Member Spotlight: Fox Rothschild, LLP

Member Spotlight: Fox Rothschild, LLP

Member Spotlight

About Fox Rothschild

 

Bill Bogot

Fox Rothschild, LLP: foxrothschild.com

Bill Bogot is a Partner and Co-Chair of the Cannabis Law Practice at Fox Rothschild LLP based in the firm’s Chicago office. After years spent focused on Illinois’ gaming industry, Bill transitioned to the cannabis space when medical cannabis was approved in 2013. 

Tell us about your company?

Fox Rothschild is a national law firm with 950 lawyers in 28 offices across the country. My focus for years was on the Illinois gaming industry, including working for the Illinois Gaming Board.  When Illinois passed the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act, which legalized medical marijuana in the state, we realized that the competitive applications for medical marijuana licenses were not too dissimilar from competitive casino licenses, including the background information and all the regulatory requirements that need to be met.  My partners and I, as prior gaming regulators, had a lot of experience with competitive applications and intense regulatory scrutiny.   As a result, we got in on the front end of providing legal services to those seeking medical cannabis licenses in Illinois and other states, and later adult-use cannabis licenses as well.  

What role does your company play in the cannabis industry?

We provide a full spectrum of legal services to a wide range of cannabis-related businesses across the country and here in Illinois. Because we started this work very early on, initially we only worked with smaller-scale entrepreneurs who were exploring the industry. Some of these were family businesses or groups of friends that were trying to build a little team to get their business started. And we became a resource for these groups of folks just starting out. It was great to start here in Illinois because it became a breeding ground for some of the largest multi-state cannabis operators, which we then witnessed blossom and grow into national players.  

Bill Bogot, Partner and Co-Chair of the Cannabis Law Practice, Fox Rothschild, LLP

Bill Bogot is a Partner and Co-Chair of the Cannabis Law Practice at Fox Rothschild LLP based in the firm’s Chicago office. After years spent focused on Illinois’ gaming industry, Bill transitioned to the cannabis space when medical cannabis was approved in 2013. 

What guidance would you give to someone considering entering the cannabis industry?

People entering the industry understandably have so many questions, not only because they’re new to the industry, but because the industry itself is so new and still federally illegal. The biggest piece of advice I give them when dealing with a competitive application process is: be prepared for delays. It’s the unfortunate reality of the cannabis industry across the country, that with the byzantine regulatory structures,  politics and lawsuits, there are invariably delays. We see this of course in the delay in issuing new competitive dispensary licenses in Illinois. The more you’re prepared for it, the better you can manage it.

 

 

What excites you about the cannabis industry?

Because we’ve been involved in it from the start, we’ve really seen the entire industry form and grow around us. I’ve been in law for almost three decades and it’s very satisfying to still be finding solutions to new issues that arise every day, whether it concerns restrictions on advertising, constitutional challenges to agency regulations, or navigating a new state that legalized marijuana.  Every day seems to be a great legal challenge.

It’s also been really satisfying to see our clients grow and succeed. I still remember introductory meetings almost a decade ago with small would-be cannabis license applicants that are now public companies. To be a part of that success is really special.  Now we just need to see that happen again when and if the next round of licenses are finally issued.  There are so many talented applicants being held back right now, but I’m really excited to see them succeed when they are finally licensed. 

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