Ad Astra Law Group, LLP

Today is the last day to register for the Justice & Diversity Center's 17th Annual Gala! We have four free guest passes if anyone would like to attend this virtual event, taking place on Wednesday September 22nd. Enter promo code JUSTICE upon checkout - first come, first serve!

Coming up next week on Thursday, August 5 - don't miss Katy M. Young speak at the California Lawyers Association virtual panel on the topic of real estate and cannabis. You'll discover practical advice for representing potential clients in sale and lease, along with whether such property may be intended for such use. Attend this informative CLE to learn a wide range of requirements within this crossover, and more importantly - what NOT to do! Register below:

On behalf of the outstanding work by The Bar Association of San Francisco and the Judges Reception Committee, Ad Astra is proud to sponsor the 37th Annual Judges Reception! This event is coming up on Thursday, July 29th. This year's honoree was given to the Honorable Samuel K. Feng, presiding judge of the San Francisco Superior Court. Sign up for this yearly reception to provide a unique opportunity to network, mingle and build community rapport between counsel and judges. Al...l revenue raised at this event supports the BASF Barristers Club and its programs. #legalnetworking #barassociation #lawyerlife #legaleducation Find out more & register below:

Justin Bernstein from BudsFeed had an opportunity to catch our managing partner Katy M. Young as part of their "How It Started" interview series. Have a read to understand more on Katy's background in cannabis, developing & exciting trends, challenges, and what's on the horizon for this massively growing industry. #cannabis #opportunity #innovation #cannabislaw #cannabisindustry #cannabusiness #cannabiscommunity

SuperLawyer selections are official! Catch us on page 63 of the upcoming Northern California magazine - congrats to all for another clean sweep! Excellence in counsel and satisfied clients is what we strive for - thank you all dearly for the nominations.

(Read the PDF linked at the bottom!) The Supreme Court of the United States speaks on cannabis prohibition! Oddly enough, it came from Justice Clarence Thomas as a dissent to the Court’s denial of certiorari of a case testing IRS Section 280e. Justice Thomas makes a concise argument for why the federal prohibition on interstate commerce for cannabis may be neither necessary or proper. I take an incremental approach to cannabis decriminalization, legalization, and commercializ...ation: every little bit counts. At least the Supreme Court has eyes on it again after it denied certiorari in Washington v. Barr, a case brought by our friends at Hiller, PC in New York. Thomas’ dissent heavily cites Gonzales v. Raich, one of the first attempts to argue against federal law as applied to medical patients. Although Raich, was not successful at the time, it paved the ground for the gauntlet that Justice Thomas threw down in his dissent. Bravo. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/20-645_9p6b.pdf

Ad Astra is proud to sponsor The Bar Association of San Francisco's upcoming online seminar on the topic of Mental Health and Well-Being. This will take place virtually on Wednesday, June 30th from 4:00pm - 5:00pm. With the last two traumatizing years unfurling a spat of violence, hate crimes, and social isolation - how do we move forward and address these issues as a society, while keeping ourselves and neighbors mentally healthy? A very insightful program that is not to be ...missed - moderated by Lindsey Mignano & Ernest B. Hammond III. Featuring a stacked & incredibly talented panel including esteemed Doctors Alli Smith, Grace Niu, and Uche Ukuku. Register below!

Tomorrow (Tuesday, June 22), our managing partner Katy M. Young is on a virtual panel hosted by the Real Property Section of the Santa Clara County Bar Association and co-sponsored by the International Cannabis Bar Association. The topic is set on California's Cannabis Industry update for the last year, including statutes / regulations, compliancy with relevant laws and advice on formation issues, raising capital and a whole lot more! Register below! This event is via Zoom and goes from 12:00pm to 1:30pm.

Reminder: This Wednesday, June 16 at 12:00pm noon! Our firm founder David Nied will be speaking on a roundtable discussion with other male law firm owners on how to support diversity and inclusion in our legal industry. Featuring Mark Punzalan (Punzalan Law) / Daniel Wayne (Wolford Wayne LLP) / John Worden (Venable LLP) and moderator Anna Liu (Steven Adair MacDonald & Partners, P.C.) for a stacked and insightful discussion on this changing landscape of law. Not one to miss! Register below:

Catch up with Katy M. Young, managing partner at Ad Astra and President of the International Cannabis Bar Association for a comprehensive interview with CannaList BIZ. She discusses the formation of our firm, handling business disputes, trends in law, the idea of social equity in cannabis and more. Check out the article and video interview at the link below!

Streaming live on 04/20, join our managing partner Katy M. Young & Hiller, PC's cannabis practice co-founder Lauren Rudick on exploring real estate issues for cannabis businesses. Hosted by Lawline.com, you'll learn how real estate impacts cannabis licensing, specific lease implications for businesses, and how to incorporate this into a business financing plan. There will also be an opportunity for a live Q&A during the webcast! Register below to reserve your attendance:

On the heels of major shifts in cannabis legalization domestic and abroad, the Cannalaw Summit hosted by Inside Practice will discuss major happenings from 2020, including rapid growth, legal challenges, along with financial & ethical considerations. Our managing partner Katy M. Young will be chairing Day 1 of this comprehensive virtual program, which already has 500 attendees and rising. Scheduled from May 4th - 6th, don't miss this insightful spring summit which will keep you current with the complex, ever-evolving legal landscape of the cannabis industry. Use discount code CLS2021SPKF50 for 50% off!

Coming up this Thursday, March 25th for its 8th Annual year, we'd like to announce Katy M. Young's invitation to present at the Lerman Law Partners, LLP.'s Commercial Real Estate Symposium. The symposium will be focused on the 'Covid Comeback' for 2021, and Katy will be addressing the topic of investment among cannabis & real estate. Beyond updates and trends in this comprehensive livestream, don't miss the opportunity to ask questions and network across a field of highly influential and knowledgeable attendees. Use the special promo code "YOUNG-GUEST" when registering!

In the wake of the lawsuit brought by Herban Industries against cannabis delivery giant Eaze, federal prosecutors have decided to charge former CEO Jim Patterson surrounding $100 million in cannabis credit card transactions. Initially quoted in a 2019 Marijuana Business Daily article involving this case, Katy M. Young "[while] you have to get your hands a little dirty, the second we start blowing each other up in lawsuits for the various ways that entrepreneurs have figured o...ut how to do business, that’s how the industry starts to cannibalize itself." In lieu of the charges being brought tomorrow, she notes that cannabis business owners often have to make tough choices to operate their businesses where traditional tools are not available. Unfortunately, those tough choices often involve clear violations of existing laws that most people agree make no sense. Nevertheless, the cannabis business owner’s choices to operate outside of what current regulations allow can come home to roost in a devastating manner.

With sponsorship and coordination from our associates Hannah Stitt & Paige Pembrook, please tune into this informative CLE to better understand how this pandemic has affected labor relations in the cannabis industry. Shoutout to The Bar Association of San Francisco's CARE section for putting this on. January 12, 2021 @ 9:30am

Our managing partner Katy M. Young was recently quoted in this fall POLITICO article. She provides an insightful epilogue below: "The tangled mess that is the series of transactions leading to High Times supposedly acquiring interests in many California dispensaries is a failure of lawyering. Serving the business needs of the cannabis industry requires a commitment to the complex details that vary by locality and a respect for the industry pioneers that made today’s industry... possible. To be fair, this is a complex issue with many sides and various levels of awareness. I hope that our work at Ad Astra Law Group and the International Cannabis Bar Association help elevate the level of legal services that cannabis business operators experience as they navigate the frontier."

Insurance Journal is hosting an all-day cannabis summit on November 19. Whether you're canna-curious or an expert, there's something for everyone. Our managing partner Katy M. Young will be on a panel alongside Jodi Green (Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP), Michael Sampson (Leesh Tishman) and Ian Stewart (Wilson Elser) to discuss the legal issues you need to know about. Get your free #IJInsuringCannabis ticket at the link below!

Kudos to Heather L. Burke from Origin Group Law LLP for drafting this fantastic, informative blog post that was co-authored by our managing partner Katy M. Young. Don't miss out and forget to sign up for Origin Group Law's newsletter, and check out the rest of their great articles at the end of our post!

International Cannabis Bar Association members filed this amicus brief and it says all we've ever wanted to say about the absurdity of the federal government’s thwarting of any efforts to reschedule cannabis in a way that would even allow research. Our managing partner Katy Young is proud to be President of this organization full of dedicated practitioners who are doing the hard work to change the unjust federal cannabis laws.

Revisit Hannah Stitt's article on the history and depth of the cannabis-banking industry crisis:

Register for The Cannabis Law Institute by Sept 4th and save 15% using Katy Young's special Advisory Board Discount! This virtual series features 9 days of unparalleled programming in the month of October featuring over 80 Legal and Cannabis Industry Thought-Leaders. Use code YOUNG when registering at the link below:

Our managing partner Katy Young will join Ian Stewart & Brett Schuman to discuss Litigation and Disputes in the Cannabis Industry. This is part of Practising Law Institute (PLI)'s all-day program on Cannabis Law & Business Fundamentals, beginning at 9am PDT, tomorrow August 27th. Thanks to Shabnam Malek for chairing this event and Laxmi Raman Rees for helping orchestrate - this is a crucial program for any attorney that wishes to serve a cannabis client!

It's the return of enforcement of cannabis contracts! A very important discussion when you need businesses to run smoothly while avoiding future headache and disputes. Our veteran panelist Katy Young will be presenting, on behalf of the National Cannabis Industry Association - register at the link below: Thursday, August 20 from 3pm - 4pm PDT.

Calling all paralegals! Don't forget about The Bar Association of San Francisco's second annual paralegal conference on August 15th. #paralegals #continuinglegaleducation #legalnews #legaleducation Kudos to our own Kate Morin for penning this comprehensive summary of the day's topics and speakers.

Congrats to Katy Young, our extraordinary leader and fearless managing partner for being selected by Benchmark Litigation for their annual 40 & Under Hot List! Read more about her experience, involvements and accomplishments in the profile below: https://www.benchmarklitigation.com//Katy-Y/Profile/84147

Katy Young shares her woes regarding the potential tangles of 'sharecropping' in the cannabis industry. In this Marijuana Business Daily feature, read more on the rise of this historic practice among landowners and experienced cultivators during the green rush, with the goal of maximum profits and product. You'll also get familiarized with two of our current disputes that involve this arrangement! Sometimes things get a little sticky, and that's why the right questions are so... important before any ink is dried or handshakes offered. "What is this? Is this an equity type of analysis that’s going to vest in ownership? Is this a joint venture between the two of you? Or is this a straight-up management agreement? Are you paying someone to come in and manage the grow?’ Ad Astra Law Group, LLP deals with these types of disputes on the daily, and can counsel your agreements towards proper structure so messy fistfights don't occur down the road.

Katy M. Young be speaking at Marijuana Business Daily's MJBizConNEXT Direct virtual event, June 29-July 1. Join the session by registering today at mjbizconference.com/next. Use promo code YOUNG25 to receive $25.00 off your Virtual Conference & Expo Hall Experience Pass. Hope to see you tune in!

Katy M. Young will be joining Michelle Dylan (Law Offices Of Michelle Dylan) and Neda Shapourian (Smith Shapourian Mignano PC) on a panel discussing counsel for California cannabis companies. Join this online webinar to learn more about the legal ramifications and finer points of doing business in this rapidly growing green rush. Tune in Tuesday, June 16th at 2:00 pm!

Our friends at Barrel Head Brewhouse in San Francisco were written up in their local newsletter. Barrel Head Brewhouse is currently doing food and drink take-out & delivery, plus a walk-up beer stand. They have been able to retain 90% of their folks, paying healthcare and wages!

Have you ever wondered how legal cannabis affects the environment, and how this impact can be managed by proper environmental regulation? Our associate Paige Pembrook, co-chair of the The Bar Association of San Francisco's Cannabis, Alcohol & Regulated Industries Section, helped put this CLE together to help explore the intersection of environmental compliance and legal cannabis. Join us for this online session next Tuesday, May 26th!

Trivia Tuesday Zoom Social hosted by the The Bar Association of San Francisco tomorrow night! From 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Presented by the Environmental, Land Use Real Estate and Cannabis Sections to celebrate a (belated) Earth Day & 4/20. Register at the link below!... https://portal.sfbar.org/SFBAR/Events/Event_Display.aspx

Our employment specialist and partner Sean Gentry breaks down the new Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Find out what benefits you may be entitled to as an affected business owner or employee: