Quinn Emanuel Bets on Pot Disputes With Cannabis Litigation Practice
There's nothing mellow about the country's biggest litigation firm getting into the cannabis business.
August 05, 2019 at 03:10 PM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on The American Lawyer
Marijuana buds on California marijuana packaging. Photo: InFootage/Shutterstock
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan jumped headfirst into the marijuana economy on Monday, becoming the biggest law firm yet to boast a dedicated cannabis practice, and the first major firm to launch one devoted exclusively to litigation.
The 830-lawyer, litigation-only firm said its cannabis litigation practice group will be headed by Los Angles partner Robert Becher and will include over a dozen partners in six different offices. The firm's website currently lists 15 partners in the practice, including Boston office leader Harvey Wolkoff, intellectual property practice co-chairman Claude Stern in Silicon Valley, white-collar and investigations practice co-chairman Alex Spiro in New York and insurance recovery practice chairwoman Danielle Gilmore in Los Angeles.
Aside from advertising the firm's eagerness to take part in the multibillion-dollar sector, can the new practice offer cannabis clients a real competitive advantage in the courtroom?
Becher believes so.
"There are a lot of nuances to state and local cannabis law," he said. "It's critical that a firm be familiar with those issues."
Becher said Quinn Emanuel has already been handling commercial litigation matters related to cannabis, but that recently there had been an uptick in business that helped prompt the firm to publicly market its capabilities.
➤➤ For more on law firm cannabis practices, check out Higher Law, a weekly newsletter on marijuana issues from Law.com. Learn more.
The firm said in a press release that its current cannabis clients, which it did not identify by name, include retailers, private equity firms, CEOs, corporate board members and a pharmaceutical company. Court records show that the firm has represented at least one cannabis retailer in a business dispute. MedMen, a cannabis retailer with a presence in 12 states operating 37 retail locations, was able to secure a dismissal of a mismanagement suit brought against it by early investors.
Becher said he expects the practice to grow, if for no other reason than that the amount of money flowing through the cannabis industry is growing annually.
"The clients in the cannabis industry are becoming more valuable," Becher said. "That tends to result in more litigation."
In its press release touting the practice, the firm cited the forecasted growth of the sector—over $10 billion in revenue last year, with $16 billion in investment expected this year in North America—and the increased number of U.S. states that allow for recreational use.
"We are the world's top litigation firm, and we have always been at the forefront of disputes involving emerging and innovative industries," Quinn Emanuel founder John Quinn said in a statement. "It is only natural for the firm to establish itself as the preeminent expert in this field."
Read More
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Penn State Dickinson Law Dean Named President-Elect of Association of American Law Schools
Arizona Board Gives Thumbs Up to KPMG's Bid To Deliver Legal Services
Big Law Practice Leaders Gearing Up for State AG Litigation Under Trump
4 minute readTrending Stories
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
