Get to Know BMD: Kate Crawford

Blog Post

February 18, 2025

Our “Get to Know BMD” series introduces you to the professionals who drive our firm’s success. We delve into the backstories of our team members, exploring their career paths, practice areas, and the passions that inspire their work. Get to Know BMD in this spotlight with Attorney Kate Crawford.

What is your practice area and why did you choose it?
My practice area is healthcare law. My personal experiences with our healthcare system and my background in the nonprofit sector sparked my interest in this area of law. Before pursuing a law degree, I was on the Medical Eligibility team at Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana. My role was extremely fulfilling and led me to discover my interest in healthcare compliance.

What do you enjoy most about practicing law?
While I am brand new to the practice of law, I have really enjoyed the variety of projects I have been able to work on so far. I am eager to continue learning and developing my practice. I have incredible mentors at BMD and look forward to what is in store for 2025!

What was your first job, and what did it teach you that you still use in your legal career today?
My first job was a summer internship at an electric company. I helped the company prepare for the renewal process of its franchises agreements which involved reviewing a lot of documents. This taught me the importance of attention to detail!

What is one goal you’ve set for yourself this year, professionally or personally?
This year I really want to learn how to cook!

Posted by Brennan Manna Diamond

Community Banks: Collaboration, not isolation, is the key to protecting/ enhancing the cannabis business you pioneered

August 26, 2022

As we prepare for the plenary session of the informal institutional cannabis lenders community announced in my previous article, I am pleased to advise that participants now include 5 of the best-known dedicated loan funds; a select group of commercial banks ranging in size from single state community banks to mid-size regionals making cannabis loans into the mid-8 figures; and, a syndicator of credit union cannabis loans.

Posted by Stephen Lenn

Non-compete Agreements are Under Fire: What Employers Need to Know

August 4, 2022

Non-compete agreements are an ongoing topic of dispute. Employers and their advocates point to the efficacy of non-competes in protecting proprietary information. Employees and their advocates argue about worker mobility and that employers unduly burden workers’ ability to seek better jobs. The Biden administration has put forth its position, and state legislatures have introduced bills addressing the enforceability of non-competes. Here is what you need to know:

Posted by Member Joshua R. La Bouef and Associate Andrew Freibert

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

May 13, 2022

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.

Posted by Stephen Lenn

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