Carol Lyons Partner Toronto Tel : 416.307.4106 Fax : 416.865.7048 Email : carol.lyons@mcmillan.ca VCard :

Professional Activities

• Partner since 1994
• Member of the firm's Corporate & Insurance Practice Group and Health Care Group

Carol Lyons practices in the corporate/commercial law area with an emphasis on transactional work.  She advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, contract procurement, including requests for proposals (RFPs), and formation of strategic alliances (including divestment/outsourcing of business functions).   

Carol specializes in working with clients in the insurance, health care and other regulated industries.  In addition to advising these organizations on corporate/commercial matters, Carol's practice includes assisting insurers with the regulatory approval process in the context of transactions and other corporate changes as well as advising on regulatory compliance generally.  She also advises on pension law matters. 

Carol was seconded to IBM Canada Ltd. in 1993-1994 as legal advisor to IBM Business Development. 

Carol Lyons acted as corporate secretary for two property and casualty insurance companies from 1989 to 1994 and is currently lead director and an audit committee member of a leading Canadian reinsurance company as well as an advisory board member and audit committee member of an Ontario insurance reciprocal.

Special Recognition

• Practical Law Company's PLC Cross-border Insurance and Reinsurance Handbook 2010 as a recommended practitioner in Insurance (non-contentious)

Memberships

• Canadian Bar Association
• Ontario Bar Association

Directorships & Business Interests

• Lead Director, SCOR Canada Reinsurance Company
• Audit Committee member, SCOR Canada Reinsurance Company
• Director, Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario

Carol's transactional work includes:

• Routinely assisting corporations in a variety of industries/sectors with incorporation and licensing, acquisitions and divestitures, corporate reorganizations, jurisdictional changes as well as divestment/outsourcing of business functions
• Regularly advising with respect to commercial contractual matters, including procurement of goods and services, formation of joint ventures and strategic alliances

Carol's regulatory and corporate governance work includes:

• Routinely assisting domestic and foreign insurance companies in connection with incorporation and licensing of Canadian subsidiaries, qualification, licensing, run-off and closure of Canadian branch operations as well as portfolio transfers, reorganizations and amalgamations
• Advising insurers with respect to statutory compliance and required regulatory approvals in a variety of contexts, including transactional and operational matters 
• Assisting corporate counsel and boards of directors with the preparation and implementation of board and committee governance handbooks and related policies 
• Regularly advising health care (e.g. community care access centre corporations), government-funded organizations, with compliance and corporate governance matters

Carol also hosts and participates in a number of in-house seminars/programs and off-site client presentations.

December 2011 implementation of reinsurance security agreements: an update and new guidance from OSFI insurance bulletin

February 22, 2011 new collateralisation rules for unlicensed reinsurance International Law Office

Fall 2010 Upcoming Changes to the Regulation of Reinsurance Corporate Insurance Brief Fall 2010

Spring 2009 OSFI Seeks Input on Proposed Changes to its Regulation of Reinsurance Lang Michener Corporate Insurance Brief