What was the genesis of the idea/path that has made you a trailblazer?

The Cannabis industry continues to be a trailblazer industry as a whole but the companies and transactions have grown larger and more sophisticated, making experience with complex mergers and acquisitions and securities laws more important than ever. As a corporate partner in a large law firm that has embraced the cannabis industry for many years, utilizing my knowledge and experience from private equity investments, mergers and acquisitions and securities laws allows me to bring this substantive knowledge to transactions in the cannabis industry. My background and discipline in traditional transactions provides comfort to new participants from the PE and VC investor community in that my knowledge has been applied to a cannabis transaction.

What sort of change has resulted from the concept?

There are more traditional investors and other strategic participants that are rapidly participating in transactions in the cannabis industry, including traditional and non-traditional PE and VC investors. In addition, cannabis M&A transactions are increasingly more sophisticated and complex, especially as the industry experiences consolidation. These transactions require large teams with subject-matter expertise not only in corporate matters, but also tax, real estate, labor and employment law, environmental matters, and intellectual property, all acting together in a cohesive manner to complete these transactions and, importantly, lawyers that understand the intricacies of the cannabis industry.

What bearing will this have on the future?

It is anticipated that the participants in the cannabis industry will continue to expand as more states approve the sale of medicinal and recreational cannabis. The participants will have higher expectations and demands for the expertise and guidance delivered by their various experts. The cannabis industry is well-poised to become a solid investment opportunity for PE and VC investors.

Reprinted with permission from The National Law Journal, © ALM Media Properties LLC. All rights reserved.