As more and more states move to legalize possession, growing, and selling cannabis products, from CBD and marijuana, to edibles, beverages, and more, investor opportunities abound for new businesses and business ideas in this burgeoning industry. Our experienced business and cannabis industry attorneys provide strategic advice on business formation and operations, help marijuana cultivators create investor-friendly and industry-compliant corporate structures, and represent domestic and international investment funds that focus on cannabis and cannabis-related early-stage companies.

We counsel clients on issues related to lack of federal benefits for investors and operators, such as bankruptcy and IP protection, and work with stakeholders to understand their exposure and mitigate it as best as we can. We also stay up-to-the-minute on the rapidly evolving legal requirements and challenges as states, and the federal government, continue to evolve their thinking on marijuana regulation. And our real estate team works closely with cannabis clients to manage the zoning and permitting process, and provides representation in real estate acquisitions, sales, and leasing.

Whether you’re an operator, producer, seller, investor, property owner, insurer, or entrepreneurial startup, Pierce Atwood offers firmwide expertise to help clients navigate this complex regulatory environment.

Areas of Expertise

Catalyst Program for Startups

Attorneys in the firm’s Technology Transactions & Outsourcing group, a team comprised of members of Pierce Atwood’s IP and Business groups, provide strong drafting and negotiation skills with a focus on getting deals done efficiently and effectively. We’ll negotiate and draft contracts related to advertising, promotions, and marketing, as well as agreements related to technology and data privacy and security. Click here for more information.

Members of our Business Group have guided young companies through every stage of their life cycles, from inspiration and formation through seed funding, to venture capital, to growth and exit through acquisition or IPO. We help our emerging company clients keep sight of not only the important issues of the moment, but also what will be important when they reach the next stage – and the ones beyond that. By taking this long-range view, we seek to lay a foundation for our clients' long-term success.

Through our experience on the operator side of the cannabis industry, we’re able to effectively represent investors that focus on opportunities in the cannabis industry. And by representing both cannabis companies and investors in this space, we’re able to provide a complete perspective that paves the way for successful transactions. Pierce Atwood’s work with cannabis industry investors and operators includes:

  • Due diligence on cannabis companies
  • Private placement of cannabis-focused funds
  • Advice to investors on structuring liability and due diligence
  • Advice to operators on corporate strategy in advance of funding round
  • Corporate formation and conversion

Pierce Atwood’s IP, trademark, and patent attorneys help cannabis clients navigate the often conflicting state and federal regulations in order to protect new strains, processes, techniques, and other trade secrets, as well as branding, business name, logos, and domain names that identify and distinguish each product from its competitors.

Each development project presents a unique set of challenges, so we work closely with local planning boards and state and federal regulators to simplify and expedite the zoning and permitting process whenever possible. Whether a project entails real estate acquisition, sale, development, or leasing – even if the lease contains cannabis-restrictive language - our skilled real estate and land use attorneys have the expertise to implement creative and effective solutions to even the most complex commercial lease or purchase and sale agreement.

Our services in this area include:

  • Counseling landlords on legal exposure when renting to cannabis companies
  • Negotiating land leases to support host agreements and medical licenses
  • Advising on co-location of marijuana and regulated land use

Representative Experience

Represented Artemis Growth Partners, a private equity fund investing in the cannabis industry, on the acquisition of Bridge Farm Group, a UK producer of ornamental plants, flowers and herbs, from publicly traded Canadian cannabis producer Sundial Growers, Inc.

Acquisition in the Cannabis Industry