Marialle A. Bell Related Seminars and Products

Attorney at Law

The Law Office of Marialle A. Bell, LLC

Marialle A. Bell is the founding attorney of The Law Office of Marialle A. Bell, LLC. Her practice focuses on small business general counsel, small business litigation, and cannabis law & policy.

Ms. Bell obtained a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctor from the Florida State University College of Law. On the West Coast, Ms. Bell worked for several years as in-house litigation counsel for two Fortune 500 insurance companies. However, Ms. Bell began her legal career as an Assistant Public Defender in Orlando, Florida. As a criminal defense attorney, Ms. Bell represented hundreds of people accused of cannabis-related offenses, and she witnessed the serious impacts of those convictions.

Now, Ms. Bell uses her legal training and experience to educate and empower entrepreneurs to develop small cannabis businesses in legal markets. Ms. Bell is an adjunct instructor at Saint Louis University teaching "Cannabis Law & Entrepreneurship." She currently serves as a member of the International Cannabis Bar Association's Board of Directors, she is the Chair of the International Cannabis Bar Association’s Ethics Committee, and she is the Chair of the Bar Association of Metropolitan Saint Louis’ Cannabis Law Committee. 

Ms. Bell is licensed to practice law in Missouri, California, Washington State and Florida.

David Ruskin Related Seminars and Products

Partner

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

David is a partner with the Chicago-based law firm, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP.  Following 25 years of litigating business and tax disputes, in 2016 David turned his full energy to focus on providing legal counsel to the cannabis industry, representing entrepreneurs, investors and business owners, both plant touching and ancillary trades.

David Ruskin leads the firm's Cannabis practice. He advises both public and privately companies on a wide range of corporate issues including mergers, acquisitions, and financing and tax transactions. David counsels entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners to help achieve their goals in the Cannabis industry. He represents companies facing business and tax litigation and provides outside general counsel services.

Having worked with cannabis companies for nearly a decade, David’s cannabis practice touches every part of the industry. He represents national and expanding brands, licensed retailers, cultivators and processors, and delivery services. David also advises non-plant touching and start-up companies as they look to grow in the evolving industry, and he helps both investors and companies seeking capital create the appropriate agreement to accomplish their goals.

David helps clients navigate unsettled and differing statutes, regulations, and industry-specific legal developments. He enjoys guiding clients through the state licensing process and counseling on issues that arise from early-stage application steps through the company’s lifespan. David has assisted license holders from over 15 legalized states in expanding their operations into new jurisdictions, empowering them to enter new markets with compliance and confidence.

With extensive litigation experience, David represents clients in an array of issues litigated in the cannabis industry and beyond. He often represents clients in partnership, ownership, and contract disputes and defends clients involved in whistleblower (qui tam), False Claims Act claims, and multistate tax issues. David represents clients before state courts, administrative tax tribunals, appellate, and federal courts.

Prior to joining the firm, David was a partner in the Litigation Group and led the Cannabis practice at HMB Legal Counsel, a well-established, corporate-focused law firm based in Chicago, Illinois.

David was recognized as a “Leading Lawyer” in 2024 for Cannabis Law and Closely and Privately Held Business Law by Leading Lawyers magazine.

Katy Young Related Seminars and Products

Managing Partner

Ad Astra Law Group, LLP