Heavily regulated industries can present a quagmire of local, state and federal compliance issues for businesses operating or seeking to operate in these markets. Although the challenges facing regulated businesses are daunting, GrayRobinson’s Regulated Products Practice Group provides clients with the legal support and compliance guidance to successfully navigate the regulatory maze associated with the manufacturing, ordering, distribution, marketing, sale, administration and consumption of various products.
GrayRobinson’s Regulated Products Practice Group encompasses attorneys and compliance professionals with pertinent legal training and experience from the firm’s vast array of practice groups, ranging from intellectual property and venture capital to lobbying and regulatory compliance. Our full-service capabilities and experience, advising clients in other heavily regulated industries such as alcohol, tobacco, and food, make us uniquely situated to counsel clients in some of America’s newest and most heavily regulated industries.
As Florida ventures into the complex world of medical marijuana commerce and regulation, GrayRobinson attorneys are exceedingly qualified to offer counsel on interpretation of law surrounding the growth and distribution, commercial finance, sale, and ordering of marijuana for medical use. GrayRobinson is a national leader in the counsel of regulated industries, and is listed in Chambers USA legal guides as one of the strongest alcohol law groups in the country.
We are dedicated to helping our clients comply with both settled and emerging local, state and federal laws and regulatory policies that govern the financing, manufacturing, processing, distribution, marketing and retail sale of regulated products. Our commitment to those operating in a regulated product environment is evident in our efforts to inform clients regarding developing legal issues and evolving business landscapes.
The Regulated Products Practice Group attorneys and professionals leverage their diverse backgrounds to provide comprehensive legal representation to clients entering regulated product marketplaces. The group couples the firm’s nationally renowned regulatory compliance experience with a talented team of accomplished attorneys who are committed to exceeding the expectations of our clients and helping them succeed in incredibly complex and fast-growing industries.
We are prepared to assist in all aspects of these cutting-edge industries by providing customized, multi-disciplinary legal services in the following areas:
Banking & Finance
GrayRobinson’s banking and finance attorneys utilize a diverse range of talents to identify synergies that can effectively and efficiently address the challenges of establishing formal banking relations in the context of previously prohibited industries such as in that of medical marijuana. Start-up companies may require the financial services of the banking sector, and both start-ups and banks can employ our regulated products banking attorneys comprised of experienced banking regulatory compliance and white collar criminal attorneys, to navigate the U.S. Departments of Justice and Treasury’s banking enforcement policies for regulated businesses.
Corporate Formation
GrayRobinson’s corporate attorneys guide and advise emerging companies in the corporate creation and expansion process by providing guidance regarding the structure and mechanics required to create and sustain growth.
Employment & Labor
The size of your company (number of employees), nature of the regulated industry in which you operate, and your corporate structure and practices can significantly impact the federal and state employment and labor laws that will apply to and influence your business operations. GrayRobinson employment and labor attorneys work with employers within regulated products industries (such as manufacturers, growers, processors, distributors and retail dispensaries) and those in related or impacted industries (such as health care, manufacturing and service industry employers) to ensure compliance with employment and labor laws applicable to their workforces.
Government Relations/Lobbying
The GrayRobinson government team is comprised of numerous attorneys and governmental consultants throughout the state. We work collaboratively at the local government level as well as at the legislative, executive and Cabinet level in Tallahassee year round, so we are prepared to represent the myriad interests of businesses that are preparing to enter a regulated products industry in Florida. Because our team has strong connections with key elected officials and government regulators, we offer a unique perspective on the most efficient means of meeting our clients’ legislative and regulatory goals.
Health Care
GrayRobinson health care attorneys assist health care industry clients obtain and maintain compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements on the state level, as well as providing counsel on how to avoid violation of applicable federal laws. Our attorneys provide numerous services, including advice and counsel to health care providers regarding registration with the state to order medical-use regulated products for patients, (such as medical marijuana,) requirements for patients to use and possess regulated products, avoiding penalties health care providers may face for non-compliance with state and federal law and potential liability for involved players.
GrayRobinson attorneys are also keenly aware of, and are tracking, a Florida constitutional amendment that could have further impact on health care providers and the services they provide to patients. Our goal is to ensure health care providers comply with and stay abreast of developments in incorporating regulated products, like medical marijuana, into treatment and/or pain management for patients.
Intellectual Property
Intellectual property (“IP”), in many cases the most valuable and least-protected asset of companies and individuals, consists of several forms of intangible property, including copyrights, trademarks, patents and trade secrets. For business executives and creative individuals, these are vital components of success, especially in an emerging market. GrayRobinson’s intellectual property attorneys will help you protect your creations and innovations from unauthorized use and exploitation by third parties, allowing you to fully benefit from your entrepreneurial creativity.
Land Use
GrayRobinson’s land use attorneys handle virtually every type of land use proceeding potentially affecting the proposed location of a regulated business, including land code review, zoning, variances, special exceptions and development agreements.
Licensing & Regulatory Compliance
GrayRobinson attorneys and professionals advise and counsel growers, manufacturers, processors, distributors, and retail dispensaries on how to maintain licensure requirements, meet compliance responsibilities, and achieve business objectives by combining a team of experienced attorneys, compliance professionals and licensing specialists to provide a uniquely broad range of support services to regulated product licensees.
Medical Negligence, Civil Liability, and Professional Licensure Defense
GrayRobinson attorneys represent physicians and allied health providers in medical negligence claims, which may include issues related to ordering medical marijuana, and other related civil liability exposure that may potentially come from ordering or treating with medical marijuana. In addition, GrayRobinson attorneys represent healthcare providers in investigations conducted by AHCA, the Florida Department of Health, and various licensing boards, with regard to potential actions taken against professional licenses.
Taxation
GrayRobinson’s tax attorneys recognize that regulated businesses face the highest tax rates of any industry, a critical component of the regulatory structure governing these industries, and have experience offering tax compliance guidance and structuring transactions to facilitate tax planning and tax avoidance.
