Attorney Frantz Ward, LLP, Cleveland
Mr. Farkas’s practice encompasses a variety of litigation matters, including commercial disputes and the litigation of lender liability, insurance coverage and consumer fraud claims. He has represented defendants in numerous class actions in state and federal courts. At Frantz Ward, Mr. Farkas has been one of the firm’s lead litigators, following and analyzing the potential liability for hemp-derived product producers.

Partner at Friedman & Nemecek, L.L.C., a Cleveland-based criminal defense law firm
Mr. Friedman’s practice is focused on criminal, cyber and white-collar matters. He represents individuals and entities across the United States and has served as counsel in Europe, Asia and South America. Mr. Friedman is the current president of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. He is a past-president of the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and was the first lawyer to be named its “Lawyer of The Year” in 2010. Mr. Friedman is a Fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers and served as president in 2018. He is an adjunct professor at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law where he has taught Cybercrime since 2006. In 2019, Mr. Friedman was named by his peers as Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year in Criminal Defense and General Practice in Cleveland. As a criminal defense lawyer, he has defended numerous investigations and prosecutions involving hemp.

Attorney Frantz Ward, LLP, Cleveland
Mr. Haggerty is chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. He represents clients in a wide range of litigation-related issues and serves as national coordinating and national trial counsel for companies facing significant exposures. Mr. Haggerty has extensive experience in designing and coordinating defense strategies and investigation efforts for clients ranging from closely-held corporations to Fortune 100 companies. He created the firm’s Cannabis Law and Policy Group in response to the increasingly complex issues surrounding the legalization of medical marijuana and hemp. This work has extended to providing representation to clients involving the vast array of issues created by the national movement to legalize hemp and recreational cannabis. Mr. Haggerty is regularly named to The Best Lawyers in America and Ohio Super Lawyers lists and is consistently rated AV Preeminent, the highest ranking, for attorney professional and ethical excellence by Martindale-Hubbell. He remains firmly rooted in his community by serving on several nonprofit boards and regularly provides pro bono representations to individuals and groups.

Attorney Frantz Ward, LLP, Cleveland
Mr. Haren represents growing businesses at each stage of their development and is regularly asked to serve as outside general counsel for his clients. In that role, he counsels his clients with respect to innumerable legal issues, including regulatory oversight, corporate governance, contract negotiations, risk management, litigation and other day-to-day business issues. Mr. Haren often works with his clients to overcome short-term regulatory and financial uncertainty to achieve long-term success in developing markets. He has also developed a national practice representing clients in the burgeoning cannabis industry. As a result, he has become one of the go-to marijuana and hemp business attorneys in Ohio. Working closely with his cannabis clients, Mr. Haren assists with license acquisition, zoning and municipal law, product labeling and packaging and regulatory compliance, in addition to providing ongoing business legal advice. Based on this expertise, he is an avid contributor to various local and national media outlets and often shares his expertise by speaking at national industry conferences and events.

Founder and Principal of CannaRev Solutions
CannaRev Solutions is a consulting company based in Columbus, Ohio, serving the interests of licensed cannabis and hemp businesses. Mr. May is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law, he has been a licensed attorney in the state of Ohio for 30+ years and has practiced in the areas of creditors’ rights, bankruptcy, real estate and small business law. Prior to working in the licensed cannabis industry, Mr. May was a multi-unit franchisee with Buffalo Wild Wings for 18 years. He also co-founded 17th Star Distributing, a distributor of craft beer located in Columbus, where he launched multiple breweries into the Ohio beer market. Since becoming a consultant, Mr. May has worked with medical marijuana applicants and licensees in multiple states, as well as startups looking to enter the emerging hemp industry, advising them on such matters as site selection, licensing, facility design/ construction and finance. His unique blend of legal and entrepreneurial experience enables him to provide a synergistic approach to his clients to help them grow their businesses.