Appropriate Dispute Resolution: Preparing your client (and yourself!) for successful outcomes

Gary M Smith, Esq. Related Seminars and Products

Partner

Guidant Law, PLC

A seasoned litigator, advisor, mediator and arbitrator, Gary Smith focuses his practice on commercial matters, construction, real estate, cannabis and administrative law. He has represented a wide range of individual and institutional clients in both State and Federal courts, administrative hearings, and arbitration.

Gary is among the most well-known voices in Arizona contracting and construction law. He is the author of highly regarded books, manuals and articles on the topic, including two legal treatises: The Orange Book: The Regulation of Arizona Contractors, 2nd Ed.: Practice and Procedure Before the Arizona Registrar of Contractors and Office of Administrative Hearings and Practice and Procedure Before the Arizona Registrar of Contractors and Office of Administrative Hearings. Additionally, he co-authored “Construction Lien Law in Arizona, A Practice Manual.”

With a Certificate in Advanced Mediation from the Pepperdine University School of Law: Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Gary is highly skilled in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). He has worked on partnership disputes, construction defect, design defect, real estate purchase, employment contract breach, business purchase disputes, consumer fraud, banking, and purchase contracts. Gary also has ample experience in arbitration, having handled construction design and defect, personal injury, contract disputes, and professional fees. He has been appointed to the American Arbitration Association roster of neutrals for both Mediation and Arbitration and has taught ADR classes for the association.

Moreover, Gary is one of the leading cannabis attorneys in the state, often advocating for ADR in the industry. Notably, he served as amici counsel to the former Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services in the Arizona Supreme Court petition State v. Jones, attempting to restore cannabis extracts and concentrates to legal status under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. He has authored numerous articles about cannabis law, and he is commonly invited to share his expertise with professional associations and industry groups. Further, Gary is a founder and current president of the Arizona Cannabis Bar Association, an organization committed to educating lawyers and the public about cannabis law and responsible legislation.

Prior to founding Guidant, Gary served as a founding member and managing partner at Smith Paknejad, PLC. Before that, he worked as the Chief Litigation Counsel at McCarthy Law, PLC. At this multi-state consumer defense law firm, he was responsible for litigation and workouts, including defense of clients sued for both secured and unsecured credit card, real estate, and commercial debt. His practice focus was credit and collection law, including TILA, FDCPA, and FCRA.

Robert Mandel Related Seminars and Products

Partner

Zuber Lawler LLP

Serena Wu Related Seminars and Products

Founding Partner

Radicle Law LLP

Serena Wu is an attorney and author who is passionate about therapeutic potentials of psychedelics and mission driven entrepreneurship. She is focused on providing legal solutions to purpose driven clients in the emerging industries such as psychedelics, cannabis, cryptocurrency and beyond. She has advised professionals and practitioners in the psychedelic space on the legal boundaries of psychedelic assisted therapy, corporate practice of medicine laws, informed consents, risk and liability mitigation, and religious freedom protections. She has also advised on DAOs, NFTs and their related securities issues. 

While she started her career as a litigator at Davis Polk, Serena aligned her path and soul by transitioning to a business and startup practice that provides general counsel to purpose/mission driven companies and entrepreneurs in emerging industries form, fundraise, scale, and exit. She graduated from Harvard Law School and is licensed in California and New York.

Outside of her legal work, Serena is working on her debut novel, Dandelion Odyssey: Wyra’s Search for the Rainbow Pearls (working title). Inspired by her own personal experiences with psychedelics, the novel chronicles Wyra’s path to seek the Rainbow Pearls through her psychedelic journeys to heal from her trauma. 

Serena is an advisor to Reason for Hope, a non-profit organization advocating for a new approach to mental health through psychedelic-assisted therapy legislation. As a hobby, she founded Women in Psychedelics, an Instagram account that showcases the contributions, voices, and experiences of women in the psychedelics space, and Asian Psychedelics Society, a group dedicated to discussions about psychedelics and mental health in the AAPI community.

Toni Forge Related Seminars and Products

Founder | Attorney

4LeafConsulting

For over 20 years,Toni Forge has worked as a litigator, managing attorney, state mediator and associate general counsel. A graduate of Hastings College of the Law and the University of San Francisco, Toni has used her solid legal foundation to provide solutions to business both large and small.

As a litigator for State Farm Insurance Company, Toni has worked with hundreds of clients in conducting mediations and depositions. Through her work with several Fortune 500 companies, she has developed a unique collection of skill and expertise in contract management and compliance, finance, negotiation, and mediation.

Toni brings knowledge of the legal and business environment that will empower new CannaBusinesses along their path to compliance and success.

A member of LA Cannabis Task Force, Women Entrepreneurs in Cannabis and Kalogia,  Toni has done radio shows and compliance tutorials regarding the regulatory environment in California.  She has also participated in the LA Cannabis Task Force Social Equity project.  Toni will be featured in an upcoming documentary regarding cannabis compliance in California.  Toni has served as a faculty member for the Cannabis Compliance Bootcamp in Los Angeles and has done a host of cannabis compliance seminars.