New Practice Leader Announced As Long-time Fennemore Craig ERISA Attorney Prepares for Her Next Chapter

PHOENIX - Aug. 27, 2019 - PRLog -- Fennemore Craig, a leading law firm in the Mountain West, announced that Ryan Curtis, a partner in the firm's Phoenix office, has taken on a new leadership role as the ERISA and Employee Benefits Practice Group chair in anticipation of Cynthia Shupe's retirement after a distinguished 40 year career with the firm.

"Throughout his tenure at Fennemore Craig, Ryan has shown outstanding commitment to his clients, his team and the firm in general," said Shupe. "Ryan's deep knowledge of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and related matters will make him an excellent leader of the ERISA and Employee Benefit Practice Group. He will thrive in this well-deserved new role. I am confident that the time is right for my own transition knowing that someone as talented as Ryan will be leading this practice."

As the new chair of the practice group, Curtis will continue to be responsible for helping employers and plan fiduciaries design and maintain plans in compliance with important federal laws including ERISA, the Affordable Care Act, the Public Health Services Act, and HIPAA. He regularly defends employers faced with IRS audits and Department of Labor investigations, as well as assisting them with managing compliance failures and obtaining approvals of compliance corrections from the IRS.

Shupe will be transitioning out of legal practice to formally retire in the fall of 2019. A long-time leader in her are of practice, Shupe is a member of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, and has been named among the Best Lawyers in America® ten years running.  Shupe's next chapter will open by relocating to retire at her home on Martha's Vineyard.

"Cindy's career is the Fennemore Craig values in action: Advocate, Advance, Achieve," said James Goodnow, president and managing partner of Fennemore Craig. "She's been an advocate to clients and those she's mentored, a long-time leader advancing the legal profession, and always committed to achieving for her clients so they can thrive. We're forever grateful for all the possibilities she's created over 40 years with Fennemore Craig, and wish Cindy all the very best as she starts a new chapter."

Reflecting on her time with Fennemore Craig, Shupe noted, "This has always been a forward-thinking firm with leadership equally committed to excellence in service to our clients and to the development of the extraordinary people who are the fabric of this very special place. It's a naturally bitter-sweet moment when you're intensely proud of what you've been a part of and excited for where the firm is poised to go next."

For more than 40 years, Fennemore Craig's ERISA and Employee Benefits Practice Group has advised clients on all aspects of employee benefits, from issues arising under ERISA and the ACA to the complex implications relating various benefits found in the Internal Revenue Code. The practice group, which continues to include David Heap, Gail Goodman, Kristi Lundstrom Hill and Morgan Matthews, is always ready to go above and beyond to generate maximum value for the firm's clients.

About Fennemore Craig:

Since 1885, Fennemore Craig, a NLJ 250 firm, has served businesses, Mountain West communities and people through their breadth and depth of legal services and commitment to quality legal work. Over the course of a century, Fennemore Craig has worked with clients on issues ranging from water rights in the West, business formation, mining, gaming and cross-border trade. Today, Fennemore Craig serves businesses of all sizes from their presence in Arizona, Colorado and Nevada. Learn more about the legal services offered at FennemoreCraig.com.