Business Law
& Contracts

From starting up to operating a business, to buying and selling companies or winding down, and everything in between, I serve as your outside general counsel, helping you run your business legally and efficiently by identifying and expertly managing legal risks so you can confidently pursue your business purpose.

I currently represent sole proprietorships and small and mid- sized businesses and have previously counseled public companies and managed my own boutique law firm (Clark Howell LLP) for 10 years in California. The diversity of my client representations and lived experience means I focus quickly on the most efficient and effective path to accomplishing your current business purpose so you can make the most informed choices about your life’s work.

Legacy
Planning

Need to get your estate planning affairs in order?

The process of preparing for lifetime incapacity, the end of life and how we’d like to leave a legacy of care for those people, lands, and creatures we love the most can be daunting. It’s usually bottom of the “to-do” list. I can help make this easier for you and as pain free as possible by directing focus on what’s important to you in life so you can create a plan that checks all the boxes and feels alive and thriving.

Learn more about specific Estate Planning services here.

Industry Expertise

Still here? I’m as committed as ever to your successful navigation of this challenging time. For over 10 years across all legalized jurisdictions, I’ve served as outside general counsel to California’s best and most resilient legal cannabis operators, advising them on corporate transactions & governance, mergers & acquisitions, commercial contracts, and local and state regulatory and administrative matters.  Industry executives, organizations, private investors, and public companies have turned to me for this real world, earned experience and perspective.

I’ve advocated for the plant and advised the industry from the time when it was still a movement of nonprofit collectives and passionate growers committed to saving their way of life, through the bumpy road of legalization and regulation, to today’s never-more challenging and dynamic market. Clients hire me for my industry expertise, practical approach, sincere dedication, and broad legal experience. They say this makes me uniquely qualified to help them survive and thrive in the ongoing transition from prohibition to legalization. 

Over the years, I’ve been recognized by colleagues and clients for this work, which I continue to love doing
(30 Most Powerful Cannabis Attorneys, by MG Magazine;
75 Most Important Women in Cannabis, by Cannabis Business Executive; and by Super Lawyers Magazine annually since 2012). 

Relational Contracts &
Peace-Finding

What if legal agreements were designed to bring out the best in us?

My current growth edge and professional passion is in learning and collaborating to co-create new systems of law and policy that focus less on extraction and more on relational dynamics, care, and partnership with nature. 

This means that I relish working with purpose-driven, curious, open individuals and businesses interested in relational contracts and multi-stakeholder capital structures for values-centered businesses.

Learn more about the Relational Contracts Approach here.

What if a current misalignment or disagreement between partners could be an avenue to a new-found peace rather than the high-toll, potholed path to litigation and heartbreak?

The Relational approach can also be used effectively to find peace in separation or maybe a newly discovered alignment toward a renewed project.

Interested in seeing if your situation might benefit? Let’s chat.