Aird & Berlis

Aird & Berlis LLP is a Canadian business law firm with offices in Toronto and Vancouver; Toronto is listed first. It says it has worked in cannabis since the earliest days of legalization in Canada and remains active with clients in medical and recreational markets at home and abroad. The cannabis page lists Sherri M. Altshuler and Adria Leung Lim, both partners, as key contacts. The Cannabis Group draws lawyers and patent agents from across the firm rather than operating as a separate unit.

The group acts for licensed producers, distributors, healthcare organizations, investors and emerging companies, combining corporate, securities, regulatory, intellectual property, tax, financial services, litigation, employment and insolvency work. Representative matters on its page include defending MediPharm Labs against a dissident proxy campaign and its acquisition of VIVO Cannabis, BZAM's acquisition of Final Bell Canada, a unit offering and debt settlement for The Tinley Beverage Company, Canadian counsel work on a convertible note facility for Gold Flora, a trademark opposition before the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, and work for BMO as a secured lender.

Its lawyers have presented at industry events including Grow Up, MJBizCon International and the International Cannabis Bar Association Conference, and the firm publishes commentary on Canadian cannabis regulation. Aird & Berlis does not publish fees. Prospective clients contact the partners named on the practice page, who can bring in the firm's other groups as a matter requires. The group says it works with companies launching new products, entering the Canadian market or responding to regulatory change.