The Cicotte Law Firm, PLLC serves clients throughout the U.S., representing employers in all ERISA and employee benefit matters including health reform, ESOP transactions, fiduciary responsibility, tax compliance, and labor relations. The Firm regularly helps employers resolve ERISA disputes and related employment matters. Firm clients include small businesses, multi-billion dollar international enterprises and state and federal governmental entities.

The firm was founded by George F. Cicotte, a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel. The United States Department of Labor has appointed Mr. Cicotte to serve as a plan fiduciary, replacing individuals who breached their responsibilities and who, as a consequence, were barred from continuing in fiduciary roles. Other attorneys and judges rate Mr. Cicotte as having achieved the highest standards of legal ability and ethical conduct, resulting in the distinguished AV® rating by Martindale-Hubbell and a “10.0, Superb” rating by Avvo.com.

Mr. Cicotte frequently speaks at events sponsored by the Institute for Applied Management and Law, the National Center for Employee Ownership, and other HR related groups. He has also provided in-house employment and benefits training at Fortune 500 companies, national laboratories, universities and for federal governmental organizations. He is acknowledged as a co-author of the employee benefits chapter of The Contingent Workforce, published by Law Journal Press in 2000.

Prior to founding the firm in 2002, Mr. Cicotte practiced with Covington & Burling, consistently ranked among the nation’s most selective law firms.

Christine Zinter has recently joined The Cicotte Law Firm after a 20-year career in Health & Welfare Consulting inspired to her go back to law school to, as she says, “up her game.” Graduating in 2015 with a Certificate in Health Law from St. Louis University’s nationally-recognized Health Law Program, her legal experience includes several years’ as a compliance attorney for a St. Louis-based Fortune 100 pharmacy benefit management firm that specializes in Medicaid and Exchange products. Wanting to return to her roots in the Pacific Northwest (she is a Portland native), she moved to Kennewick and joined The Cicotte Law Firm in November 2019. Ms. Zinter brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience with employee benefit plan rules and regulations including ERISA, the ACA, state insurance laws and mandates, and the multiple other Federal and state regulations that employee benefit plans are subject to. In addition to her JD she holds a CEBS designation from the International Foundation, is a member of SHRM, the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), and the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA). In her spare time, Christine enjoys game nights, travel, and snuggling with her two German Shepherds and way too many cats.

COST: $25 Members | $35 Guests

This program has been submitted to the HR Certification Institute for review.

Columbia Basin SHRM is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®. This program is pending approval for 1 PDC(s) for the SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®. For more information about certification or recertification, please visit www.shrmcertification.org.

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