DRI Faculty List
Cannabis Law Seminar Seminar
| | September 17 - 24, 2020
Sahar Ayinehsazian Vincente Sederberg LLP
Sahar Ayinehsazian is an attorney in Vicente Sederberg's Los Angeles office, where she focuses on cannabis banking, corporate transactions, and regulations. With her specialized knowledge, Sahar helped to establish and currently co-leads Vicente Sederberg's Banking and Financial Services Department. As a member of the National Cannabis Industry Association's Banking Access Committee, Sahar also works on strategy and educational advocacy to enable state-licensed businesses to obtain accounts at depository institutions. |
Michael B. Cohen Partner
Edwards Maxson Mago & Macaulay LLP
Michael B. Cohen represents clients in a wide variety of civil and criminal litigation matters, both state and federal at the trial and appellate levels, with particular focus on complex commercial litigation. His litigation practice includes the areas of appellate law, bankruptcy, civil rights, commercial, constitutional, criminal, employment, estates and trusts, insurance coverage, medical malpractice defense, personal injury actions, privacy, professional liability, and real estate. |
Lisa M. Dwyer Partner
King & Spalding LLP
Lisa M. Dwyer has almost 20 years of experience developing regulatory, legislative, and litigation solutions for issues involving all FDA-regulated products. She has served as an advisor to high level public officials and C-suite executives on complex and multi-faceted issues. Lisa previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff to FDA's Commissioner, and as a Senior Policy Advisor in FDA's Commissioner's Office. |
Andrew Kline The National Cannabis Industry Association
Andrew Kline is NCIA's Director of Public Policy. In this new role for NCIA, Andrew leads NCIA's substantive public policy efforts, striving to prepare and protect the state-legal cannabis industry. He will also lead NCIA's Policy Council, a group of NCIA members focused on influencing federal and state public policy. |
Michael (Mike) McGrory Partner
SmithAmundsen LLC
Michael (Mike) McGrory a partner at SmithAmundsen in Chicago. He is a longtime member of DRI, and recently completed a two-year term as the Aviation Law Committee Chair. He also advises cannabis industry businesses on all aspects of cannabis law and related complexities. He is a frequent speaker and author on cannabis law topics. Mike is also a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois Cannabis Bar Association, and the Board of Directors for Mental Health America Illinois. Mike was named one of the "40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40" by the Chicago Law Bulletin in 2014. |
Margaret (Meg) Nash Associate
Vicente Sederberg LLC
Margaret (Meg) Nash is an experienced litigator in the areas of professional liability defense and insurance coverage, with a focus on the defense of attorneys, law firms, and real estate professionals. She also has experience in consumer financial services, having represented lenders and loan servicers in all stages of litigation. Meg has spent the past three years developing her knowledge of emerging cannabis laws and regulations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other nascent markets to act as a legal advisor to cannabis businesses, cannabis related businesses, and service providers to the industry. |
Stephen O. (Steve) Plunkett Shareholder
Bassford Remele PA
Stephen O. (Steve) Plunkett is a shareholder with Bassford Remele PA in Minneapolis, represents nursing home and assisted living facilities in the Midwest. He has chaired national seminars dealing with long term care litigation issues. Mr. Plunkett is a member of DRI's Law Institute and the past chair of DRI's Medical Liability and Health Care Law Committee. He is admitted to practice in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Mr. Plunkett has been recognized by his peers as a "Top 100 Lawyer" and "Super Lawyer" in Minnesota Law & Politics. Steve is the Vice Chair of the DRI's Law Institute. |
Chantal M. Roberts CMR Consulting Corporation
Chantal M. Roberts is an expert witness whose career reflects over 20 years of accomplishments in the insurance industry. She began handling commercial auto liability claims at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and personal auto low-impact claims at MetLife. She relocated to her home state of Arkansas to work in her family's company, a third-party administrator for certain syndicates of Lloyd's of London, where she continued handling a wide variety of claims such as general liability, special investigations/fraud investigation, homeowner, cargo, and property insurance. |
Melissa K. Roeder Of Counsel
Foley & Mansfield PLLP
Melissa K. Roeder Of Counsel in Foley & Mansfield's Seattle office, and is a nationwide leader in developing educational programs to prepare cannabis businesses for the various legal issues and litigation facing this nascent industry, including product and premises liability for both recreational and medical marijuana growers, suppliers and vendors. Career achievements include being selected as one of the Top 100 Women Lawyers in Washington State, a "Super Lawyer" from 2012-present, riding her Harley and climbing Mt. Rainier which she vows she will never do again. |
Ian A. Stewart Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP
Ian A. Stewart is founder and co-chair of the Wilson Elser Cannabis and Hemp Law practice. Ian leads a national multi-disciplinary team of lawyers who serve all aspects of the cannabis and hemp industries, as well as financial institutions and insurance companies that service those industries. Ian participates on the Policy Council of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), is former chair of NCIA's Finance and Insurance Committee, former vice-chair of the California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA) Insurance Committee, and a member of the advisory board of the International Cannabis Bar Association (INCBA). |