Attorneys
Kevin M. Lyons
After graduating from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1962, Kevin became associated with a Wall Street-area law firm where his primary work was in the area of banking law.
In 1966, Kevin moved to southeast Florida and was associated with a Fort Lauderdale law firm for two years, where he represented a savings and loan association. Shortly after leaving this firm, Kevin started his own law firm with four other attorneys. For about 25 years, Kevin handled all real estate matters at the firm.
One of the primary clients of the firm was the School Board of Broward County, Florida. For about ten years, Kevin provided legal services to the School Board as it acquired and built fifteen schools each year. Thereafter, Kevin opened an office for solo practice of law with his emphases in the same areas. In February 2003, Kevin had the privilege of opening the new firm of Lyons & Lyons, P.A., with his son Richard.
Practice areas:
- Commercial and residential real estate
- Business law
- Estate planning & probate
Admitted:
- New York
- Florida
Education:
- J.D., University of Notre Dame College of Law, 1962
- Director of the Notre Dame Law School Moot Court program
- B.A., Iona College, 1959
Memberships:
- New York State Bar, 1962
- Florida Bar, 1965
Richard D. Lyons
Richard moved to southwest Florida in January 1998. During that time, he practiced with the law firms of Cummings & Lockwood and Bond, Schoeneck & King, with a primary emphasis in real estate. In February 2003, Richard was able to realize a dream when he and his father, Kevin M. Lyons, opened the doors to their new firm, Lyons & Lyons, P.A., with offices on both the east and west coasts of Florida.
Prior to starting Lyons & Lyons, Richard served as general counsel to George M. Steinbrenner, III. Besides being the principal owner of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees, Mr. Steinbrenner has significant business interests in many areas including shipping, hospitality industry, horse racing, and entertainment. Richard’s two years of employment with Mr. Steinbrenner was in essence a ‘clerkship’ in business law. From this valuable experience, Richard has developed a strong understanding of how attorneys can best serve their business clients.
At the University of Florida, Richard was the editor-in-chief of the Florida Journal of International Law. The Journal places a significant emphasis on commerce and transactions and the issues arising under the framework of international laws and treaties. Richard’s article on the issues surrounding the conflicts between the European Union Charter, World Trade Organization and the separate treaties between some European countries and their former colonies due to significant market for bananas in the European Union was chosen for publication. This article, entitled “The European Union Banana Controversy,” was published in The Florida Journal of Law in 1995.
Richard holds a BV® Distinguished Attorney Rating from Martindale-Hubbel, an indication that he has been recognized by his peers to be highly rated in both legal ability and ethical practice.
Practice areas:
- Commercial and residential real estate
- Corporate law
- Estate planning and probate
Admitted: Florida
Education:
- J.D., University of Florida College of Law, with honors, 1995
- M.B.A., University of Florida Warrington School of Business, 1995
- B.A., Florida State University, cum laude, 1991
Membership: Florida Bar
Monica V. Lyons
Monica focuses her practice on preparing wills, revocable trusts and irrevocable life insurance and dynasty trusts. As part of the estate planning process she reviews the title to her clients’ assets to ensure their estate plans will function properly and to determine if assets should be re-titled or transferred to maximize tax and creditor protection. She regularly helps clients change their domicile to Florida, and reviews and if necessary, revise their existing documents to make them more compatible with Florida law. Often this involves simple but vital changes to existing “out of state” estate plans. Monica has extensive experience working with high-net worth families and creating or integrating their business succession documents, such as partnership and shareholder agreements, with their estate plans. She realizes the importance of insulating family wealth from exposure to predatory claimants. The other primary focus of her practice is to represent business owners by forming limited liability companies, partnerships and corporations and preparing ownership agreements such as partnership and operating agreements.
When preparing estate tax returns and administering trusts and estates, Monica incorporates post-mortem tax strategies and elections to fully implement the estate plan or to salvage wealth when a proper plan was not in place. Monica is board certified by the Florida Bar in Wills, Trusts and Estates.
Monica served as in-house counsel at Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics, Inc. and has formed and represented a number of exempt organizations, including private foundations and public charities. She has served on the boards of various charitable organizations, including Agape Village and the Shepherd’s Center and is the former chairman of the Easter Seals Advisory Council for Altrusa House.
Monica frequently lectures in the area of estate planning, asset protection, and exempt organizations. She currently lives in Naples, Florida.
Practice areas:
- Estate planning
- Asset protection
- Corporate and partnership taxation
- Charitable tax planning
- Probate and trust administration
Education:
- LL.M. in taxation, University of Florida, 1996
- J.D., with honors, University of Florida, 1995
- B.S. in Accounting, University of Central Florida, magna cum laude, 1992
Awards: University of Florida Book Award in Fiduciary Administration, Children’s Law, and Alternate Dispute Resolution, 1995
