2nd Annual Summary of Precedential Rulings and Litigation Trends

Ian Stewart Related Seminars and Products

Chair of National Cannabis Law Practice

Wilson Elser LLP

Ian is the Regional Managing Partner of Wilson Elser’s Los Angeles office. He is founder and co-chair of the firm’s Cannabis and Hemp Law practice, where he leads a national multi-disciplinary team of lawyers who serve all aspects of the cannabis and hemp industries, as well as financial institutions and insurance companies that service those industries.  

Ian works with licensed cannabis operators throughout the country to comply with their obligations under the law and to develop risk management best practices. He advises Fortune 500 companies on risk management involving hemp-derived CBD and the interplay with U.S. food and drug laws. Ian assists insurance companies on cannabis-related underwriting practices and the development of new policy forms. He also works with financial institutions and professional services firms on best practices for operating in a challenging regulatory environment.  

Ian has achieved a national reputation as a distinguished cannabis attorney and has been named to the prestigious Chambers USA guide in Cannabis Law (2020-2022). He is a member of the Advisory Board of the International Cannabis Bar Association (INCBA) and participates on the Policy Council of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA). Ian also sits on the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Cannabis Section and is chair emeritus of NCIA’s Risk Management and Insurance Committee. He is one of MG Magazine’s “30 Powerful Cannabis Attorneys You Should Know” and is listed within Cannabis Reports’ “10 Powerful Marijuana Lawyers in California.” Ian has also been named by National Law Review as “Go-To Thought Leader” in 2018 and 2021 for his publications on cannabis law and policy. 

By way of background, Ian has defended complex litigation in state and federal courts for more than 25 years with a focus on practice areas relevant to the cannabis industry, including product liability, complex general casualty, transportation, data privacy and intellectual property litigation. Ian received his B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, and his JD from Saint 

Louis University School of Law. He has been with Wilson Elser for the past 22 years.

Kristina Dahmann Related Seminars and Products

Partner

Ice Miller LLP

Kristina Dahmann is a partner in Ice Miller’s Litigation and Cannabis Industry Group. Kristina has broad litigation experience encompassing traditional business and banking disputes, trade secret protection, labor and employment defense, and white-collar criminal defense. Kristina has specific experience with comprehensive compliance reviews, training programs, and federal and state administrative and regulatory processes with respect to federal and state-regulated industries and regularly provides counseling to help clients navigate these industries.

Marion Mariathasan Related Seminars and Products

Co-Founder & CEO

Simplifya

I have been involved in the cannabis industry since 2015 - initially as an investor.  Today, I serve as the CEO and Co-Founder of Simplifya - the leading regulatory and operational compliance company in the cannabis industry.  SImplifya provides compliance technology for licensed operators, banks, insurance, law firms and consultants. 

I am also the Founder and Chairman of Ceylon Solutions - a software development company that partners to build innovative software in many verticals that includes cannabis.  Some of the more recognized names in cannabis include New Frontier Data, Simplifya, Leafwire and Empyreal Logistics.   

I currently serve on the boards of five different companies - three of which are in the cannabis industry.   As a supporter of the cannabis movement, I have 18 active cannabis investments – two of which are international.   

I immigrated to Kansas from Sri Lanka when I was 7 years old. I attended both University of Kansas and Emporia State University studying Architecture, Computer Science and Computer Information Systems. After graduation, I took on my first technical role with a medical software company. Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to have held management and executive level positions with incredible companies – large and small. In addition, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to have either founded or be involved with many new startups over the years – four of which I’m highly involved with even today.

But I have to admit that some of my most valuable experiences have come from travel and from people I’ve had the opportunity to meet along the way. I’ve learned that humility and kindness is a virtue that I admire most about people and that no matter the level of education, wealth, power and status, everyone is equal. 

In my opinion, some of the most important things we can do in this life as human beings is to help others, give back to the community and treat all living things with respect and kindness.

Barak Cohen Related Seminars and Products

Partner

Perkins Coie LLP

Barak Cohen represents two kinds of clients: companies and individuals facing government enforcement actions and investigations in highly regulated industries, particularly the healthcare and government contracting industries, and companies that need strategic business advice regarding compliance and regulatory matters in the cannabis industry. Barak is a partner in the White Collar & Investigations practice, and co-chair of the firm’s Cannabis Law group. He also works with the firm's Digital Media & Entertainment, Gaming & Sports industry group as the co-lead of the Gaming vertical, providing regulatory review and counseling to clients in the regulated gaming industry, including matters involving gambling and sports betting.

A former prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Barak led numerous white-collar investigations throughout the United States. That inside experience informs Barak’s representation of companies and individuals in diverse matters that touch on alleged foreign and domestic fraud and bribery, financial misconduct, tax crimes, false healthcare and government contracting claims, campaign finance and election crimes, antitrust crimes, and environmental crimes. Barak has particular experience representing companies that do business with the government, such as technology companies, medical labs, medical device companies, and pharmaceutical companies, and in investigations regarding the False Claims Act (FCA), the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), and the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA), as well as in investigations led by agency inspectors general. He has also represented multinational companies in sensitive international investigations involving international corruptions laws, such as the Foreign Corrupt Bribery Act (FCPA) and the U.K. Bribery Act. Notably, Barak’s work has included representing high-profile public officials, including multiple sitting members of Congress, in investigations regarding alleged campaign offenses and election crimes, as well as in state and federal ethics investigations. Barak is a co-chair of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Public Corruption Sub-Committee.

With respect to his cannabis practice, Barak was quick to identify the growth potential in the cannabis industry. He works with well-established international brands, multistate operators, and startups, advising on a wide breadth of matters (including marijuana, CBD (cannabidiol), CBG (cannabigerol), and hemp products and services) that intersect with other diverse industries, ranging from e-commerce and technology platforms that facilitate cannabis transactions, to product-handling dispensaries and brands. He is a member of the board of directors of the U.S. Cannabis Council, a vice-chair of the ABA’s Cannabis Law Sub-Committee, and a former member of the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Policy Council. A recognized thought leader in cannabis matters, he edited and co-authored the first-of-its kind treatise, Cannabis Law: A Primer on Federal and State Law Regarding Marijuana, Hemp, and CBD, published by the ABA in February 2021.

Before becoming an attorney, Barak served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army. He is the co-founder of Perkins Coie’s Veterans Resource Group. Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business has recognized Barak in two areas: (1) Litigation: White-Collar Crime and Government Investigations and (2) Cannabis Law: Eastern United States. Commentators have noted that “he is very savvy," and that "Barak is a fantastic lawyer, cool under pressure and laser-focused."

Neil Willner Related Seminars and Products

Co-Chair Cannabis Practice Group

Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC

Neil M. Willner is the Co-Chair of the Cannabis Group at Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld. Neil counsels hemp and marijuana companies operating on all tiers of the supply chain on the complex patchwork of state and federal regulation. Relying on his deep knowledge of state-specific marijuana and hemp rules, Neil assists clients in strategically navigating the disharmonized industry. Neil also serves as regulatory counsel to the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp’s CBD Task Force and Cannabis Beverage Council where he quarterbacks policy development and the drafting of responsive comments to state and federal agencies. Finally, Neil serves on the Executive Committee for the New York State Bar Association's Cannabis Section, chairing the Regulatory Sub-Committee where he leads the section's comments to state regulation. 

Paul Demko Related Seminars and Products

Reporter | Cannabis Editor

Politico

Paul Demko is the cannabis editor at POLITICO Pro. Previously, he spent four years on the health care team, primarily covering the insurance industry. Prior to joining POLITICO, he was the Washington bureau chief at Modern Healthcare. Demko also spent a decade reporting in Minnesota, including stints with Politics in Minnesota and City Pages. He started his career at The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Eduardo Provencio, JD Related Seminars and Products

General Counsel (former)

BellRock

Mr. Provencio served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of BellRock Brands, Inc. (“BellRock”) from July 2022 through June 2, 2023, overseeing all legal, regulatory, securities, and corporate governance for the Company.

He previously served BellRock as the Senior Vice President, Legal and Director of Business Development since the Company was formed as a result of the merger of BR Brands, LLC (“BR”) and Dixie Brands, Inc. (“Dixie”) in October of 2020.

Prior to his time with BellRock, Mr. Provencio held the role of General Counsel for Mary’s Brands (“Mary’s”), the flagship brand family in the BR portfolio consisting of best-in-class cannabis brands Mary’s Medicinals, Mary’s Nutritionals, and Mary’s Tails, assuming the role in April of 2016. In that capacity, Mr. Provencio oversaw all legal operations for Mary’s, guiding the business from a single state marijuana business to a multistate operator and a national presence in the hemp and marijuana industries.

Mr, Provencio recently founded Aditua Consulting, a legal and business-focused cannabis consulting firm.

He is a graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law and received his Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Richmond.