Katy M. Young, Esq. MANAGING PARTNER, Ad Astra Law Group, LLP in San Francisco, CA 

Rod is a cannabis business law attorney. Based in North Carolina and Mexico, Rod represents legal cannabis businesses throughout the world and is editor and chief writer of the Kight On Cannabis law blog. Rod is the author of “Cannabis Business Law-What You Need to Know”, published by Aspatore Books. He has served on the advisory board for the American Journal of Endocannabinoid Medicine, for which he has also written a legal column. Rod also created the “Source Rule”, which is widely regarded as a primary legal foundation for the contemporary hemp market in cannabinoids and other cannabis materials.

Rod is frequently quoted on cannabis matters by trade publications and major media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Time, Politico, and Business Insider. Additionally, Rod has been listed in MG Magazine's list of "30 Powerful Litigators", Hemp Connoisseur Magazine’s list of “100 People You Should Know”, and High Time's "2020 Leaders in Cannabis Law." He is part of the legal teams in two high-profile cases against the DEA and the Texas Department of State Health Services regarding hemp extracts, has drafted and presented cannabis legislation to a foreign head of state, is a member of the board of directors of a publicly traded Canadian cannabis and psychedelics company, testified to the FDA about CBD and cannabis compounds, and is a partner in a Mexican import-export company focused on legal cross-border hemp transactions. Rod routinely advises in-house counsel and C-suite level executives on cannabis issues. He has discussed cannabis legal issues in numerous seminars to lawyers, business executives, and public officials and is regularly asked to be a guest speaker on US and inter- national podcasts about cannabis and psychedelics.

Rod is a strong believer in cannabis for personal and medical use after using it successfully during chemotherapy treatments for cancer (he is in remission). He has been an attorney advocate for NORML and has also been a member of the International Cannabis Bar Association, the National Cannabis Industry Association, the Hemp Industries Association, and the Southeast Hemp Association.

Lauren previously co-founded of Hiller, PC's cannabis law practice. What started as a
passion project in patient rights during a brief residency in California, Lauren has become
one of the Nation’s preeminent cannabis attorneys. Her practice is centered upon the
representation of start-up organizations and investors. With her diverse background in
corporate law, litigation, and land-use and zoning, she provides clients with the most up-
to-date information necessary to operate and invest in successful cannabis and ancillary
businesses. Lauren has run successful applications in competitive medical cannabis states
and adult-use markets alike, and represents a broad spectrum of cannabis and hemp
clients, including plant-touching breeders, cultivators, processors, and product
manufacturers; investors, including family offices and angels; and multiple ancillary
businesses, including networking associations, packaging businesses, ingredient
manufacturers, medical professionals, and industry consultants. Lauren is also a member
of the legal team that brought an action against former Attorney General Sessions and the
federal government seeking, among other things, a declaration that the mis-classification
of cannabis as a Schedule I drug is unconstitutional, on, among other things, due process,
equal protection, free speech, and commerce clause grounds.

Lauren is an Expert Contributor to Marijuana Venture Magazine, a frequent
speaker at national and local cannabis events, including, among others, MJ Biz Con, the
Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition, NCIA, Emerald Cup, and the Women
Grow Leadership Summit and provides pro bono legal and advocacy services to the
Cannabis Cultural Association, among others. Lauren also serves on the Executive
Committee of the Board of Directors for the International Cannabis Bar Association, as
the organization’s Treasurer. Lauren enjoys an extensive network of cannabis
professionals nationwide, enabling her to provide full legal and business services to her
clients.

Experienced attorney, compliance professional, and business strategist with a focus on all things that live at the intersection of law and cannabis. 

My former position as the leader of the International Cannabis Bar Association allows me to see the complex legal landscape of the cannabis industry emerge in real time at the local, state, federal, and international level. My background in complex financial regulation gave me the tools to understand and unwind complex regulatory structures and my deep curiosity around emerging markets drives me to explore and understand the unique rules, opportunities, players, and iterations of the developing cannabis industry. 

Joe Segilia is a partner in the capital markets group at Sullivan & Worcester LLP. Joe's practice focuses on corporate and securities matters, including capital markets transactions, securities laws, and mergers and acquisitions. He advises clients with respect to ongoing corporate governance and disclosure matters, including compliance with Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requirements, stock exchange listing standards and Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance. Prior to joining Sullivan, Joe was one of the first in-house counsels of a publicly-traded cannabis company.

Kai has been a business and corporate lawyer in Germany for almost 17 years gaining wide range of experiences in the process. He is very familiar with the interconnectivity between national and European regulations, especially in regard to consumer protection, product safety and emerging new cannabis products. He has engaged in advocacy relating to cannabis beginning in early stages of his studies at Philipps University Marburg when the German Supreme Court ruled that small amounts of cannabis should not be criminalized. After medical cannabis was legalized in Germany, Kai started a legal blog (canna-biz.legal) on all the relevant new developments in the emerging cannabis market and became a legal expert especially for CBD products. 

He regularly speaks at international cannabis conferences on topics of the German and European legal framework. Lastly, he spoke at the Cannabis Expo in Johannesburg, at the ICBC 2021 in Berlin and at the ICBC and CB Expo 2021 in Zurich on the legal framework for a future recreational cannabis market in Germany. He regularly publishes articles in BusinessCann and German law journals. Kai and his law firm KFN+ advise major CBD and medical cannabis companies, as well as companies interested in the emerging recreational cannabis market.

Kai is also legal advisor to the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA), which is working on a Novel Food joint application for different CBD products.

Memberships: German Bar Association (DAV), International Cannabis Bar Association (INCBA, Member of Advisory Board), European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA), German Hemp Association (DHV), Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP Germany), Branchenverband Cannabiswirtschaft (BvCW).

Born in Löhne/Westf. in 1972, studied law at the Universities of Marburg, Adelaide (Australia), Cologne, legal expert at the press center of the German Federal Diet, worked for the Berlin District Court, for the Director of Public Prosecution in Berlin, for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Hong Kong Consulate General.

Areas of Law:

• Legal Cannabis Consulting
• regulatory approvals for medical cannabis and CBD
• Business law (company, commercial and contract law) 
• Law of torts
• criminal business law

I am a business attorney and mediator admitted to practice in three states. I am also a co-founder, former Executive Officer and Board Member, and the current President of the Advisory Board of the International Cannabis Bar Association and a co-founder and the current Chair of the BASF Cannabis Law Section, founder of the BASF (LRIS) pro bono panel for social equity applicants, frequent speaker, podcast guest, and teacher at City College San Francisco. In 2022 I provided testimony on cannabis policy reform, upon invitation, to elected members of the Irish Parliament and their invitees at Leinster House in Dublin, Ireland. I also have significant experience in the areas of cannabis, intellectual property, commercial transactions/M&A, real estate, hospitality, and entertainment law, and have consistenly been named to Chambers and Partners top cannabis attorneys for several years.