20th Annual Intellectual Property Law: The Year in Review, Law Society of Upper Canada, Toronto, January 21, 2016

Presentations

  • “Valuing and Invention – The Supreme Court of Canada Accounts for Profits, Nova v. Dow, 2022 SCC 43,” Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, December 6, 2022
  • “Patents and Trade Secrets – Identifying, Protecting and Enforcing Your Competitive Advantage”, Cassels IP Day, November 30, 2022
  • “Summary Judgment and Summary Trial in Patent Cases,” University of Toronto’s 9 Annual Patent Colloquium, November 20, 2020
  • “Financing Strategies for IP-Rich Companies,” Intellectual Property Institute of Canada webinar, November 26, 2020
  • “COVID-19 & IP Practice: Insurance and Employment Issues,” Intellectual Property Institute of Canada webinar, April 14, 2020
  • “Where the Shoe Pinches: The Search for Efficient Patent Trials,” Intellectual Property Institute of Canada webinar, February 15, 2019
  • “Confusion about Confusion: Unpacking the Wenger Decision,” Intellectual Property Institute of Canada webinar, January 22, 2018
  • “Anticipation,” Patent Case Law Review, Intellectual Property Institute of Canada webinar, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020

Prior to practicing law, Mark taught elementary school at The Children’s Storefront, a not-for-profit, tuition-free school in Harlem, New York.

*Services provided through a Professional Corporation

Mike R. Tallim

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Mike Tallim* is a partner in the Banking & Specialty Finance Group at Cassels. In his practice, Mike assists lenders and borrowers with domestic and cross-border commercial, mid-market and syndicated lending transactions, including real estate, project financing and energy sector financings.

Mike’s representative experience includes acting for:

  • Corus Entertainment Inc. on the financing arrangements for its $2.65 billion acquisition of Shaw Media Inc. and the redemption of its existing senior unsecured notes, including a $2.3 billion syndicated term loan and a $300 million revolving credit facility
  • National Bank of Canada, as administrative agent, and lenders in the $75 million project financing for the development, construction, ownership and operation of the 29.2 MW Bull Creek Wind Project in Alberta
  • Toronto-Dominion Bank, as administrator agent, in Morgan Stanley Energy Partners’ Investment in Specialized Desanders Inc.

Prior to joining Cassels, Mike articled and was an associate with a leading international firm. In addition, during law school, Mike served as an intern for two leading law firms in, respectively, Thailand and Myanmar. Here, his work focused primarily on project financings, intergovernmental lending, and incorporating foreign held entities within Myanmar, including one financial institution. Mike also served as an intern for the British Columbia Securities Commission in their Capital Markets Regulation Division.

*Services provided through a Professional Corporation