Insights
Client Alerts & Articles
Practical updates on employment law developments, regulatory changes, and workplace trends that affect small and mid-sized employers. Written for operators, not lawyers.
Client Alert
Three Retail Wage-and-Hour Traps the FLSA Won't Catch
Multi-state retail employers alert. Three state-law wage-and-hour rules that sit outside the FLSA and drive real exposure: one-day-rest-in-seven counting differences (IL rolling seven days vs. NY calendar week, and the 12-consecutive-day trap), reporting pay (CT four-hour vs. NJ one-hour minimum), and premium pay without overtime (NY spread-of-hours and split shift, RI Sunday/holiday premium). Includes the lookback and liquidated-damages comparison, FLSA 2/3 years vs. IWPCA 10 years plus 5% monthly vs. NJ six years plus up to 200%.
Read the PDF →Nonexempt Doesn't Have to Mean Hourly: The Fluctuating Workweek
The fluctuating-workweek method under 29 C.F.R. § 778.114, fixed salary for nonexempt employees with a half-time overtime premium instead of time-and-a-half. When it fits (genuinely fluctuating hours, clear mutual understanding, salary that clears minimum wage in the longest weeks), how the 2020 DOL rule permits bonuses and premium pay on top, and the state-law carve-outs that make it unavailable in some jurisdictions.
Read the PDF →Tip Pooling: Know Where You Stand Before a Plaintiffs' Firm Finds Out for You
Cannabis employer alert. Seven things every dispensary employer should know about FLSA tip-pool rules, hybrid supervisor roles (Leads, Shift Supervisors, Agents-in-Charge), Illinois' 10-year lookback and 5% monthly penalties, one-way fee-shifting, and the class/collective exposure driving this national litigation trend.
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Article
Medical First, Recreational Later? DOJ's Cannabis Order and the Stakes Ahead
DOJ's April 23, 2026 order used treaty authority under 21 U.S.C. § 811(d)(1) to move FDA-approved and state-licensed medical cannabis to Schedule III immediately, eliminating 280E for medical operators and opening the door to retroactive refunds, while leaving adult-use cannabis in Schedule I pending a restarted administrative process. Analysis of the bifurcated framework, tax implications, social-equity tensions, hemp fallout, and litigation risk. Originally published by Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP on Lexology.
Read the PDF →The Elephant in the Room: Hemp Beverages Need a Carve-Out
Substack post making the case for an intoxicating hemp beverage carve-out in the FY 2026 Agriculture Appropriations bill, Section 781, why beverages are the most viable intoxicating hemp product under restrictive federal language, and what a workable regulatory path would look like.
Read on source →Executive Order: A Game Changer for Cannabis and Hemp
Analysis of the executive order reshaping the federal cannabis and hemp landscape and what it means for operators navigating the medical/adult-use divide, hemp-derived THC, and state-level compliance. Published on Mondaq.
Read on source →Unintended Consequences of a Federal Cannabis Framework
How well-intentioned federal cannabis reform could produce counterintuitive results for operators, social-equity licensees, and the hemp market. Published on JD Supra.
Read on source →AG Bill Wording Presents Existential Threat to Hemp Industry
Law360 coverage of the appropriations bill language that would functionally redefine 'hemp' under federal law and, if enacted, wipe out most of the hemp-derived cannabinoid market overnight.
Read on source →Illinois Cannabis Transport License Process Discriminates Against Minority-Owned Businesses, Lawsuit Alleges
Chicago Sun-Times coverage of the pro bono lawsuit challenging Illinois' cannabis transporter licensing process on behalf of minority-owned social-equity applicants.
Read on source →Illinois Cannabis Outlook 2025: Where Do We Go From Here?
A look at the state of the Illinois cannabis market heading into 2025, social equity rollout, oversupply and price compression, municipal opt-outs, and what operators should be watching from Springfield. Published on JD Supra.
Read on source →Hard Truths About Running a Cannabis Business
Rolling Stone Culture Council piece on the operational realities of running a cannabis business, capital access, 280E, compliance overhead, and the workforce and leadership discipline required to survive in a heavily regulated, federally illegal industry.
Read on source →What It's Like to Bank Cannabis
Rolling Stone Culture Council piece on the banking reality for cannabis operators, why so few institutions serve the industry, what compliance and reporting actually look like from the operator's seat, and how cash-heavy operations create operational and workforce risks beyond the headlines.
Read on source →How to Pivot Your Cannabis Company When Industry Challenges Come Your Way
Rolling Stone Culture Council piece on why a regulated cannabis operator might diversify into hemp-derived THC, the competitive pressure from unregulated hemp, state-by-state considerations, manufacturing compliance, and brand positioning. Written from the operator's seat at Dynamic Jack.
Read on source →What I Learned Raising Funds for Six Months for My Cannabis Company
Rolling Stone Culture Council piece on fundraising as a cannabis operator, why traditional capital is largely unavailable, the trade-offs between SAFEs, equity, and high-interest debt, and how a regulated investment crowdfunding campaign paired with a personal social-media strategy became the path forward for Dynamic Jack.
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Speaking
Green, Tested, and Protected: Reconciling ADA Rights in the Cannabis Workplace
Cannabis Law Institute 2025 (INCBA) panel examining how the ADA applies in the cannabis workplace, mental health accommodations, leave as a reasonable accommodation, and the tension between federal Schedule I status and state-protected patient/employee rights. Presented with Mark J. Neuberger, Alexander Pe, and Steven Avalos.
Read on source →Social Equity, Transporters, Rescheduling, and the Future of Hemp With Ali Jubelirer
The Cole Memo episode revisiting the Illinois independent transporter lawsuit, the 1,500-foot dispensary spacing rule, the collision between licensed dispensaries and hemp retailers, and how federal rescheduling could ripple through both industries.
Read on source →Green, Tested, and Protected: Reconciling ADA Rights in the Cannabis Workplace (On Demand)
On-demand recording of the Cannabis Law Institute 2025 (INCBA) session on the ADA in the cannabis workplace, mental health accommodations, leave as a reasonable accommodation, FMLA, short-term disability, and workers' compensation intersections. 1 hour CLE-eligible. Presented with Mark J. Neuberger, Alexander Pe, and Steven Avalos.
Read on source →Cannabis LawTalk Podcast: Women in Cannabis
Guest on Leech Tishman's Cannabis LawTalk podcast episode exploring women leaders in the cannabis industry, legal, operational, and cultural challenges, and what it takes to build and run a multi-state operator from the inside.
Read on source →The Cole Memo: Ali Jubelirer
Long-form interview on The Cole Memo covering the path from Groupon GC to cannabis general counsel, building legal and compliance functions inside a multi-state operator, and the realities of practicing in a federally illegal industry.
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Feature
Global Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers Directory 2025/26
Ali is named among the Global Top 200 cannabis lawyers for 2025–2026 by Cannabis Law Report & Cannabis Law Journal, recognized for her work advising operators, investors, and social-equity licensees in the U.S. cannabis industry.
Read on source →Loyola Law Magazine 2023
Loyola University Chicago School of Law's 2023 alumni magazine, featuring Ali among the alumni profiled.
Read the PDF →Leading Retirement Solutions Rescues Cannabis Industry with Most Compliant Cannabis 401(k) Benefits on the Market
PR Newswire announcement of a compliant 401(k) solution built for cannabis operators. Ali is quoted on the employee-benefits and workforce implications for an industry that has largely been shut out of mainstream retirement plans.
Read on source →Ex-Groupon Lawyer Discusses Decision to Join Cannabis Company
Corporate Counsel (Law.com) profile on the move from Groupon to general counsel of a cannabis operator, what drew her to the industry, how in-house legal work differs in a Schedule I environment, and what she was building on day one.
Read on source →Dynamic Jack CEO on Cannabis Crowdfunding Campaign
Albuquerque Business First coverage of Dynamic Jack's Mainvest crowdfunding campaign. Ali is quoted on why crowdfunding is an underused capital option for cannabis operators at a time when traditional funding has largely dried up.
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