Cynthia J. Billings-Dunn

Cynthia J. Billings-Dunn is a partner at AsherKelly in Southfield, Michigan, with more than 30 years of experience in employee benefits law. She counsels municipal retirement and health systems, multiemployer fringe benefit funds, associations, and businesses. Her work includes retirement plan administration, compliance issues, and dealings with federal regulators. Cynthia assists boards and plan administrators in understanding their legal responsibilities while addressing disputes and decisions affecting employee benefit arrangements.

Cynthia earned a Bachelor of Arts from Walsh College in 1991 and a J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 1995. She also completed the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist Program offered jointly by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She holds Qualified 401k Administrator and Qualified Pension Administrator designations from the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries. Her academic and professional training supports her work in retirement plans and employee benefits law.

Cynthia obtains Internal Revenue Service determination letters for retirement systems and negotiates settlements with the IRS and Department of Labor during plan audits. She also advises clients on contract interpretation, participates in public meetings, and assists with compliance under state and federal benefits requirements. Her work frequently brings together legal interpretation, benefit-plan operations, and the governance responsibilities of public or multiemployer retirement and health benefit organizations.

Cynthia J. Billings-Dunn is admitted to practice in Michigan, Ohio, and New York, as well as before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. She belongs to professional organizations focused on public pensions and employee benefits, including the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys. Her experience helps benefit systems and their trustees address audits, administrative questions, and legal obligations affecting participants. She provides focused guidance in an area where regulatory details can have lasting financial consequences.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, AsherKelly
• Member, State Bar of Michigan
• Member, Ohio State Bar Association
• Member, New York State Bar Association
• Member, Toledo Bar Association
• Member, National Association of Public Pension Attorneys
• Member, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
• Member, American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries
• Member, Michigan Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems

Licensed State

• Michigan
• Ohio
• New York

Education

• University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Walsh College
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges