Lauren Rudick

Lauren Rudick is a prominent dealmaker in the cannabis legal landscape, known for herleadership as the Founder and Managing Principal of the Rudick Law Group, with offices in New York City, Jersey City, Santa Fe, New Orleans, and LatinAmerica. With extensive experience in cannabis and hemp law and regulations, Laurenhas played a pivotal role in advising and representing clients within the rapidly evolving cannabis industry and ancillary industries, including agriculture technology, biotech, and psychedelics. Her expertise encompasses various legal aspects, including investment support, start-up and formation matters, team building, competitive and technical business licensing, regulatory compliance, real estate transactions, M&A, financing and secured transactions, intellectual property protection, and governmental affairs, providing invaluable support to businesses navigating the complex legal terrain of emerging, newly regulated sectors, through multiple stages of growth.  

Rudickhas participated in dozens of competitive and non-competitive cannabis businesslicensing processes nationwide, securing top scores in among the most robustmerit-based medical cannabis licensing competitions, including in Pennsylvania,North Dakota, New Jersey, Connecticut, and first-to-market business licenses innewly regulated adult-use markets, including in Oregon, Massachusetts, NewJersey, and New York.  She also works on various intellectual property licensing and manufacturing deals involving mushroomand cannabis formulations and processes intended for pharmaceutical and over-the-counter markets on a global scale, including in Australia, NewZealand, Canada, France, and Israel.

Investors and business owners seeking opportunities in newly regulated markets can find confidence in Rudick's legal acumen, robust depth of network, and the Rudick Law Group's commitment to facilitating compliant and successful ventures in burgeoning industries. Rudick's reputation as a seasoned attorney positions the Rudick Law Group as a strategic partner for investors and start-ups looking to efficiently navigate legal intricacies and capitalize on opportunities in the dynamic new markets.  And having practiced commercial litigation in New York State and federal courts for over ten years prior to her practice in regulatory and transactional matters, Rudick is well-positioned to see her clients through pre-litigation and alternative dispute resolution matters, including mediation and arbitration.  In 2018, Rudick spearheaded the legal team which broughta massive lawsuit against former Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, the DrugEnforcement Administration, the Department of Justice, and the United StatesGovernment, in an effort to de-schedule cannabis on a variety of constitutional grounds.

A consistent thought leader in the cannabis industry, Rudick is regularly quoted in trade and national media publications regarding market insights, prioritization, and strategy (including in the NY Times, Crain’s, New York Law Journal, New YorkBusiness Journal, AMNY, Forbes, Green Market Report, New Jersey Insider, NewYork Insider, etc.), and frequently speaks and educates on cannabis law and policies at the industry’s most impactful conferences and events, offering legal continuing education (International Cannabis Bar Association, PracticingLaw Institute, Federal Bar Association, etc.) and general entrepreneurship coaching (including at MJBizCon, The Emerald Cup, NCIA, BevNet, InternationalEsthetician & Spa Conference, National Cannabis Festival, Women Grow, etc.)

Rudick was the longest standing Member of the Board of Directors for the International Cannabis BarAssociation, a not-for-profit organization, where she served as the organization’s Treasurer for six years; and since 2021, she has been serving asa Vice-Chair of the Committee for Cannabis Law & Policy of the American BarAssociation and as a member of the Board of Directors for Breeder’s Best Inc.,a B-Corp., record-label style producer of unique cannabis genetics.