Cannabis Law
Cannabis Law
Gard Law Firm is experienced in cannabis law, litigation and criminal drug cases. For over 20 years, we have handled hundreds of cases, many through trial, in both state and federal courts. Since 2009, we have represented thousands of medical cannabis patients, doctors and cannabis businesses in Colorado and have advised people from all over the country. We advise state, federal and local governments in their development and implementation of cannabis business regulations and are widely considered one of the country’s leading cannabis law firms. We use our knowledge and experience to educate other attorneys about this emerging area of law.
What We Do:
Licensing
Since the beginning of legalized cannabis in Colorado, we have helped numerous clients obtain cannabis business licenses. We are one of the very first law firms in the country practicing cannabis law and our clients were among the very first licensed businesses. Be advised that the laws are complex and change constantly. We stay on top of every change and advancement in cannabis law to help ensure that our client’s business applications are properly prepared and successful.
Legal Malpractice
As an emerging area of legal practice, cannabis law is replete with inexperienced and sometimes unethical attorneys. Hiring the right attorney is critical to the success of a business. When a client finds themselves in the clutches of a bad or inexperienced attorney they stand to lose everything and sometimes even their freedom. If you or someone you know find themselves in such a bad situation, we have the experience to understand what went wrong and, if the attorney is to blame, we are prepared to go after them in court. We also have been hired as legal experts in cannabis law and have been admitted as expert witnesses in cannabis legal malpractice cases.
Transactions
We have handled numerous purchases and sales of cannabis businesses, as well as a variety of other transactions. We have developed an efficient method for ensuring the transaction is handled properly. Using our litigation experience, we help clients anticipate and avoid the pitfalls that can arise during any business relationship. We assist our clients with purchasing businesses. Our experience helps keep costs low and ensure a smooth transition.
Contracts
Cannabis contracts are unique and the issues that can arise when drafting them are numerous. We have drafted virtually every type of contract from leases, purchase contracts, operator agreements, management agreements, supply agreements, consulting contracts, licensing, and a host of others. We are efficient in our drafting and strive to ensure that each term can easily be understood and interpreted. Based on our litigation experience, our agreements are crafted to help anticipate a myriad of potential problems and help our clients to avoid them.
Litigation
We are experienced trial attorneys with over 25 years of trial experience. This gives our clients an advantage in litigation. We prepare our cases efficiently and our opponent routinely spends far more legal fees only to be defeated in court. We also handle local licensing and state regulatory violations and have routinely been successful in defending our clients. We also have handled complex business litigation and understand the nuances of trial advocacy and cannabis law. This makes our firm very unique in this area of law.
Hemp & CBD
We were among the first law firms to embrace and advocate for legalization of hemp and CBD. We represent numerous hemp farmers and manufacturers. While hemp and CBD are legal, there remain many challenges given its close association with cannabis. It is important to understand and overcome any hurdles a hemp or CBD business faces.
Advocacy for Cannabis Policy
Since the beginning of the cannabis legalization efforts, we have been on the front linen of advancing cannabis policy. We have advised the federal government and worked with congress to identify issues and draft several key pieces of legislation that will one day become law and finally end cannabis prohibition. Additionally, at the beginning of cannabis legalization in Colorado we worked with the state of Colorado to enact the laws legalizing both medical and recreational cannabis. Based on our experience and stellar reputation, we were appointed to the original state task force that created the rules for the cannabis industry. We also have advised local governments in creating their own rules and regulations. When necessary we have advocated and lobbied for changes in the law that hurt cannabis business and consumers. Should the need arise, we can help clients to enact or change laws to support their business.
Education
Since the beginning, we have been at the forefront of the cannabis legalization movement and played an essential role in ending prohibition here in Colorado. We continue to work to end prohibition at the federal level and believe that may happen soon. Based on our experience, we now educate other attorneys about how to ethically and responsibly represent cannabis clients. We do this work, often without compensation, in hopes that we raise the bar of legal representation for the cannabis industry.
What Our Clients Say About Us
