The National Law Journal has named McGuireWoods’ Kate Hardey and Royce DuBiner as Cannabis Law Trailblazers, recognizing them as agents of change who have made significant marks in the sector.
Charlotte partner Hardey and Chicago associate DuBiner counsel clients on emerging issues across all facets of the still-nascent regulatory environment for cannabis, including clients in the agricultural, pharmaceutical, life sciences, banking, private equity, food, beverage and dietary supplement industries.
Hardey — with a combined 25 years of law firm, in-house and healthcare industry experience — advises major banks with clients involved in cannabidiol (CBD)-related businesses and assists lenders and investors navigating regulatory uncertainty.
“The FDA and FTC and bank regulatory agencies are currently playing catch-up,” Hardey told the NLJ. “We can’t have a regulatory scheme if people can’t bank their money and use regular transactional means like other businesses. We ultimately need better tax, banking and product regulatory guidance.”
Prior to joining McGuireWoods, DuBiner worked as the FDA regulatory counsel for a pharmaceutical, dietary supplement, and medical device company. He draws on his experience to handle regulatory issues for CBD, hemp and marijuana products with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, Food and Drug Administration, Federal Trade Commission, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies.
“If I have a client coming in who is interested in banking, and they are in a marijuana business or want to sell farm equipment to a marijuana business, they have to understand what the risks are,” DuBiner said to NLJ.
Hardey and DuBiner are leading voices on how businesses can thrive in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry. Over the past year, they have spoken about the legal issues cannabis investors could face at McGuireWoods’ Healthcare Finance and Growth Conference, the Peer Bank Legal Network, the South Florida MGMA Symposium, and a firm-sponsored symposium on the legal landscape for cannabis.