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Brennan, Manna & Diamond Law Firm Promotes Four Attorneys in Akron and Jacksonville Offices

Blog Post

(Akron, Ohio and Jacksonville, Florida) – Brennan Manna Diamond (BMD), a business law firm with eight offices in Ohio, Florida and Arizona, has announced that Duriya (DD) Dhinojwala and Adrian Ribovich have been promoted from Partner to Member. Darren Jones and Bryan Meek have also been promoted from Associate Attorney to Partner.

Duriya (DD) Dhinojwala is an attorney in BMD’s Akron, Ohio office, having joined the firm in 2017. She focuses her practice on immigration law, creditor’s rights and bankruptcy. DD has represented clients in federal and state courts and has experience in mediation and arbitration proceedings. She also represents corporations, colleges, universities, governmental entities, as well as individuals, in all aspects of the immigration process by preparing and guiding them in all steps related to filing a petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). DD is a member of the Akron, Medina and Ohio State Bar Associations, as well as the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

DD was a Crain’s Cleveland 2020 Woman of Note. She co-chairs the firm’s Pro-Bono Committee and is a board member for Community Legal Aid in Akron. She is also the past chair and vice chair of India Sunday School in Akron. DD looks forward to joining a dynamic group of members who support the legal needs of our community and growing her immigration and bankruptcy practice.

Adrian Ribovich is an attorney in BMD’s Akron, Ohio office and focuses his practice in general corporate transactional law, tax, real estate and estate planning. His clients include non-profits, developers and title companies. He manages securities, registered offerings and private placement offerings. Adrian also assists restaurants and bars in the application and transfer process for liquor licenses and has significant experience forming non-profit organizations in the State of Ohio, including applying for income tax exemption with the IRS.

Adrian was excited to join BMD as an associate in 2010, transferring from a boutique firm in Toledo, Ohio. He saw opportunity at BMD, with its larger suite of practices and the ability to be involved in more complex transactions. Adrian is looking forward to expanding his practice and keeping the momentum going in 2021.

Darren Jones is an attorney in BMD’s Jacksonville, Florida office, focusing his practice on commercial litigation and real estate law. Joining the firm in 2013 from a national business law firm, he brings experience in a variety of civil actions in State and Federal court including contract disputes, construction litigation, complex class action defense, real property disputes, employment and labor litigation, creditor’s rights, eminent domain and condemnation matters.

Darren also works with financial institutions and property owners on real estate and transactional matters. He is a member of the Florida, Jacksonville and American Bar Associations.

Bryan Meek is an attorney in BMD’s Akron, Ohio office and focuses his practice in both employment and labor and healthcare law. He counsels a wide range of healthcare industry clients on issues such as contract disputes and government and private payor appeals and disputes. Bryan's labor & employment practice focuses on advising business owners and human resource departments relative to matters involving the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as both state and federal discrimination laws. He enjoys assisting start-up companies and other entities with employment and healthcare compliance. Bryan oversees the firm’s Summer Associate Program and also assisted in launching the firm’s Title IX practice. 

Bryan is a member of the Akron Bar Association Labor and Employment and Healthcare Law Sections, as well as the Ohio State and American Bar Associations. Bryan also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Tuesday Musical in Akron, Ohio. In 2021, he is looking forward to the return of live sports and music.

Brennan, Manna & Diamond was founded in 2000 with the goal of combining highly skilled, talented attorneys with practical experience in business matters to create a new way to provide legal and business services to its clients.

BMD’s access to a network of successful business entrepreneurs, consultants and developers allows for innovative solutions, symbiotic partnerships and sound legal and business advice for our clients. With 70 attorneys in eight offices – BMD serves clients of all types and sizes in numerous industry sectors nationwide. For more information, visit www.bmdllc.com.


Explosive Growth in Pot of Gold Opportunity for Bank (and Other) Cannabis Lenders Driving Erosion of the Barriers

Our original article on bank lending to the cannabis industry anticipated that the convergence of interest between banks and the cannabis industry would draw more and larger banks to the industry. Banks were awash in liquidity with limited deployment options, while bankable cannabis businesses had rapidly growing needs for more and lower cost credit. Since then, the pot of gold opportunity for banks to lend into the cannabis industry has grown exponentially due to a combination of market constraints on equity causing a dramatic shift to debt and the ever-increasing capital needs of one of the country’s fastest growing industries. At the same time, hurdles to entry of new banks are being systematically cleared as the yellow brick road to the cannabis industry’s access to the financial markets is being paved, brick by brick, by the progressively increasing number and size of banks that are now entering the market.

Celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

In recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI Heritage Month), Brennan Manna and Diamond is proud to recognize the contributions and achievements of our AAPI members.

Fluresh Cannabis’ Bank Loan: Moving Into the Mainstream

The announcement by Fluresh, a vertically integrated Michigan based cannabis business, of the closing of loans from a federally insured commercial bank totaling almost $50 million represents an important landmark for both Fluresh and the cannabis industry writ large. For Fluresh, perhaps as important as the bottom-line benefits of lower cost financing, the fact that its operations and financials passed muster with a substantial commercial bank can be regarded as an important rite of passage. For the industry, it reflects its inexorable movement out of the shadows and into the mainstream. This substantiates the view that, whether or not any of pending the federal legislation is enacted, bank lending to the cannabis industry will continue to accelerate.

Out of the Shadows | An Investor Summit Recap

After a COVID hiatus of more than 2 years, I rejoined the institutional cannabis investment speaker circuit, offering the closing remarks at the Kahner Global Cannabis Private Investment Summit in Coral Gables, Florida. My remarks addressed how banking developments are increasingly impacting cannabis investment, operating and financial strategies and decisions, for both plant touching and the growing array of ancillary businesses serving the industry.

BMD Announced in Best Law Firms 2022 List

We are excited to announce that BMD is included in the 2022 Edition of U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms,” recognized for professional excellence with consistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. The full firm report is included.