Cozen O’Connor was named a Law360 Cannabis Practice Group of the Year, the 4th time the cannabis team has received this honor. Joseph Bedwick and Patrick Martin spoke with Law360 to discuss the recognition.
Joe highlighted the team's achievements, including facilitating the relocation of Planet 13 Holding from British Columbia to Nevada and overseeing Canopy Growth Corp.'s acquisition of Acreage Holding Inc.'s stock. He explained that Cozen O'Connor's success in navigating the complexities of the cannabis industry stems from its multi-disciplinary approach, offering its clients a full array of services. Joe shared, "We are unique among Am Law 100 law firms with a cannabis practice...We aren't just regulatory counsel. We aren't just corporate counsel.” He highlighted that Cozen O'Connor has labor and employment attorneys “at the forefront on labor and employment issues with the cannabis companies.” Joe added, "Our securities and capital markets group is adept in this industry and very knowledgeable. We have one of the top real estate practice groups in the cannabis industry. We are a full-service law firm, and we provide a full array of services to our cannabis clients."
Additionally, the Cannabis Practice stands apart from other large firms partly due to its lobbying team. Patrick explained, "Because of what the product is, because of all the uncertainty around how it's regulated and how federal law and state law view the product, cannabis is ripe for needing government relations assistance.” He discussed lobbying for clients, including Curaleaf Holdings Inc., the largest cannabis company in the world, which is pushing for passage of the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act, which would allow banks and credit unions to serve cannabis businesses in states where it is legal.
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