Legal Counsel

About the Role:

We are looking for an in-house Legal Counsel to join our insurance entity at our Toronto office and provide holistic legal support to our North America (NA) business. This position reports to the Head Corporate Solutions Legal NA and serves as a legal advisor for CorSo's NA regional Legal team. This role has a flexible, hybrid work structure, which will require regular in-office work.

This Vice President, Legal Counsel role will support CorSo's various lines of business in NA, advise on a variety of legal and regulatory issues, lead certain transactions or initiatives with the assistance of other team members, and primarily assist with requirements related to CorSo's Canadian insurance business.  Key tasks and activities of the Legal Counsel include providing high-quality, Canada-specific legal advice to a large commercial insurance business on a variety of insurance and non-insurance related matters, including providing the following services:

Business partnering/business legal support:

• Advise on a variety of legal and regulatory issues with emphasis on insurance and (re)insurance regulations, corporate governance and commercial matters, including providing high-quality legal research, legal risk identification and mitigation, analysis, documentation, negotiation, preparation and review to various lines of business, internal stakeholders and control/support functions (Finance, Operations, Underwriting, Claims, Tax, Sales, Compliance, Internal Audit, Contracts and Wordings, other Legal teams across the globe, etc.)
• Understand how CorSo and the Swiss Re Group's appetite, risk culture and company standards should be considered in day-to-day activities and decisions
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders and external parties (regulators, potential deal partners, distribution partners, service providers)
• Share knowledge to promote consistency and increase the agility of the CorSo Legal team
• Provide pragmatic legal advice designed to enable and support regional business growth in compliance with applicable federal and provincial/territorial insurance laws and regulations and other laws applicable to CorSo Canada's insurance operations while clearly articulating legal risks and opportunities
• Advise on relevant regulatory issues and work closely with other internal experts in the management of regulatory relationships, identification of developing legal/regulatory trends and their impact on insurance operations and provision of recommended courses of action
• Use of digital research and collaboration tools (Office 365, Swiss Re proprietary applications) to quickly identify and analyze issues and communicate advice and written guidance
• Support corporate acquisitions or joint ventures by participating in or coordinating due diligence and integration activities in conjunction with the firm's M&A experts and deal team
• Assist with wording of policies and underwriting agreements, including creation and maintenance of insurance policies and templates suitable for (re)insurance transaction in the region
• Collaborate with corporate client and manage retained external legal advisors specialized in (re)insurance regulation and commercial insurance
• Provide legal support and guidance to Claims, Underwriting and Operations concerning insurance policies with respect to business, federal and provincial/territorial requirements
• Participate in cross-functional teams requiring legal representation such as the manufacturing and review of new products and services, incident management or other matters
• Review marketing and communications materials
• Perform other duties as assigned

Corporate, governance and legal entity support:

• Prepare and present regional legal reports, including reports for legal entity Boards of Directors and other committees
• Advise on legal entity management and corporate governance related issues and work closely with other regional legal members who provide legal entity support
• Participate in registration process for CorSo entities throughout the region
• Provide reports to audit and risk functions, including external auditors and others
• Apply legal practices and controls that comply with Swiss Re Group guidelines, local corporate governance practice, statutory requirements and applicable regulatory agencies for CorSo regional entities

Regional CorSo legal team responsibility:

• Legal advisor within a regional team of CorSo Legal professionals
• Participate in inter-disciplinary projects and processes with key control/support functions
• Serve as lead counsel for selected projects or initiatives with the assistance of other experts

 Coordination and collaboration with other stakeholders:

• Partner and collaborate with various regional and cross-functional stakeholders within the company to ensure holistic assessment and mitigation of risks
• Coordinate with lawyers and compliance officers assigned to other teams within Swiss Re's Legal & Compliance Division on significant matters affecting the Group's reputation, regulatory relationships or operations
• Support Dispute Resolution & Litigation experts in the handling of complex disputes and regulatory matters

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 About the Team:

In this position, you will be a part of the Corporate Solutions (CorSo) North America (NA) regional team, which consists of nine lawyers, primarily located in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. We provide business enabling, corporate governance, insurance regulatory and legal entity advice across the region. CorSo NA insurance carriers write (re)insurance in Property & Casualty, Accident & Health, and Credit & Surety lines of business. CorSo specializes in creating risk transfer solutions in the form of traditional insurance policies and large bespoke structured transactions.

About You:

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• Licensed to practice law and in good standing in at least the province of Ontario
• Minimum of 5 years of broad-based (re)insurance and financial legal services experience gained from a law firm, a major financial institution or a (re)insurance company, or a financial services regulator
• Ability to identify, research and analyze difficult issues in ambiguous circumstances and to clearly and concisely summarize complex issues for senior leaders are key requirements
• Experience in advising on insurance laws and regulations, insurance policy wording, market conduct, insurance distribution and operations
• Exposure to direct and excess domestic and international insurance, including understanding of distribution networks, broker and MGA relationships, is a plus
• Structuring of insurance transactions and placements is a plus
• Proven ability to meet competing deadlines and work in a demanding, fast-paced environment
• Ability to understand key business drivers, tailor solutions to minimize legal risks, and execute effectively in a matrix environment, working with diverse teams and individuals
• Strong ability to build strong working relationships with client groups, key stakeholders, senior management and colleagues
• Superior writer and editor of written documents, including insurance policies
• High personal integrity, with ability to apply highest ethical standards and maintain independence as a lawyer
• Strong presentation and technical skills
• Ability to travel, with travel unlikely to exceed 10%
• French fluency a plus but not required

About Swiss Re Corporate Solutions 

Swiss Re is one of the world’s leading providers of reinsurance, insurance and other forms of insurance-based risk transfer. We anticipate and manage risks, from natural catastrophes and climate change to cybercrime.