An accomplished counselor and advocate, Nicole's practice combines a rare mix of expertise in business litigation, corporate and business counseling, criminal defense, and regulatory compliance, which is built on years of experience representing clients across an array of industries. With the benefit of this background, Nicole emphasizes her practice on serving the pioneers and new leaders of the bourgeoning medical marijuana and cannabis industry in a way that continues to cultivate the spirit of care and compassion upon which the movement was built.
With this as her guiding principal, her uniquely well-rounded set of skills make her a go-to lawyer for businesses and individual entrepreneurs in all phases of the business life cycle, from start-up to going concern, from entity formation to legally-compliant business operations and exponential growth.
In particular, Nicole has represented individuals, fiduciaries, and businesses both in the boardroom -- regarding all manner of business and corporate legal issues -- and in state and federal courts -- in a wide variety of complex matters, including all manner of business litigation, parallel civil, criminal and regulatory actions, high stakes tort, trade secret, and employment litigation, as well as trust and estate disputes.
Nicole earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and is completing her L.L.M. in Taxation at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. Nicole graduated with honors from Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in psychology and philosophy.
Prior to founding her own firm, she was an integral member of the boutique civil and criminal defense firm Clarence Dyer & Cohen LLP in San Francisco for eight years, which she joined after starting her career at Farella Braun + Martel LLP.
Nicole has been named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine and has been recognized several times as an "Attorney to Watch" by Chambers and Partners USA.
Nicole is active in the efforts to adopt medical marijuana regulations in California as well as national drug policy reform.
Nicole Howell Neubert
Ruey Slotnick
Ruey Slotnick graduated magna cum laude from National University of Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Science in paralegal studies. She was awarded a Master of Science in business administration with a concentration in alternative dispute resolution.
Ruey is an American Bar Association certified paralegal and is an active member of the Los Angeles Paralegal Association. She is an accomplished political fundraiser and, in her free time, volunteers for the Harriett Buhai Center in Los Angeles, which focuses on providing low income families with family law assistance. Ruey's professional expertise, training and and passion for the cannabis industry make her a vital asset to our team.
Phillip Schwartz
Phill graduated from Reed College in Portland Oregon, where he majored in Military History. He has worked extensively in the cannabis industry in both Oregon and California where he has completed projects to open successful and compliant dispensaries, manufacturing and cultivation locations. Since moving to Oregon, Phill has founded several businesses in the Portland area. Together he and Sam Chapman run New Economy Consulting, a firm providing cannabis industry real estate, business, compliance and marketing services to companies seeking to operate in the Oregon Cannabis Industry.
