Victoria Cvitanovic

Of Counsel
Email
vcvitanovic@rudicklawgroup.com
Region
New Mexico • Louisiana
Biography
Trial-Tested Litigator turned Technology Expert and Psychedelic Strategist, Victoria's legal expertise empowers clients to comply with complex regulations while offering patients and consumers superior and impactful experiences.

Victoria J. Cvitanovic, Esq. — Psychedelic Medicine & Cannabis Attorney | Data Privacy Officer & AI Governance Counsel | Louisiana & New Mexico Business Law

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Victoria is a former prosecutor and litigator on behalf of healthcare providers, insurance companies, and large corporate clients in the technology industry. Now, Victoria serves as Of Counsel and Data Privacy Officer for her firm, and acts as fractional Data Privacy Officer for several clients. Drawing on her extensive litigation background and compliance expertise, she helps psychedelic medicine, cannabis, and healthcare/wellness businesses, along with AI and technology developers, avoid common pitfalls, obtain data handling certifications, and grow strategically in a complex regulatory environment. Likewise, Victoria's experience as a negotiator, litigation portfolio manager, and contract builder ensures that her clients maintain an upward trajectory in these growth-edge industries.

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Victoria first witnessed the need for sophisticated representation in the cannabis and psychedelic medicine spaces as a prosecutor for the State of Louisiana, Parish of Orleans. There, she handled a substantial felony docket, made charging decisions in violent criminal cases, managed and obtained indictments before grand juries, tried numerous cases to verdict, and rose to become the Chief of the Juvenile Division, making her the youngest person to obtain a "Chief" rank in that office at that time. As a prosecutor, Victoria advocated for diversion, addiction treatment options, and hybrid sentencing options. After transitioning out of prosecution, Victoria defended doctors and hospital networks on behalf of both the state of Louisiana and private insurance companies, securing verdicts on behalf of healthcare providers at both the pre-panel and post-panel levels and before various professional regulatory bodies. These successes led Victoria to become a contract drafter, a regulatory advisor, a tactical ally in structuring, securing, and enforcing complex settlement agreements, and a strategic partner to her healthcare clients. During this time, Victoria's lifelong interest in technology, data privacy, and cybersecurity led her to litigate on behalf of several large corporate technology companies. Once again, Victoria's courtroom success led clients to seek out her strategic advice, leading her to perform litigation portfolio management, contract development, and technological/trade secret discovery management to ensure consistent success across business lines and jurisdictions.

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Victoria's personal experiences drive strategic growth for her clients. After a life-altering injury, Victoria experienced the transformative power of psychedelic medicine and cannabis therapy as a patient. Chronic pain drove her to set a goal of bringing together her litigation, healthcare, and strategic business experience to ensure patients and others in need have access to these modalities. Now, Victoria provides high quality legal services to a variety of psychedelic medicine and cannabis businesses, healthcare providers, technology companies, wellness innovators, and AI developers, with an emphasis on psychedelic medical system integration, Ketamine-Assisted Therapy (KAT/KAP) providers, cannabis medical markets, cannabis recreational markets, emerging psilocybin medical and therapeutic programs, cannabis and psychedelic supply chain logistics, and ethical AI-driven tool and platform creation. She is quietly proud — if a little embarrassed — by her client-given honorific as "the first psychedelic AI attorney."

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Victoria is a frequent speaker and guest on psychedelics podcasts. She is a prolific psychedelic policy commentator on LinkedIn, where she provides updates on breaking news, litigation, and legislation affecting the Louisiana and New Mexico markets. She is also a dedicated Zen Buddhist and meditation and yoga instructor, focusing on making these practices accessible to other chronic pain patients.

Expertise
Practice Areas

Psychedelic Medicine Law  

Cannabis Law  

Cybersecurity Law

Data Privacy Law 

AI Governance Law

AI Developer and Deployer Law 

Social Media, Influencer, and Creator Law 

Healthcare Law  

Wellness and Longevity Technologies Law 

Medical Practice, Clinic, and Med Spa Law

Insurance Law

Regulatory Compliance  

SOC 2, HI-TRUST, ISO 27001 Audit Preparation 

Commercial Transactions  

Contracts

Supply Chain Logistics  

Medical Malpractice and Board Complaint Defense   

Litigation Portfolio Management

Education

Louisiana State University, J.D./C.L.

Mississippi State University, B.A

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Bar Admissions

Louisiana  

Eastern, Middle, and Western Federal Districts of Louisiana  

New Mexico

Experience
Career Highlights

Unique Experience: Representing ketamine and psychedelic medicine clinics, research professionals, psychedelic nonprofits, individual Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) providers, AI developers, ed-tech creators, health and wellness founders, and influencers — negotiating contractor, collaboration, and employment agreements, and defending accounts against alleged platform violations

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Media and Speaking Appearances: Featured and quoted in Marijuana Moment, Behavioral Health Times, Tricycle Day, National Business Institute, Global Psychedelics Week, NORML Legal Seminar, International Cannabis Bar Association Cannabis Law Institute, New Mexico Cannabis Law Summit

Innovative Legal Practice: business law, regulatory compliance, cybersecurity and data privacy compliance, AI governance, SaaS agreements, DPAs, creator and influencer agreements, and technology transactions, data handling due diligence, SOC 2, HITRUST, and ISO 27001 audit guidance, fractional general counsel, fractional Data Privacy Officer

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Industry Leadership: New Mexico State Bar Cannabis Law Section, New Mexico State Bar Elder Law Section, NORML Legal Committee

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