Cynthia Lee Rejoins Faegre Drinker’s Benefits & Executive Compensation Practice as Counsel in Minneapolis

Faegre Drinker announced today that Cynthia Lee has rejoined the firm’s benefits and executive compensation group as counsel in the Minneapolis office. Lee rejoins from a multinational conglomerate, where she served as senior counsel of benefits.

Lee joins on the heels of several other additions in the Minneapolis office in recent months, including finance and restructuring counsel Wagma Gharwal and corporate counsel Berglind Birkland.

Lee counsels companies on employee benefits, including the design, implementation and administration of welfare benefit and retirement plans. She provides advice to a wide variety of clients, from Fortune 500 companies to universities to Native American tribes. She also guides clients on the legislative and regulatory changes in benefit laws that will affect their plans and plan participants.

“We’re ecstatic to welcome Cynthia back to the firm,” said Summer Conley, benefits and executive compensation group leader. “Cynthia brings years of valuable in-house experience and a deep understanding of the complexities that can arise out of plan design and implementation. Her collaborative approach and ample knowledge of health and welfare and retirement plan matters will be beneficial to our clients.”

For covered entities, Lee advises on HIPAA privacy and security rules. She counsels on compliance with ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code and related federal and state laws and regulations. For tax-exempt, church and tribal employers, she counsels on the special rules applicable to the plans they sponsor.

In her prior role as senior counsel of benefits at a multinational conglomerate, Lee partnered closely with the company’s benefits and compensation team, advised settlor and fiduciary committees on plan governance matters, and provided counsel on defined benefit pension plans, executive compensation and benefit and tax implications of employment matters.

Lee earned her Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and her Juris Doctor from Columbia University School of Law.