Davis Malm announces that it has established a dedicated practice area to meet the specialized needs of the rapidly evolving and highly regulated cannabis industry. Davis Malm attorneys in the Cannabis Law practice will represent the full range of industry participants, from start-up cannabis businesses to companies providing goods and services to the cannabis market, as well as investors. The new practice area will span the breadth of the firm’s substantive expertise to provide key services to clients, including:

  • Business formation and operations
  • Dispensary licensing, permitting, and regulatory compliance
  • Debt and equity financing, including private equity and venture capital transactions, and joint ventures
  • Tax advice concerning the use of charitable organizations under state law and federal tax law limitations on available business expense deductions
  • Real estate acquisitions, sales, and leasing
  • Real estate and environmental issues affecting developers, landlords, and tenants, including zoning, permitting, and leasing
  • Employment issues, including negotiating executive and employee contracts, non-competition agreements, and arrangements concerning trade secrets
  • Implementing, auditing, and training related to employment policies and employee handbooks;
  • Intellectual property, including patent procurement on new tools for processing, cultivating, and delivering cannabis and thc (tetrahydrocannabinol), as well as trademark, infringement claims, and brand management counsel
  • Information privacy and data security planning

Davis Malm President Paul Feldman said, “We have represented clients in the highly regulated cannabis industry since 2012, when medical marijuana became legal in Massachusetts. Our practice continued to grow with the legalization of recreational marijuana use in 2016 and, as the cannabis industry continues to expand, we see the need to establish a multidisciplinary team to help clients navigate this emerging market.”

Disclaimer: Possessing, using, distributing, or selling marijuana or marijuana-based products is illegal under federal law, even where a state law decriminalizes or legalizes such activities. Compliance with state law does not assure compliance with federal law. Any information on our website on in any client alerts is not intended to provide any assistance in violating federal law.

For more information contact: Joanne Thorud; (617) 589-3894; jthorud@davismalm.com

Return to Resources