Claire Wells Hanson leads the firm’s Cannabis Litigation Team, and she stands out among industry practitioners due to her unique background and skill set. She is a commercial litigator by training. Having spent more than a decade practicing in the most sophisticated legal markets in the country, her practice focuses on contractual disputes, securities fraud, and business torts.
Education
Recognitions
National Law Journal Cannabis Trailblazer 2022
Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch, Environmental Law (2022), Commercial Litigation (2021-2022)
State Bar Licenses
Court Admissions
- Succeeded in defending vertically integrated marijuana business in ownership and license dispute, including first-chairing the 8 day trial. Our successful defense strategy was to teach the Judge that the plaintiff’s investment scheme was illegal under the marijuana regulations in place at the time, which required cross examining two “expert cannabis attorneys” who argued otherwise.
- Represented marijuana licensee in license revocation hearing and investigation in Pueblo, Colorado.
- Represented hemp licensee producing hemp derived delta-8 THC in MED investigation.
- Defended against securities fraud claims brought by investors in a CBD hemp venture.
- Represented a large group of investors in a Ponzi scheme. Represented them in various court actions, SEC investigation and Colorado Division of Securities investigation.
- Prosecuted securities fraud and other claims on behalf of investor in a marijuana technology business.
- Corporate counsel to marijuana dispensary and consumption lounge in West Hollywood, California.
Speaking Engagements
- “Securities Fraud in the Cannabis Industry,” Lecturer at University of Denver Sturm College of Law, March 2022
- “Practical Tips for Defending Depositions: Speaking Objections and Preserving Objections for Trial,” PEAK Training, April 2019