Cannabis

  • March 03, 2025

    Calif. Farm Sues Tenn. Sheriff Over $3.9M In Destroyed Hemp

    A California hemp farm is suing a Tennessee sheriff's department, alleging that a deputy wrongly arrested a driver who was carrying $3.9 million in legal hemp and had it destroyed.

  • March 03, 2025

    Vape Co. Backs 6th Circ. Challenge To Ky. E-Cig Law

    A Texas e-cigarette liquids maker on Monday urged the Sixth Circuit to side with a group of vape interests in their bid to block a Kentucky law regulating vape sales, saying the companies have standing to block the measure and the law is preempted under federal law.

  • March 03, 2025

    Vape Co.'s Challenge Of FDA Penalty Rejected

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge has thrown out an online vape retailer's constitutional challenge to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration enforcement proceeding, ruling that claims fell outside the court's jurisdiction.

  • February 28, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Didn't Comply With Tobacco Laws, Judge Says

    Federal tobacco regulators were justified in blocking the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians from shipping cigarettes after its wholesale products were resold to people without tribal affiliation, a California federal judge has ruled in a lawsuit that argued the concept of tribal sovereignty was being turned on its head.

  • February 28, 2025

    Curaleaf Sold Assets Before $32M Verdict, Pot Farm Says

    Two subsidiaries of Curaleaf Holdings Inc. must be forced to immediately pay a $36.8 million jury verdict plus interest owed to a Michigan cannabis farm, the cultivator told a federal judge in a scathing motion, saying the companies feign poverty while spending considerable sums in legal representation.

  • February 28, 2025

    Fla. Justices Say Atty Broke Rules With Nonviable Engle Suits

    The Florida Supreme Court has found an attorney guilty of violating court rules by filing baseless Engle progeny suits and failing to properly communicate with his clients, and told a referee to determine the appropriate sanction.

  • February 27, 2025

    Payment Processor Sues Trulieve Over Cashless ATMs

    A Texas payments processor is suing multistate cannabis giant Trulieve in Arizona state court, alleging the company's use of so-called cashless ATMs to handle retail marijuana sales triggered close to $1 million in fines.

  • February 27, 2025

    Ohio GOP Advances Senate Bill Overhauling Pot Legalization

    A Republican-sponsored bill to overhaul a cannabis legalization law passed by voters in November 2023 has advanced in the Ohio State Senate.

  • February 27, 2025

    DOJ Says It Will No Longer Defend DEA Admin Judges

    The U.S. Department of Justice told a Rhode Island federal judge Thursday it would no longer defend the federal policy that protects administrative law judges from removal in a lawsuit challenging the Drug Enforcement Administration's internal proceedings.

  • February 27, 2025

    DC AG Says 25 Unlicensed Pot Shops Have Been Shut Down

    The Washington, D.C., attorney general on Thursday announced that 25 unlicensed cannabis retailers have been shut down as a result of the district's efforts to enforce its cannabis regulations over the last six months.

  • February 26, 2025

    Cannabis Users' Gun Rights In Play In Multiple Cases

    In at least a half-dozen recent and pending federal cases, cannabis users have challenged a federal policy that bars users of illegal drugs from gun ownership, pushing courts to consider whether marijuana use makes one inherently dangerous or mentally ill.

  • February 26, 2025

    CBD Co. Sues Rivals Over Topical Treatment Patents

    CBD product maker Metronome LLC on Wednesday filed three complaints against competitors in Colorado and Wisconsin, alleging that the other companies' products infringe their patents for topical treatments that use cannabis derivatives.

  • February 26, 2025

    Investor Says Lowenstein Sandler Violated Dispensary Deal

    An investment group involved in a complex dispute between Lowenstein Sandler LLP and a cannabis dispensary has asked a New Jersey state judge to enforce a settlement order and sale order, alleging the firm has violated previous legal rulings while pursuing its claim for purportedly unpaid legal fees.

  • February 26, 2025

    Pot Co. Sale Dispute Tossed Over Illegal Contract

    A federal magistrate judge in Ohio has dismissed a breach of contract suit over the $5 million sale of a cannabis business, saying the contract itself is illegal because of the federal prohibition against marijuana.

  • February 25, 2025

    FBI Came For Abramoff Asking About Russian Spy-Linked Pal

    Disgraced lobbyist and government witness Jack Abramoff told jurors Tuesday during his cross-examination at the fraud trial of a cryptocurrency company founder he worked for that the FBI initially approached him in 2018 with questions about his connection to a conservative operative once linked to a Russian agent.

  • February 25, 2025

    Cannabis Cos. Want THC Potency Suits Consolidated

    About two dozen cannabis companies, including multistate operators like Columbia Care and Acreage, have urged an Illinois federal judge to consolidate a series of "nearly identical" proposed class actions accusing them of mislabeling their products to get around state-mandated THC potency limits, saying "there is no question" the suits "involve the same questions of law and fact."

  • February 25, 2025

    Judge Lets RJ Reynolds, Altria Seal Docs From Juul Deal

    A federal judge in North Carolina on Tuesday granted requests by tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. and rival Philip Morris' parent company to seal documents in their ongoing royalty dispute, keeping details of their licensing agreements with the vape brand JUUL confidential.

  • February 25, 2025

    Vape Cos. Want To Stop Iowa Law Banning Some E-Cig Sales

    A group of vape companies and users is again asking an Iowa federal court to block a state law banning the sale of some e-cigarette products, saying it is preempted by federal law and the Constitution.

  • February 25, 2025

    Ayahuasca Church Appeals To 9th Circ. In $2M Atty Fee Fight

    A Phoenix-based church is appealing to the Ninth Circuit a decision denying it more than $2 million in attorney fees after reaching a deal with the federal government to allow it to use ayahuasca for religious purposes.

  • February 24, 2025

    Lobbyist Abramoff Testifies At Fraud Trial Against Crypto CEO

    Disgraced Washington, D.C., power broker Jack Abramoff told jurors on Monday that he participated in a conspiracy with the founder of an "anti-money laundering" cryptocurrency company accused of bilking investors out of $5 million, testifying remotely due to a recent cancer diagnosis.

  • February 24, 2025

    Vape Interests Urge 6th Circ. To Halt Kentucky E-Cig Law

    A coalition of e-cigarette interests is urging the Sixth Circuit to halt enforcement of a new Kentucky law regulating vaping products while their appeal plays out.

  • February 24, 2025

    4 Things Attys Should Know About Pennsylvania's Budget

    Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro heads into the 2025-2026 budget year proposing to spend $51.5 billion, with corporate tax cuts and tax credit reforms bolstered by regulating so-called skill games, legalizing recreational cannabis and replacing an industry-opposed, multistate carbon cap-and-trade program with one run solely by Pennsylvania.

  • February 24, 2025

    Chinese E-Cig Maker Removes Explosion Suit On Eve Of Trial

    A Chinese electronic cigarette maker has removed to federal court a suit alleging that the battery in one of its products exploded, just days before trial was set to start in Texas state court.

  • February 24, 2025

    Calif. City Gets Suit Over Pot License Application Tossed

    A California federal judge has thrown out a retailer's suit that in part alleges the city of Chula Vista ignored a court order and delayed scoring its application for cannabis licenses, saying the complaint fails to establish that the city violated its constitutional rights.

  • February 21, 2025

    Mich. Pot Cos. Say Grand Rapids' Equity Fees Are Illegal

    A group of cannabis companies is suing the city of Grand Rapids in Michigan state court, saying it is illegally charging them millions in fees through its social equity program.

Expert Analysis

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • Series

    Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • How Cannabis Rescheduling May Alter Paraphernalia Imports

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    The Biden administration's recent proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana use raises questions about how U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforcement policies may shift when it comes to enforcing a separate federal ban on marijuana accessory imports, says R. Kevin Williams at Clark Hill.

  • What The NYSE Proposed Delisting Rule Could Mean For Cos.

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    The New York Stock Exchange's recently proposed rule would provide the exchange with discretionary authority to commence delisting proceedings for a company substantially shifting its primary business focus, raising concerns for NYSE-listed companies over the exact definition of the exchange's proposed "substantially different" standard, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • 2 Regulatory Approaches To Psychedelic Clinical Trials

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    Comparing the U.S. and Canada's regulatory frameworks for clinical trials of psychedelic drugs can be useful for designing trial protocols that meet both countries' requirements, which can in turn help diversify patient populations, bolster data robustness and expedite market access, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Sabrina Ramkellawan at AxialBridge.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence

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    The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.

  • To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef

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    To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

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