Education
Georgia State University, J.D. 2017
Cum Laude
— President, Moot Court Board
University of North Georgia, B.B.A., Finance 2014
Cum Laude
Bar Admissions
State
Georgia (2017)
Counsel
Email: cguthrie@islerdare.com
Prior to joining the firm in 2026, Chris worked in the employee benefits and executive compensation group of a large law firm and then as in-house employee benefits counsel. Most recently, Chris served as Senior Corporate Counsel – Employee Benefits at Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Chris routinely advises clients on a variety of administration, plan design, fiduciary, and operational issues for all types of employee benefit plans: defined contribution and defined benefit retirement plans, deferred compensation plans, health and welfare plans, wellness programs, cafeteria (Section 125) plans, flexible spending accounts, (FSAs), health reimbursement accounts (HRAs), health savings accounts (HSAs), Trump Accounts, and other fringe benefits and tax-advantaged programs. His strategic advice includes compliance with ERISA, HIPAA, the Internal Revenue Code, the Affordable Care Act, COBRA, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and 2026, SECURE 1.0 and SECURE 2.0, and other laws applicable to employee benefit plans.
Chris’s experience also includes investment and administrative fiduciary committee support, advice on plan governance structures, representation of clients in audits and inquiries by the IRS and DOL, governmental filing (e.g., Form 5500, RxDC reporting, gag clause reporting, ACA reporting (1094/1095)) support, correction of operational failures under the IRS’s self-correction program (SCP) and voluntary compliance program (VCP), assistance with benefit claims and appeals, beneficiary identification issues, ERISA litigation support, controlled group analysis, taxation analysis, and ERISA preemption analysis. He also has extensive experience with vendor contracts for employee benefit offerings, including HIPAA business associate agreements, PBM and TPA agreements, and point solution (e.g., carve-out fertility vendor, virtual primary care provider) agreements. Chris has drafted plan documents, summary plan descriptions, summaries of material modifications, and all manner of participant communications.
In law school, Chris served as the President of the Moot Court Board and received awards for excellence in client service in the Philip C. Cook Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic. He lives with his wife and son in Montpelier, Virgina.
Honors
Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch in America for work in practice area of Employee Benefits (ERISA), 2021