Chris is a shareholder in Ryley Carlock & Applewhite's Phoenix office and is a member in the Estate Planning, Tax, Business and Employee Benefits practices.  He helps businesses grow by developing and communicating strategic ideas and through implementing mergers, financing arrangements and asset protection techniques.  He also provides estate planning services focusing on practical strategies to achieve tax savings, succession planning, and resolving family issues.  He has a broad experience in all aspects of ERISA plans, including plan design, operational systems, executive compensation system development, and taxation issues relating to plans for both for profit and non-profit employers.  His unique experiences in the U.S. Navy allow him to provide context for legal issues arising in Admiralty and Maritime contexts along with others in the firm's transportation practice.  To view Chris' Navy CV, click here.

Speaker, RTA Hospice & Palliative Care (2003), "Legal and Ethical Issues"

Speaker, Phoenix Chapter of CEBS, Pension Basics Course (2005)

Speaker, Arizona Society of Human Resource Management, Employment Law and Legislative Conference (2006), "COBRA:  Antidote for the venom"

Speaker, Arizona Society of Human Resource Management, Employment Law and Legislative Conference (2007), "The Pension Protection Act of 2006:  Good things come in huge packages"

Speaker, Lorman Seminar, Fully Funded v. Self Funded Health Benefits:  Which Option Is Best for Your Organization (2008), "Legal Update"

Speaker, Arizona Society of Human Resource Management, Employment Law and Legislative Conference (2009), "Benefit Claim Denials:  A Conflict of Interest Minefield"

Employer Alert:  New Supreme Court Ruling Increases Litigation Risk for Employers Sponsoring Self-Funded Plans, July, 2008

Employer Alert:  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009:  COBRA becomes more expensive for Employers, March, 2009

Professional Note - "Use the Navy Reserve for Civil Support" Naval Institute Proceedings (January 2010)

Article - "Asset Protection Value of Tax Deferred Plans and Accounts" ACF Giving Counsel (May-June 2010)

Chapter - Inside the Minds: Family and Business Succession Planning, 2010 ed. Facing the new economy in 2010 with effective strategies for businesses and estate plans (Aspatore Books, a Thomson business, 2010)

State Bar of Arizona, Tax, Business, Probate & Trust, and Labor & Employment Sections

Western Pension and Benefits Conference

Central Arizona Estate Planning Council

United States Navy

Friends of the Orphans, Board of Directors (1999-2005)

Arizona Society of Human Resource Management

Surprise, AZ Sundancers Board of Directors