Attorney Tyson Daniel is a trial lawyer and founder of Virginia Hemp Lawyers™, where he provides legal counsel for cannabis business owners in business law matters and representation for cannabis-related criminal defense charges.

His cannabis business law practice provides legal guidance for regulations involving:

• Land use and zoning
• Soil testing
• Permits
• Manufacturing and processing
• Marketing and wholesale distribution
• Retail
• Agribusiness

Because marijuana is not fully legal in Virginia, cannabis business owners – namely, companies in Virginia’s hemp industry – may be charged with crimes related to their business. Tyson provides these legitimate and lawful business owners with a solid chance at countering their charges by applying his experience as a criminal defense attorney.

In addition to Virginia Hemp Lawyers™, Tyson is founder of The Daniel Law Firm PC, a full-service law firm in Roanoke, Virginia.  In addition to his Cannabis and Hemp practice, Tyson’s work includes litigation on behalf of defendants in criminal cases and serious traffic offenses, as well as plaintiffs in personal injury matters. Other attorneys in the merging firm handle family law, bankruptcy, elder law and real estate matters.

He previously served as Senior Assistance Capital Defender with the Capital Defense Unit for the Western District of Virginia. During his time on this team, Tyson advocated for defendants in numerous capital murder cases at the Circuit Court [trial court] level. All cases involving the CDU were those where the death penalty was a possible sentence.

Beyond his legal career, Tyson retains interests in privately held companies such as a distillery, a hemp company in Colorado, and another business that produces a non-toxic disinfectant more powerful than bleach.

_

Bar Admissions

• Virginia
• Virginia Supreme Court
• U.S. District Court Western District of Virginia

Professional Memberships

• Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
• Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• Roanoke City Bar Association
• Roanoke County/Salem Bar Association

Professional Recognitions

• Named among the “40 under 40” by Roanoke Business Magazine
• Selected by his peers for Legal Elite in Virginia Business Magazine
• Selected by his peers as a 2019-20 SuperLawyer

Russell Bennett, B.Sc., LL.B. - biography

Russell Bennett became a lawyer in 1997 prior to establishing a career in film and theatre production. In 1998, Bennett produced and co-directed the documentary STONED: Hemp Nation on Trial, which followed the trial of Christopher Clay, owner of Hemp Nation, Canada’s first hemp store. STONED premiered on CBC and was nominated for Best Political Documentary at Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival.

In 2004, Bennett co-wrote and performed The Reefer Man, a multi-character solo play that told the story of a lawyer who is arrested for growing award-winning cannabis in his basement but escapes to become an underground cannabis superhero. Bennett toured the award-winning play to fringe festivals and professional theatres across Canada. After the birth of the first of his three children, Bennett returned to the practice of insolvency and fraud recovery law.

On April 20, 2018, Bennett founded Cannabis Law, Barristers & Solicitors, a full-service cannabis law firm to help and protect small businesses and entrepreneurs as they grow. On behalf of litigants, Bennett regularly appears at the Superior Court, Provincial Court, Divisional Court and Court of Appeal of Ontario. A recent victory is Laska v. Wellington North, 2021 ONSC 8236 (CanLII), where Bennett and his co-counsel Tamar Friedman won an interim injunction for their clients, restraining the respondent from enforcing its two municipal by-laws against the clients' medical cannabis production facility.

To understand Canadian legalization and to help others understand the federal law, Bennett wrote the book, Canada's Cannabis Act: Annotation & Commentary, now in its fourth edition, 2022-2023.

Bennett posts on matters relating to cannabis and the law at cannabislaw.ca, and hosts the podcast Cannabis Law in Canada, which features long-form interviews with industry and legal experts.

With extensive experience in a broad range of corporate finance and commercial matters, Jeffrey offers clients a practical and business-minded approach to solving legal and regulatory challenges. He is skilled at isolating what is truly important in a complex business transaction and in identifying solutions. Jeffrey takes great care in tailoring his service to each client and providing strategic and insightful judgment to effectively further their business objectives.

Jeffrey is co-Practice Group Leader of the firm's Capital Markets Group and co-Chair of the Life Sciences Group. He is also a member of the firm's Corporate/Commercial, Mergers & Acquisitions/Private Equity and International Groups, as well as the Cannabis and Mines & Minerals Groups. He practises corporate law with an emphasis on public and private financings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and ongoing general corporate and commercial activities. Jeffrey’s experience includes numerous cross-border securities offerings (public and private), acting for U.S. buyers of Canadian entities or assets; acting for U.S. financiers of acquisitions in Canada; acting for Canadian sellers to U.S. buyers, and acting as Canadian counsel in connection with large, internationally-led transactions. He frequently advises mining, private equity, industrial, cannabis and psychedelics clients.

Jeffrey has recently been featured in the media with respect to the legal, regulatory and investment context for psychedelics in Canada.

In 2007, Jeffrey completed a six-month secondment with the Corporate Finance Branch of the Ontario Securities Commission where he was responsible for reviewing and clearing prospectuses and considering applications for relief from the requirements of the Securities Act (Ontario).

Lorenzo is Leader of the firm's Workplace Law Group. He has practised exclusively in the area of labour and employment law for over 30 years, representing employers on all areas touching labour and employment law, both provincially and federally. 

Lorenzo has developed a practical, business-oriented approach and has built a long list of loyal clients who depend on him for direct solutions, risk analysis and strategic advice. Cognizant of the time pressures and deadlines most employers experience in today’s workplace, he combines focused, calm and proactive advice with exceptional client service, while remaining approachable to all levels of the organization.

His expertise spans the broad spectrum of workplace law, whether it be defending employers against employee claims (wrongful and constructive dismissal, human rights, harassment) or dealing with a unionized workplace. He has extensive experience in grievance and labour board litigation, injunctive proceedings, responding to union organizing and applications for certification, collective bargaining and grievance arbitration. Lorenzo also advises his management clients on acquisitions, divestitures and restructurings, enforceability of restrictive covenants and the application of various labour and employment statutes. 

Lorenzo writes and speaks extensively. He is the originator of the Aird & Berlis Workplace Law webinar series which provides one hour webinars on current and topical labour and employment issues, and which offers practical advice and tips for employers in navigating the complex laws and rules of the workplace. He also has developed and presents management training seminars on a wide variety of topics, including human rights, union organizing defence strategies, strikes and lock outs, employment policies and procedures and risk management.

Lorenzo has served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers as well as a member of the Government Affairs Committee of the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario.

Sherri earns the trust of her clients by adeptly managing complex and time-sensitive corporate finance transactions and by providing relevant, business-focused solutions to corporate/commercial and capital markets issues. Her depth of perspective and understanding of corporate and securities law matters comes from her ongoing representation of clients ranging from small and medium enterprises to established multi-billion dollar corporations. Sherri effectively prioritizes issues on complex and time-sensitive transactions, and works diligently to ensure that outcomes align with her clients’ overall business goals.

Sherri is co-Practice Group Leader of the firm's Capital Markets Group, co-Chair of the Cannabis Group and Life Sciences Group and a member of the Corporate/Commercial, Mining, Capital Pool Company and Startups Groups. Her practice is focused on mergers, acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, public and private financings and ongoing corporate and commercial matters. She has developed specialized expertise in capital markets transactions in the REIT, cannabis, technology, psychedelics and mining sectors, including with respect to board governance, securities and financing matters.

Sherri regularly advises corporations on public offerings, private placement financings, flow-through financings, reverse takeovers, stock exchange listings, continuous disclosure, corporate governance and the formation and completion of qualifying transactions for companies established under the TSX Venture Exchange Capital Pool Company Program.

Sherri is a member of the TSX Venture Exchange Ontario Advisory Committee and a former member of the Ontario Securities Commission Small and Medium Enterprises Committee. Sherri previously completed a six-month term of secondment with the Corporate Finance Branch of the Ontario Securities Commission where she was responsible for reviewing and clearing prospectuses and considering applications for relief from the requirements of the Securities Act (Ontario). Sherri also instructs Corporate Finance at Windsor Law School and is a frequent public speaker. Additionally, Sherri is called upon by the media to comment on the legal, regulatory and investment issues surrounding psychedelics in Canada.

Sherri is recognized by The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as a leading lawyer in the area of Corporate Finance & Securities, after previously being named one of Lexpert magazine’s Rising Stars: Canada’s Leading Lawyers under 40. Sherri is also recognized as a leading lawyer in Cannabis Law by Chambers Canada and The Best Lawyers in Canada.

Jack Lloyd, Barrister & Solicitor is a cannabis and psychedelics lawyer based in Toronto. He articled with Lewin & Sagara LLP, a cannabis and psychedelics law firm in Toronto. After finishing articling he began working with Tousaw Law Corporation where he worked until the firm closed in 2018 at which time he began Lloyd Law Professional Corporation where he is now the principal lawyer. 

Tousaw Law Corporation was Canada’s foremost cannabis litigation boutique and was the firm responsible for R v Smith 2015 SCC 34 which was the per curiam decision from the Supreme Court of Canada which legalized cannabis edibles (and other extracts and derivative medicines) for medical cannabis patients in Canada. His practice consists primarily of criminal, regulatory, and constitutional litigation relating to cannabis and psychedelics regulation as well as regulatory consultancy work relating to the cannabis and psychedelics industry. He has appeared at all levels of court in Ontario and British Columbia, as well as the Supreme Court of Canada, always in relation to cannabis and psychedelics. Prior to becoming a lawyer, he was the editor at Green Candy Press, the world’s largest publisher of books about the cannabis plant and psychedelic mushrooms. He continues to edit select titles for Green Candy Press, including an update to Greg Green’s seminal book on cannabis genetics, The Cannabis Breeder’s Bible, as well as several cannabis cookbooks, including The Ganja Kitchen Revolution and Marijuana Chef Cookbook as well as The Psilocybin Mushroom Bible and The Psilocybin Chef Cookbook. He is the President of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in Canada (NORML Canada) where he advocates for sensible regulations concerning cannabis in Canada.