The transition from a firm to in-house role can be a challenging one, but that's not all attorney Elyse Kaplan was facing six months ago when she started at her first-ever legal department job.

When Kaplan joined cannabis company Vertical as corporate counsel, she was also entering an industry she'd never worked in before, a space with ever-evolving regulations. Kaplan came to the California-based cannabis industry company from immigration law firm Hadley Bajramovic.

So far, she's spent her days at Vertical getting caught up on cannabis law and working with regulatory agencies. Corporate Counsel spoke recently with Kaplan about her move in-house, collaborating with regulators, and why “now is the time” for lawyers to break into cannabis.

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This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.