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Everything you need to know about BMD and the industry.

You Know ADR, But What About EDR?

Blog Post

Featured in the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal and the Orange County Bar Association's "The Briefs"

BMD Member Bob Hager and Partner Jessica Hew recently co-authored a featured article for the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal and the Orange County Bar Association's magazine, "The Briefs." Discover their insights on strategically selecting dispute resolution methods and effective implementation tips by reading the full article here. 

Resolution of Legal Disputes
Most lawyers are familiar with mediation and arbitration as alternative forms of dispute resolution. Contracts often require the parties to engage in non-binding mediation as a condition precedent to filing a Complaint or Demand for Arbitration. Local Rules of Court and Case Management Orders often include provisions for court-ordered mediation as a method of reducing the number of civil actions which proceed to trial. Lawyers have various tools available to help clients resolve their disputes. Strategic selection of the preferred dispute resolution method must be made by attorneys and their clients on a case-by-case basis.

While litigation is necessary and appropriate in certain circumstances, it certainly has disadvantages as pointed out by Abraham Lincoln:

Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser - in fees, expenses, and waste of time. As a peacemaker the lawyer has a superior opportunity of being a good [person]. There will still be business enough.

With these words of wisdom in mind, lawyers should be creative when deciding how to bring value to and best serve their clients.

Read the full article in the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal or the Orange County Bar Association's "The Briefs."


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.

Key Takeaways from BMD’s Banking and Cannabis Webinar

Estimates have shown that the cannabis industry is one of, if not the, fastest growing industries in the United States in recent years, with no sign of slowing. Growth requires capital. Banks need loans, and cannabis companies, which are rapidly becoming bankable need access to lower cost bank lending. While cannabis remains federally illegal, an impediment to access to financial institution credit, banks and credit unions are nevertheless entering the market in increasing numbers.

American Heart Association's 2021 Go Red For Women

The BMD Season of Giving in 2020 was a great way to help out organizations that help others. Continuing community involvement in 2021, we will be looking to the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign. Healthcare and Hospital Law Member and Vice President Amanda Waesch is the Chair of Go Red for Women for the American Heart Association, which is kicking off the 28 days of Heart Health. Show your support on February 5th with “Wear Red and Give” Day. Consider hosting a Jeans Day every Friday in the month of February at your place of business in support of Go Red For Women, even encouraging remote employees to participate. Snap a pic of your team members in their red gear and post on social media (socially distanced in person or a virtual group photo will work, too!) – see the toolkit here for sharing on your favorite social platforms. Click here to learn more and donate to the GRFW Campaign.