Legal Services
Law firms and attorneys serving the cannabis industry: licensing, corporate and M&A work, intellectual property, regulatory defense, and litigation. Federal-state conflict makes specialized counsel a fixture of the industry rather than a luxury.
Cannabis legal services cover the attorneys and firms handling licensing applications, regulatory compliance, corporate transactions, and litigation for an industry that operates legally under state law while remaining a Schedule I controlled substance federally. That conflict shapes nearly every matter: license applications must satisfy state-specific merit or lottery systems, corporate structures have to work around federal illegality for banking and bankruptcy purposes, and employment, contract, and real estate law all carry cannabis-specific wrinkles most general-practice firms haven't encountered. Common engagements include license applications and renewals, social equity program compliance, mergers and acquisitions between operators, and disputes tied to 280E tax exposure or interstate operating restrictions.
Choosing counsel starts with jurisdiction: licensing rules, social equity requirements, and even what constitutes a compliant transaction differ by state, so depth in the specific state or states matters more than general cannabis experience. Ask about practice breadth — licensing, M&A, real estate, and litigation are often handled by different attorneys even within one firm — and look for a track record of closed license applications or transactions in the current regulatory cycle, since rules change frequently enough that experience from several years ago may be outdated. For cross-border or multistate work, confirm the firm can coordinate across differing state frameworks.
Cassels Brock & Blackwell
UnclaimedFull-service Canadian business law firm; cannabis group advises public and private operators on licensing, M&A, capital markets, and IP.
Duane Morris (Cannabis Practice)
UnclaimedCannabis practice within international law firm Duane Morris, covering licensing, M&A, litigation, IP, tax (280E), and real estate for the supply chain.
Feuerstein Kulick
UnclaimedBoutique cannabis law firm handling licensing, regulatory, fundraising, IP, corporate governance, and litigation for operators, brands, and investors.
Fox Rothschild (Cannabis Practice)
UnclaimedBand 1-ranked (Chambers) cannabis practice inside national firm Fox Rothschild, covering litigation, transactions, regulatory, tax, and real estate.
Harris Sliwoski
UnclaimedInternational business law firm with a cannabis practice dating to 2010; formation, M&A, IP, licensing, compliance, and litigation across five core states.
Vicente LLP
UnclaimedCannabis and psychedelics law firm founded by Colorado Amendment 64's co-author; regulatory, licensing, litigation, corporate, and federal policy work.
Zuber Lawler
UnclaimedBusiness law firm with a dedicated cannabis practice covering M&A, patents/trademarks, FDA compliance, regulatory, litigation, and restructuring.
Events & dates for legal services
See all on the calendar →Questions about legal services
- Why do cannabis businesses need specialized legal counsel instead of a general business attorney?
- Cannabis remains a Schedule I controlled substance federally even where state law permits it, which affects banking, bankruptcy access, tax treatment under 280E, interstate commerce, and even standard contract enforceability. General business attorneys often aren't versed in these overlapping conflicts or in state-specific licensing procedures, so most operators use counsel with dedicated cannabis practice experience for anything beyond routine matters.
- What does cannabis licensing legal support typically include?
- Licensing attorneys help prepare and file state license applications, respond to regulator information requests, navigate merit-based or lottery selection processes, and manage renewals and modifications. In competitive or capped-license states, they also advise on ownership structure and social equity qualification, since application scoring criteria and disclosure requirements vary significantly by state and change between licensing rounds.
- Can cannabis businesses use federal courts or file for bankruptcy?
- Federal bankruptcy protection is generally unavailable to plant-touching cannabis businesses because federal courts have held that bankruptcy relief can't be granted to reorganize an ongoing federal crime. This pushes distressed operators toward state receivership, assignment for benefit of creditors, or out-of-court workouts instead — an area where cannabis-specific counsel differs sharply from conventional restructuring practice.
- What is 280E and why does it come up in legal disputes?
- Section 280E of the federal tax code bars businesses trafficking in a Schedule I substance from deducting ordinary business expenses, leaving only cost of goods sold. Disputes arise over what qualifies as COGS, IRS audits challenging prior filings, and disagreements between partners over how 280E exposure should be allocated — matters that often require joint tax and legal counsel.
- How does cannabis M&A differ from a typical business acquisition?
- Cannabis M&A requires regulatory approval of ownership changes in nearly every state, which can take months and adds closing conditions absent from typical deals. Buyers must also diligence license standing, social equity compliance, 280E tax exposure, and — for multistate deals — whether the transaction structure works across states with different residency, ownership-cap, or change-of-control rules.
Belong on this page?
If your company serves the industry in legal services, add it to the Register free. Listings are reviewed by a person and checked against a live site.