Overview
Kyla Mahar is a Partner at Miller Thomson LLP and her practice focuses on corporate restructuring, insolvency, recapitalizations, refinancing, distressed acquisitions and enforcement of creditors’ rights. Kyla is recognized by The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory for her practice in Insolvency & Financial Restructuring. Kyla’s roles include acting as counsel for the debtors, monitors, receivers, trustees, DIP lenders, bondholders, financial institutions and other creditors. Her experiences spans a wide range of industries including banking and financial services, technology, energy, steel, mining, maritime, automotive, media and publishing.
Kyla is a creative thinker. She has developed a particular expertise in leading companies through reorganizations under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and also in leading creditor driven restructuring proceedings. She is also experienced in assisting companies restructure and recapitalize under the Canada Business Corporations Act.
Kyla is on the Board of the ACG Toronto Chapter and IWIRC Ontario Network.
Professional achievements & leadership
- The Best Lawyers in Canada – Insolvency and Financial Restructuring Law, 2022-2024
- Chambers Canada, Restructuring/Insolvency, 2022-2024
- Chambers Global ranked lawyer, Restructuring/Insolvency, 2023-2024
- The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory - Insolvency & Financial Restructuring, 2018 - 2024
- Chair of the Ontario Newtwork of the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC)
- Corporate Governance Director and Secretary of the Toronto Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG)
- Recipient, J.W. Whiteside Award for outstanding commitment and service to the Faculty of Law, Legal Profession and Community, 1998
Notable matters
- Representing the court appointed monitor in CCAA Proceedings in the multi-jurisdictional restructuring involving MBAC Inc.
- Representing the debtor in the BIA proposal proceedings of Coupgon Inc.
- Representing the appointing creditor in the creditor initiated CCAA proceedings involving 1721027 Ontario Inc. operating as Becker Co-Generation Plant
- Representing the appointing creditor in the receivership proceedings of Great Lakes Specialty Meats of Canada Inc.
- Representing the appointing creditor in the receivership proceedings of Quality Meat Packers Inc. and Toronto Abbitoirs Limited
- Litigation counsel for the debtors in the CCAA proceedings involving Hush Homes Inc.
- Representing the debtors in the CCAA proceeding involving Ghana Gold Corp.
- Representing the court-appointed Monitor in the CCAA proceeding involving Vanguard Shipping (Great Lakes) Ltd.and Vanship Ltd.
- Representing the debtors in the recognition under the CCAA of foreign main proceedings involving Hartford Computer Hardware, Inc. et al under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code
- Representing the court-appointed Receiver in a complex mareva and receivership proceedings involving in excess of 20 defendants
Thought leadership
- Co-author, “Focus on Canada”, Digitorney’s Crisis Navigator, April 8, 2020
- Speaker, “Winning Injunctions”, Advocates Society’s Program, December 2015
- Speaker “Commercial Priorities for Real Estate and Business Lawyers”, Law Society of Upper Canada’s Program, February 2015
- Speaker “Hot Topics, Important Cases and Emerging Trends in Insolvency and Bankruptcy Law”, the Ontario Bar Association’s Institute 2015 Insolvency Program, February 2015
Professional memberships
- Chair, Ontario Network of the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation
- Secretary and Director Corporate Governance, Association of Corporate Growth Toronto Chapter
- Member, Insolvency Institute of Canada
- Member, Turnaround Management Association (Toronto Chapter)
- Member, INSOL International
- Member, American Bankruptcy Institute
- Member, Insolvency Section, Ontario Bar Association
- Member, Canadian Bar Association
- Member, Toronto Lawyers Association
- Law Society of Ontario
Bar admissions & education
- Ontario, 2001
- LL.B., University of Windsor Law School, 1999
- B.Sc. (Hons.), McMaster University, 1995
