A boutique attorney group · Washington · New York

Counsel earned the hard way for the cannabis economy.

Precedent Counsel represents multi-state cannabis operators and their capital partners in transactional, regulatory, and dispute matters. The firm was founded by attorneys who have done the work from inside the operator and inside the regulator.

Founded 2024 · 12 attorneys · 28+ MSO clients

Practice areas The attorneys

01 · Where Precedent fits

The boutique that operators hire when the matter is too consequential to send to a cannabis-only shop.

The cannabis bar is bimodal. Volume practices on one end, white-shoe firms on the other. The mid-market — serious operators, capital partners, policy-shaping work — has not had a natural home. We built Precedent to be that home.

Our peer set is not other cannabis law firms. It is the M&A practice of a major firm, sized to the cannabis category, and built to the same standard. Our work product is filed in federal court. Read on a board agenda. Reviewed by institutional lenders. It travels.

Positioning

For cannabis operators and their capital partners facing consequential legal matters, Precedent Counsel is the boutique attorney group that combines the rigor of a white-shoe firm with the category fluency of an inside general counsel.

02 · Practice areas

Six practice groups. Two lead partners.

The firm is organized around six practice groups, each led by one of the founding partners. Engagements are staffed by the lead partner and one or two associates. The partner who pitches the matter is the partner who works the matter.

M&A and Capital Markets Public and private transactions, debt and equity financings, restructurings, SPAC and reverse-merger structures, multi-state operator combinations. Lead: S. Chen

Banking & Finance Institutional credit facilities, post-SAFER Act bank engagements, secured-lending structures, custody arrangements. Lead: S. Chen

Regulatory & Licensing State licensing, multi-state regulatory harmonization, federal-policy advocacy, FDA hemp-derived-cannabinoid pathways. Lead: M. Holloway

Government Investigations State and federal investigations, internal investigations, enforcement defense, voluntary disclosure programs. Lead: M. Holloway

IP & Brand Protection Trademark portfolios in cannabis-restricted classes, patent strategy for cultivation IP, brand-licensing structures. Lead: S. Chen

Litigation & Dispute Resolution Commercial litigation, partnership disputes, regulatory appeals, arbitration before AAA and JAMS, appellate matters. Lead: M. Holloway

Read each practice in detail

03 · Three commitments

What every client gets, without negotiation.

Earned the hard way

The partners have done this work from inside the operator and inside the regulator. The advice given is informed by direct experience of what the regulator will accept and what the operator can actually execute.

Work product that travels

Every memo, brief, and engagement letter is built to be shared with a board, a lender, a regulator, or opposing counsel. There is no cannabis discount in the writing.

Partner attention on every matter

The partner who pitches the engagement is the partner who staffs the engagement. Associates support; they do not substitute. We keep the matter count low to preserve this.

04 · Engagement model

How clients buy from Precedent.

Engagements take one of five forms. The pricing is structured to match the work. We do not bill in six-minute increments for relationship matters; we do not flat-fee transactions.

Outside General Counsel. Monthly retainer. $25K–$60K. Direct partner access.
Transaction-based. M&A, financings, capital markets. Hourly or hybrid. $180K–$2M per matter.
Regulatory project. Licensing, multi-state expansions. Project-fixed. $60K–$300K.
Investigation defense. Hourly with engagement-specific monthly cap.
Policy advocacy. Comment letters, white papers, congressional testimony. $40K–$150K per submission.

To engage Precedent

Conflict-check requests go to intake@precedent.law. Initial conflicts clearance typically returns within one business day. If clear, the engaging partner will schedule a preliminary call within the same week.

All initial communications subject to attorney-client privilege upon engagement

Submit a conflicts-check request