Vicente Sederberg Archives

John SchroyerNovember 15, 2022

Many sources of capital dried up this year.

Adam JacksonNovember 9, 2022

Five states had ballot measures to consider.

Adam JacksonSeptember 8, 2022

Florida's governor calls for charging significantly higher licensing fees for cannabis operators in the state.

StaffFebruary 22, 2021

On Monday, New Jersey’s Democratic Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation that legalizes adult-use marijuana possession and licenses retail marijuana sales.

“The enactment of these laws is long overdue,” said NORML State Policies Manager Carly Wolf — who emphasized that state and local police have made over 6,000 arrests for marijuana-related violations in the months since New Jersey voters overwhelmingly decided at the ballot box. “Now, going forward, tens of thousands of otherwise law-abiding New Jerseyans will no longer be subject to arrest and a criminal record for their personal use of marijuana, and the commercial market will be regulated in a fair and inclusive manner.”

NORMAL stated that three bills were signed by the Governor. A21/S21 licenses the commercial production and retail sale of cannabis to adults. Under the new law, adults may legally purchase and possess up to one ounce of cannabis. Retail sales are subject to state sales tax. Seventy percent of the revenue derived from sales taxes on retail marijuana purchases will be directed toward reinvestment in designated, lower-income communities. Sales are expected to begin this summer. The legislation also calls for the creation of a five-member Cannabis Regulatory Commission that will be tasked with issuing detailed regulations by June 2021 that will govern virtually every aspect of the adult-use cannabis industry.

The new law caps the number of state-licensed cultivators at 37 for the first two years. Existing state-licensed medical cannabis producers will be among those eligible to provide to the retail market. It has been estimated that adult-use retailers may be operational within six months. Applications for adult-use cannabis business licenses will begin to be accepted 30 days after the regulations are issued.

Murphy also signed A1897, which removes criminal and civil penalties for the private possession of up to six ounces of cannabis by those ages 21 and older, as well as for the possession of personal use amounts of hashish (up to 170 grams). It also depenalizes activities involving the transfer of up to one ounce of cannabis, and reduces criminal penalties for activities involving larger quantities (distribution of more than one ounce but less than five pounds) of the substance.

Gov. Murphy also signed a third piece of legislation into law, A5342. It provides for a series of written warnings, rather than the imposition of either criminal penalties or fines for those under the age of 21 who are caught with cannabis. The Governor lobbied for the measure, which was passed by lawmakers this morning. Under the measure, third-time juvenile offenders could receive community service. Provisions in the law also restrict police from conducting searches of juveniles based solely on the odor of marijuana.

“This is a major milestone on the path to ending cannabis prohibition in New Jersey,” said Jennifer Cabrera of Vicente Sederberg LLP, a national cannabis law firm that helps shape and implement cannabis laws and regulations across the U.S. Based in Union County, she co-manages the firm’s New Jersey and New York offices and works closely with state lawmakers and regulators on cannabis policy issues.

“The legislation was intended to promote small locally owned businesses and should foster a vibrant craft cannabis industry in the state,” Cabrera said. “It reserves licenses for microbusinesses and offers them a streamlined application process that will reduce barriers to entry and help them get a footing in this growing industry. There are some additional steps we would like to see policymakers take to make it easier to operate these microbusinesses, and we look forward to working with them as they fine-tune the system. Still, this is a great starting point and opens the door to a lot of exciting opportunity for local entrepreneurs.”

Vicente also stated that the law also includes several provisions aimed at promoting social equity in the cannabis industry and repairing damage caused by prohibition. For example, it specifies that 30% of licenses must be allocated to businesses owned by women, minorities, or disabled veterans, and at least 25% should be allocated to residents of impact zones, which are defined as municipalities with more than 120,000 residents that rank in the top 40% of municipalities in the state for cannabis-related arrests; have a crime index of 825 or higher, and have a local average annual unemployment rate that ranks in the top 15% of municipalities.

“New Jersey has adopted some of the strongest social equity provisions we’ve seen,” Cabrera said. “Contemplating these issues at the outset of the process will likely prove to be a big advantage for the state. It is much easier to build these considerations into the system than it is to go back and incorporate them later.”

Debra BorchardtMarch 25, 2020

In these trying times, it’s always good to have an excellent lawyer on your side. A strong contract goes a long way towards protecting your interests and if you find yourself in a dispute, you certainly want someone who understands your business and can work with cannabis companies.

Green Market Report compiled this list with assistance from the Cannabis Law Report. We separated the list into two categories: cannabis only legal firms and large cannabis divisions within larger firms. We put them in alphabetical order and there is no ranking.

Also, no free legal advice was given to get on this list nor did anyone pay to be included.

Cannabis Only

Clark Howell (California) – “Women-owned and steered, we know what it’s like to chart your own course.” Led by attorney’s Ariel Clark and Nicole Howell, this firm handles corporate, regulatory, supply chain, commercial real estate, hemp & hemp products, and emerging medicines. They work with start-ups, brands & operators, investors, and ancillary service providers. The group also publishes the Green Frontier Bulletin.

Green Light Law Group (Oregon) – Green Light Law Group is a Portland-based firm focused on providing legal solutions to the cannabis industry. We service our clients’ needs in Oregon, Washington, California, New York, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Florida and Texas. The company’s attorneys have extensive experience and in-depth operational knowledge of the marijuana and hemp industries. Green Light is positioned to provide legal services and counseling for new entrepreneurs, financiers, and established companies.

Hoban Law (Colorado) – Hoban Law Group is the first U.S. based law firm to expand its cannabis industry services across the globe with attorneys in the European Union, Latin America, and beyond. With these resources, HLG builds out client portfolios within the global cannabis economy. As a global Cannabusiness Leader since 2009, HLG has been providing professional services to the cannabis industry, which is comprised of the international hemp and regulated marijuana marketplace. The company’s attorneys are experts in marijuana law, hemp law, and corporate cannabis law.

McAllister Garfield (Colorado) – McAllister Garfield, P.C. is a full-service law firm that pioneers legal strategies and services for the marijuana industry. Beginning with the very first marijuana businesses that emerged in 2009, the firm has represented hundreds of medical and recreational dispensaries, grows, infused-product manufacturers, and testing laboratories. The company currently represents some of the leading marijuana companies in Colorado and nationwide and represents a large number of ancillary and related businesses; including, lenders, investors, landlords, social media companies, trim companies, consultants, vendors, inventors, and packaging companies.

Vicente Sederberg LLP (Colorado) – Vicente Sederberg is not just a law firm that decided to jump into the cannabis space. It is solely a cannabis law firm and has been at the leading edge of cannabis law and policy since the inception of the regulated cannabis industry. VS was founded in 2010 and was just a handful of employees working out of a tiny office suite in Denver. Today, the firm has more than 100 full-time employees, including more than 40 attorneys, working out of offices in Boston, Denver, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, and New York. The company also maintains strategic relationships with a number of leading firms around the U.S. and across the globe that specialize in areas of the law that are critical to cannabis clients. VS offers a full suite of services for all types of plant-touching marijuana and hemp businesses (cultivators, retailers, extractors, product manufacturers, distributors, and testing labs), ancillary businesses, investors, trade associations, and governmental bodies.

Key Cannabis Focus

Fox Rothschild has grown to a 950-lawyer national law firm with 27 offices. Fox Rothschild’s Cannabis Litigation team has vast experience advising and representing highly regulated businesses within the constantly evolving matrix of federal, state and local compliance laws. It represents both public and privately-held cannabis companies and industry investors in bet-the-company litigation, governmental proceedings, and appeals. The firm’s crosscutting capabilities also support cannabis industry clients in investor and shareholder disputes, securities litigation, corporate mismanagement claims, patent, trademark and copyright litigation, zoning challenges and licensing disputes.

Greenspoon Marder – Among the first national law firms to establish a dedicated Cannabis Practice Group, Greenspoon Marder is at the forefront of this exciting and rapidly growing industry. The firm’s team helps cultivators, retailers, product manufacturers, distributors, and testing facilities, as well as ancillary industry businesses and investors. With over 30 attorneys focused on cannabis, medical marijuana and hemp sectors, the company’s Cannabis Practice advises clients from early formation through an exit. We take a creative and proactive approach to the practice of law, enabling our clients to take advantage of the emerging legal developments and industry trends.

Harris Bricken – Since 2010, this firm has been helping businesses navigate rapidly evolving cannabis regulation and policy. The cannabis lawyers in California, Oregon and Washington help cannabis businesses with their corporate legal matters involving company formation and structuring, transactional agreements, IP, corporate governance, taxation, licensing, and the acquisition and leasing of real property. For those beyond their jurisdictions, they offer comprehensive advice and analyses of current industry developments on their blog, Canna Law Blog. The firm has nearly a decade of multi-state experience in the nation’s fastest-growing medical and recreational cannabis markets.

Rose Law Group – The cannabis industry team at Rose Law Group pc has been providing comprehensive legal advice, direction and assistance to individuals and companies in the cannabis industry in regards to Title 9, Chapter 17, of the Arizona Department of Health Services Medical Marijuana Program and A.R.S. § 36-2801. The firm has industry-specific knowledge and experience in every aspect of the legal, administrative, regulatory and business issues facing those in the medical and adult-use cannabis industries.

Up & Coming

Duane Morris – Duane Morris attorneys represent businesses and individuals at every level of the cannabis supply chain. Our clients include state-licensed adult-use marijuana, medical marijuana, and hemp cultivators, processors, distributors and dispensaries, whether vertically integrated or operating as standalone businesses, as well as investors in those businesses. The firm also represents the full range of business vendors that supply their products and services to the cannabis industry, such as raw materials, technology, advertising, social media, consumption products, and security companies.

Hiller PC – Hiller is best known for its federal cannabis lawsuit team – co-counsel Michael Hiller, Lauren Rudick, Joseph Bondy, and David Holland who filed a complaint in September 2017 to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York with regards to twelve-year-old Alexis Bortell. The lawyers – who are all members of the New York Cannabis Bar Association – are working on the case pro bono in hopes of winning a watershed decision descheduling marijuana under federal law. The case was dismissed but then reinstated in May 2019.