Laura Schniedwind is a cannabis business attorney at PAX Labs, Inc., a leading global cannabis brand on a mission to enhance people’s lives through exceptional cannabis experiences. With experience in both start-up and global corporate environments, she provides strategic and legal partnership across the company, including product, sales, operations, business development, marketing, R&D, government affairs, and finance teams.

Her work enables the company to commercialize cannabis consumables and cannabis vaporization hardware within highly regulated frameworks on a global scale. She leads a high-performing compliance team that identifies trends and helps develop strategies and policy proposals to further the interests of PAX and our communities.

Laura has extensive experience working with companies of all sizes experiencing major growth in regulated industries. She has held a variety of legal positions serving the cannabis industry, including outside general counsel, sole practitioner, and of counsel. Prior to working for the cannabis industry, Laura was in-house counsel to a privately-held global company engaged in the development, manufacture, and sale of semiconductor analysis equipment, where she gained experience establishing a company-wide export compliance program, oversaw the implementation and alignment of company policies across subsidiaries, and worked with various stakeholders to draft agreements and help drive business forward. Following the company's acquisition by a public company, she decided to leverage her experience working with companies experiencing transition in regulated industries, and established a solo practice focused exclusively on the cannabis industry. After nearly two years running a successful solo practice, she joined a boutique firm Brand & Branch LLP, focused on advising cannabis and hemp businesses on intellectual property licensing, regulatory compliance, and commercial transactions, a role in which she served as outside counsel to PAX.

Based in Oakland, California, Laura is a Bay Area native and a graduate of the University of California, San Diego and the University of San Francisco School of Law. Prior to law school, Laura was a translator for detained immigrants seeking asylum in the United States. 

Craig Abruzzo currently serves as Chief Legal Officer of Kiva Brands, Inc., the market leader in premium cannabis edibles. Kiva’s award-winning chocolates, mints, chews and gummies are the most precise, discreet, and delicious on the market. Kiva has become the most recognized edible brand in cannabis with a loyal customer base throughout hundreds of dispensaries in 11 States. Craig established the foundation of his in-house legal practice during his 6 years at IGN Entertainment, Inc. culminating in its sale to Fox Interactive in 2005. Craig then joined Associate Content (AC) as its fifth employee as General Counsel. While at AC he oversaw the growth of the company to over 90 employees and its eventual sale to Yahoo! in 2010. After serving his time at Yahoo!, Craig joined Birchbox as General Counsel in 2012. In his 4 years at Birchbox, Craig oversaw the expansion of Birchbox’s business from 60 employees to over 350 employees across 5 countries and scale to over 1.5 Million subscribers. As the Dodgers did decades before, Craig left the friendly confines of Brooklyn, for the sunshine of LA to join Thrive Market, Inc. as its General Counsel where his remit included, among other things, IP strategy, HR, Corporate Development and Compliance.

After 4 years at Thrive Market, Craig moved to his current role as Chief Legal Officer at Kiva Brands where he oversees legal operations, IP strategy, FSQA and compliance. Craig has a bachelor's degree in International Relations with a focus in Economics from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Prior to graduating Syracuse, Craig took an 18 month leave of absence to travel and study Mandarin in China and Taiwan. After graduation he attended the Brooklyn Law School where he obtained his Juris Doctor.

Craig currently lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife, and his two lovely children. Francesca, who is nine, and Jasper, who is seven.

Amanda R. Conley is the founder of Conley Law PC, a boutique intellectual property and advertising law firm. She helps creative entrepreneurs across a variety of industries protect, leverage, and enforce their intellectual property. Amanda specializes in helping clients navigate highly-regulated industries such as cannabis, hemp, dietary supplements, and new and emerging technologies. She also advises on advertising, marketing, website, and labeling compliance in addition to providing general transactional legal services. 

Prior to founding Conley Law, Amanda was a founding partner at Brand & Branch LLP and co-founder of the International Cannabis Bar Association. She runs the Provisors Bay Area Cannabis Affinity Group, and is an active member of the California Lawyers Association. 

Amanda graduated from New York University School of Law after getting an MA in Sociology at the University of Colorado. Before attending law school, Amanda researched and published in the field of quantitative demography, and taught undergraduate-level sociology courses.