Krisanne S. Cunningham

Krisanne S. Cunningham is a Director at Fennemore in our Business & Finance Practice Group, where she advises clients on mergers and acquisitions and complex business and transactional matters.

With more than 25 years of experience, Krisanne advises companies, boards, and entrepreneurs on mergers and acquisitions, corporate and business law, LLCs and joint ventures, incentive equity arrangements, tax planning, and nonprofit organizations. She regularly negotiates and manages sophisticated mergers and acquisitions, including transactions valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. She has deep experience with Nevada LLCs and joint ventures and frequently advises boards of directors and management teams on corporate governance, fiduciary duties, and strategic decision-making. Her practice also includes advising entrepreneurs and start-up companies from early-stage capital raises and equity compensation planning through growth, restructuring, and eventual sale or exit.

Krisanne currently serves as Chair of the Tax Section of the State Bar of Nevada and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Nevada, reflecting her active leadership within Nevada’s legal community.

Krisanne earned her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she received the Madeleine and Roger Traynor Award and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Virginia Tax Review. She also earned an LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center, graduating With Distinction and serving as a Graduate Tax Scholar. She began her legal career in Washington, DC, where she represented Fortune 500 companies and major nonprofit organizations in complex corporate and tax matters.

Krisanne is consistently recognized for her work in corporate and transactional law. She is ranked in Chambers USA (Corporate/Commercial), holds an AV Preeminent Peer Review rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She has been named one of the Top 50 Women by Mountain States Super Lawyers and has received the “Lawyer of the Year” award in Mergers & Acquisitions in Las Vegas from Best Lawyers of America, with additional recognition in Corporate Law and Business Organizations. She has also been named to Nevada’s Top Rank by Nevada Business Magazine since 2013, based on peer voting.

She is licensed to practice law in Nevada, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Georgia.

• J.D., University of Virginia School of Law
• LL.M, Taxation, Georgetown Law Center, with Distinction
• B.B.A., University of Notre Dame, summa cum laude

• Martindale-Hubbell,® AV Preeminent Peer Rating (5.0 out of 5.0)
• Chambers USA,® Corporate/Commercial Law, 2021-2025
• Mountain States Super Lawyers,® Top 50 Women, 2024-2025
• Mountain States Super Lawyers,® Top 100 Attorneys, 2024-2025
• Mountain States Super Lawyers,® Mergers and Acquisitions, 2019-2025
• Best Lawyers of America® “Lawyer of Year” Award, Mergers & Acquisitions, 2026
• Best Lawyers of America,® Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions and Business Organizations, 2020-2026
• Nevada Top Rank (formerly Nevada Legal Elite), Nevada Business Magazine, 2013-Present, Top Vote-getter in Southern Nevada, 2016
• Avvo 10.0 Rating (out of 10.0)

• Co-Author, “Maximizing Tax Efficiency: The Power of F Reorganizations in M&A Deals,” Nevada Lawyer, December 2025
• Co-Author, “Paving the Way for a Successful M&A Deal,” Nevada Business Magazine, October 2025
• Author, “Mergers & Acquisitions as a Niche Area of Law,” Nevada Lawyer, July 2025
• Author, “Working Capital Adjustments in M&A Transactions,” Nevada Business Magazine, October 2024
• Author, “M&A Transactions: Sandbagging Provisions Explained,” Nevada Business Magazine, October 2023
• Author, “This Is More Complicated Than I Thought: Breaking Down the M&A Process,” Nevada Business Magazine, October 2022
• Author, “M & A Deals: Tax Considerations of Equity vs. Asset Sales,” Nevada Business Magazine, October 2021
• Author, “A Summary of Common Tax – Favorable Types of Incentive Equity: Corporations and Partnerships/LLCs,” Nevada Lawyer, December 2021
• Author, “Letters of Intent: The Foundation/Cornerstone of a Deal,” Nevada Business Magazine, October 2019
• Author, “Tax Considerations with Multi-Member LLCs,” Nevada Lawyer, April 2016
• Author, “Tax-Exempt Organizations and Joint Ventures,” Nevada Lawyer, April 2016
• Co-Speaker, “Nevada LLCs,” National Business Institute, Las Vegas, NV
• Co-Speaker, “Tax Planning and Section 1031 Exchanges,” Nevada Society of CPAs

• Fellow, American Bar Foundation
• Chair of Tax Section, State of Nevada Bar
• Executive Committee, Business Law Section, State of Nevada Bar
• Member, USO Intermountain Advisory Board
• Member, President’s Club, Metro Chamber of Commerce
• Member, Executive Women’s Council, Metro Chamber of Commerce
• Member, Hope Means Nevada Board of Directors
• American Bar Association, Business Law Section, M&A Subcommittee

• Nevada
• Virginia
• District of Columbia