CLA | LAW

As a lawyer, I’m an analyst, counselor, and executive: I identify issues, guide decision-making, and implement strategy. My experiences as an attorney and business-owner have sharpened my versatility and my emphasis on pragmatic success. My entrepreneurial efforts – starting up both a market-leading premium cannabis brand and a boutique consulting shop – brought my legal savvy and management expertise to bear on the cannabis industry’s energetic growth phase.

My career began in 2002, first in private practice at Perkins Coie and later on the client-side in Microsoft’s legal department. When Washington State voted to legalize recreational cannabis in 2012, I shifted my attention to the emerging issues and legal logistics of the post-prohibition market for cannabinoids and innovative therapeutic and consumer products.

I’ve litigated, mediated, arbitrated, and appealed conflicts. I’ve negotiated, drafted, and executed complex commercial transactions. I’ve crafted pitch decks and raised capital; I’ve evaluated investment opportunities and plotted exit strategies. In all cases, I simplify, counsel, and resolve issues that spring up in a rapidly evolving and highly competitive landscape. My goal is to convert challenge into achievement.