The expanding Haynes and Boone, LLP Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice is proud to welcome a pair of well-known lawyers, Christopher Beinecke and Susan Epley, as counsel in Dallas and Houston, respectively.

Beinecke and Epley together bring more than 30 years of experience in advising clients on a wide range of issues from health plan design and support to legal and regulatory compliance matters. Their arrival brings the practice to 14 Texas-based lawyers, making it one of the largest of its kind in the state.

“Our Employee Benefits Practice is an established center of excellence within the firm,” says Haynes and Boone Managing Partner Tim Powers. “The addition of established and respected lawyers like Chris and Susan will enhance the scope of services provided to clients as well as our reputation throughout the U.S. The firm is proud to welcome them aboard.”

Beinecke focuses his practice on health and welfare plans, taxation, healthcare reform and regulatory compliance. Before joining Haynes and Boone, he was a compliance consultant with an international human resources and benefits consulting firm for more than 10 years, developing, managing and leading audits, business and consulting engagements for Fortune 1000 clients throughout the country.

“Chris has cultivated a reputation for being adept at identifying and mitigating risks,” says Susan Wetzel, chair of the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group. “With a varied background that includes litigation and all aspects of benefits administration reviews and audits, Chris will definitely be in demand with a wide range of our clients. It is going to be wonderful to have him join us.”

Epley is an attorney and certified public accountant and has spent years working in tax and benefits matters for Deloitte Tax LLP and other firms. Her history of advising clients on various aspects of ERISA and Internal Revenue Code requirements, including the design, drafting, compliance and administration of defined contribution and other plans will be invaluable at Haynes and Boone, says Houston-based benefits Partner Jesse Gelsomini.

“Quite simply, Susan is a great fit with our practice in every way,” Gelsomini says. “When it comes to addressing tax and other legal implications that employers face when implementing their benefits policies, Susan is very experienced and well qualified. Also her experience advising on the employer mandate portions of the Affordable Care Act will undoubtedly grow in importance as implementation continues over the coming years.”

The Haynes and Boone Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice lawyers advise leading companies nationwide and globally in all areas of employee benefits and executive compensation. They strive to know how clients think about benefits and compensation in the greater context of their businesses, and are often recognized as their “in-house outside counsel” in these matters. Several members of the practice have worked in corporate environments, and all group lawyers routinely provide the day-to-day advice and guidance for clients to properly construct and administer their employee plans, as well as to take full advantage of the operational, financial and tax benefits that the laws allow.

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