Firm News

Wiggin and Dana is pleased to announce the launch of its Cannabis Practice Group, aimed at providing a robust, full-service corporate, transactional, and regulatory experience to cannabis industry players. Securing the firm’s foothold in one of the nation’s fast-growing industries, the new group will help accelerate the growth of cannabis businesses across the firm’s footprint in the Northeast and beyond. Jack H. Sousa, a partner in the firm’s Corporate Department and a member of wiggin(x), will serve as Chair of the Cannabis Practice Group, which will include at least a half-dozen attorneys.

“With decades of experience as a legal trailblazer in up-and-coming sectors, Wiggin and Dana is well-positioned to support the U.S. cannabis industry’s continued rapid expansion,” said Sousa. “And as Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island join Maine and Massachusetts in the legalization of recreational cannabis, together with the expansion of high-THC and low-THC cannabis across these markets, new opportunities and regulatory challenges are expected to ramp up across the region. We are thrilled to provide another offering to our clients as they navigate this burgeoning area of law.”

In addition to Sousa, the Cannabis Practice Group will consist of attorneys across practice groups at the firm, including partners John Doroghazi and James Greifzu, and senior counsel Bob Langer. Leveraging its deep knowledge of complex issues and regulatory obstacles in the cannabis sector, the group will offer clients a full complement of services, from corporate transactions, dispute resolution and litigation, intellectual property, and labor and employment, to licensing, real estate, and regulatory compliance.

“Laws and regulations in the cannabis industry are constantly evolving,” said Tim Diemand, Managing Partner of Wiggin and Dana. “More than ever, clients need counsel across a broad array of matters. The firm’s commitment to exceptional client service and cross-practice and collaborative capabilities will enable us to address our clients’ cannabis-related questions and needs at the highest level.”

Prior to forming the Cannabis Practice Group, Wiggin and Dana represented cannabis industry players in a wide variety of matters, which involved:

• Representing several Connecticut medical dispensaries in acquiring state licenses;
• Representing a Connecticut-based cannabis producer in its sale to a strategic buyer;
• Representing cannabis-adjacent biotech companies on corporate, commercial contract and capital raising matters;
• Representing Connecticut-based cannabis companies in commercial real estate transactions;
• Representing a New England-based recreational cannabis dispensary group in corporate governance, financing, commercial, and real estate matters and strategic transactions;
• Representing a Maryland-based medical dispensary in a strategic investment and structured acquisition by a private-equity sponsor; and
• Representing a social equity applicant in Connecticut in obtaining both cultivation and retail licenses for her multi-state operator backer, including litigation and successful appeal of where a license was originally rejected.