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“Steve does a great job at giving his clients the best service and advice needed when it comes to legal matters. He is an expert in cannabis law and is a pleasure to work with.”

Chambers USA 2023

Overview

The leader of 小黄鸭视频’s Food Systems industry unit, Steve co-leads the firm’s national cannabis practice. He practices from Carbondale, Colorado as a member of our virtual office, The Link.

As head of the firm’s Food Systems industry unit, Steve leads more than 50 professionals from numerous practice areas focused on the various food and agriculture industries. He excels in bringing innovative, cost-effective answers to the various challenges that our clients face, and he is especially passionate about working with new industries or industry disruptors.

Steve’s gift for developing creative solutions to new problems makes him a perfect fit for fresh and rapidly growing industries. Since 2009, his major focus has been on the burgeoning cannabis industry, where he guides clients through the tangle of shifting regulations governing the sale and use of cannabis in both the marijuana and industrial hemp sectors across the nation.

Steve has earned multiple national rankings in this practice area, working closely with the top MSOs in North America, as well as entrepreneurs, on all matters of marijuana and industrial hemp regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring, debt and equity financing, governance, and securities compliance. The  team he co-leads is one of the country’s largest and most experienced, having grown with our clients to provide full-service representation to many of the largest cannabis operators in the U.S. and Canada.

More recently, Steve has expanded his practice to include alternative protein, cultivated meat and other clients pursuing new, sustainable answers to traditional agriculture—companies at the forefront of the food systems revolution. Steve supports new market entrants into the alternative farming space, assisting with a multitude of legal issues. Many of these clients are startups and early stage companies, and Steve offers guidance on matters such as capital formation, labor and employment, corporate structure and governance, and regulatory issues. He leads the firm's Alternative Farming & Sustainability team.

Both the Cannabis and Alternative Farming & Sustainability practices are part of 小黄鸭视频’s Food Systems business unit, applying the insights and experiences gained from representing some of the world’s largest commercial seed, food production and alcohol and beverage companies to these newer and rapidly growing industries.

“Steve does a great job at giving his clients the best service and advice needed when it comes to legal matters. He is an expert in cannabis law and is a pleasure to work with.”

Chambers USA 2023

Industry

Services

Recognition

  • Chambers USA, Cannabis Law: Western United States, Nationwide, 2019-2025
  • Colorado Super Lawyers, Securities & Corporate Finance, 2021
  • The Legal 500 United States
    • Cannabis, Leading partner, 2021-2025
  • 5280 Magazine, Denver Top Lawyer
    • Marijuana Law, 2016-2023, 2025
    • Cannabis Law, 2017
  • National Law Journal Trailblazers: Cannabis Law, 2018
  • BL Rankings’ The Best Lawyers in America®
    • Corporate Law, 2016-2025

Education

  • J.D., University of Denver Sturm College of Law
  • B.A., University of Oregon

Admissions

  • Colorado
  • New York
  • California

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • Law360 Cannabis Editorial Advisory Board, 2021-present
  • National Cannabis Industry Association, former Policy Council member
  • Colorado Bar Association
  • Denver Bar Association
  • Colorado Leads, 2017-present
  • Marijuana Industry Group, 2018-present
  • Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation, 2021-present
  • U.S. Cannabis Council, 2021-present


*Steve works remotely and is licensed in Colorado, practicing in Carbondale, CO. Contact Steve via email or phone for in-person/virtual meetings. Use the Denver office address for mail/deliveries only.

Featured Experience

Client Merger Results in Expanded Business

Founded in 2009, LivWell Holdings Inc. grew over its first 10 years into one of the most prominent marijuana businesses in Colorado and Michigan, with operations spanning cultivation, manufacturing, research and development, and retail. By 2021, they were ready for a closed sale to PharmaCann Inc., the largest privately held, vertically integrated cannabis company in the United States.

Prior to closing the merger, Steve advised LivWell on a variety of corporate and regulatory matters for several years. For the merger, Steve acted as lead deal counsel for LivWell, which resulted in a combined business that operates approximately 60 dispensaries and 11 cultivation and production facilities across eight states.


Additional Experience
  • Served as Colorado regulatory counsel for Columbia Care in connection with the acquisition of The Green Solution in Colorado. We assisted with transactional documents as well as obtaining regulatory approval at state and local jurisdictions. At close, Columbia Care became the largest cannabis operator in Colorado, the second largest cannabis market in the world.
  • In March 2025, the Department of Treasury suspended enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) for domestic reporting companies—see our analysis here with an April 2025 update here. The below reflects the situation as of December 2023, when the act was expected to go into effect on January 1, 2024.

White Papers | December 01, 2023
The Future of Functional Foods

Following the social isolation and public health concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans reevaluated their health and wellness priorities, creating new opportunities for food systems companies to connect with changing consumer tastes and preferences.

Blog | December 01, 2023
Blog | October 06, 2023
Blog | July 27, 2023
Blog | April 28, 2023
Blog | January 26, 2023
Blog | November 09, 2022
Blog | August 18, 2022
Blog | July 15, 2022
Blog | June 06, 2022
Blog | March 18, 2022
Blog | October 21, 2021
Blog | May 26, 2021
Articles | March 25, 2021
Blog | March 01, 2021
Blog | February 09, 2021
Articles | January 25, 2021
Blog | January 19, 2021
Articles | December 11, 2020
Blog | December 10, 2020
Blog | December 08, 2020
Articles | October 26, 2020
Articles | October 03, 2020
Articles | September 23, 2020
Blog | September 17, 2020
Seminars | April 2, 2025
Exclusive Cannabis Law Meet-Up in Omaha
Seminars | November 21, 2024
Exclusive Cannabis Law Meet-Up
Speaking Engagements | August 11, 2021
Webinar | March 2021
Colorado MED Rulemaking Update
Media Mentions | August 07, 2024
Media Mentions | July 24, 2024
Media Mentions | July 15, 2024
Media Mentions | July 10, 2024
Media Mentions | June 26, 2024
Media Mentions | June 09, 2023
Media Mentions | January 11, 2023
Media Mentions | May 02, 2022
Media Mentions | April 05, 2022
Media Mentions | February 28, 2022
News Releases | February 28, 2022
小黄鸭视频 Guides LivWell in Sale to PharmaCann
Media Mentions | October 29, 2021
Media Mentions | October 12, 2021
Media Mentions | June 18, 2021
Media Mentions | June 16, 2021
Media Mentions | June 15, 2021
Media Mentions | May 17, 2021
Media Mentions | March 22, 2021
Outside the Office

Living close to the Rockies, Steve enjoys skiing and hiking. He also enjoys traveling internationally, but the majority of his free time belongs to his young son.

Community Leadership
  • National Jewish Health, Development Board Member, 2016-present
  • Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado, Board Member 2015-present
  • Heroes Like Us, Board Member, 2013-2014