Chambers and Partners, a London-headquartered research company that publishes detailed rankings of the world’s leading law firms and lawyers, recently named Harris Bricken one of the top cannabis law firms in the United States and singled out two of our cannabis business lawyers for special recognition. Harris Bricken has once again been recognized by Chambers
Register HERE! As the march toward legalization in the US goes on, there are more Canadian companies and brands looking to enter the US market and many US companies and brands looking to understand and potentially enter the Canadian market. This Cross-Border Cannabis event, presented by Torkin Manes LLP and Harris Bricken, provides an opportunity to understand the
By means of a series of emergency decrees the legislature significantly limited the original principle of liberal investment politics in Spain just before summer. Recently, new restrictions entered into force. In Royal Decree-Law 34/2020, of 17 November, effective 19 November, the Spanish government yet again tightened control mechanisms for foreign investment in Spain. Our partner
What are the legal issues involved in selling product worldwide over the internet? The following questions make up an initial checklist for companies looking to sell their products internationally over the internet. 1. What type of legal entity(ies) are you going to want? Where will you want them? These two questions must be answered in
The inauguration of President Joe Biden will undoubtedly mark the start of a new era in foreign direct investment in the United States. The U.S. has for a long time been the world’s largest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI), but the unpredictable legislative and regulatory environment of the past four years (see here, here,
With a GDP of $20 trillion and a population of 325 million people, the United States is the world’s largest consumer market. Household spending is the highest in the world, accounting for more than a quarter of global household consumption, and free trade agreements with 20 countries provide enhanced access to hundreds of millions of
Listen HERE or stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, or Soundcloud! The large-scale shift to telework brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is prompting businesses around the world to explore new avenues to engage with clients and friends. Harris Bricken is no exception, and we are proud to announce our new podcast series: Global Law and Business, hosted
Listen above or stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play or Stitcher! The large-scale shift to telework brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is prompting businesses around the world to explore new avenues to engage with clients and friends. Harris Bricken is no exception, and we are proud to announce our new podcast series: Global Law and Business, hosted by
大多数的大麻业客户在聘请我们时，都至少对他们的律师的要求有点儿头绪。他们对商标注册、企业文件起草和法律合规性审查等方面的法律要求都有一定的了解，并知道自身需要什么样的帮助。向我们咨询筹资交易的企业和个人，则通常都对证券法缺乏了解。这是很正常的，因为证券法是一个极具挑战性、复杂且经常被人（甚至部分律师）误解的法律领域。 本文的目的是让您对交易过程中何时可能出现证券法的问题有一个基本的了解，好让您更清楚地知道何时需要证券法相关的帮助。 联邦和州的证券法旨在保护投资者。1929年的股市崩盘导致许多投资者血本无归后，对保护投资者的法律的需求变得显而易见。联邦证券法于1933年和1934年通过，以确保投资者在投资前获得企业所披露的完整与公正信息。投资者如果拥有足够的信息，我们作为社会大众不介意他们承担投资的风险。但是被欺骗或无法充分了解投资所涉及风险的投资者，可以通过几种法律途径针对出售证券给他们的公司或个人采取法律行动。除了联邦证券法，大多数的州也通过了本州的证券法，或称“蓝天法”，以保护投资者免于“如投资几尺‘蓝天’一样无稽之谈的投机性计划”。 在处理任何与投资相关的课题时，第一个问题通常是该投资是否涉及证券。何为证券？您可以在这里找到联邦政府对其的定义和法规，也可以在这里找到州法律定义的例子。简单来说，证券可以是公司股票、有限责任公司会员制单位、公司债券等。它们作为一种利润分享付款或保证债务偿还的无形权利，被企业用来换取投资者的金钱以增长或扩张业务。这是对一个非常复杂的概念的简单和概略的描述性解释，具体问题需要依照法律的规定并咨询律师来操作。 证券法一般来说要求企业在发行证券时进行大量且实质性的注册和信息申报，特别情形除外。大多数的证券产品，尤其是小型企业的证券产品，可以免于这些冗长的正式申报，但是即使是豁免的企业，通常也会被要求向州和联邦做通知性申报。另外，即使企业涉及的交易无须向政府注册或通知政府，一般来说还是需要在筹资前向投资者披露某些与企业相关的具体信息。 每个寻求通过发行债务或股权融资筹集资金的企业（无论是大麻或其它业务）都必须通知投资者其基本商业计划、处理所筹集的资本的计划、其财务预测（包括投资者的预期回报窗口），以及列明可能导致企业无法偿还投资者的风险因素。这些风险因素是关键，必须由证券投资顾问起草。每个企业都有自己的风险，因此它们不能照搬全用。这些声明可能看起来让人恐惧，并可能会使得倾向于规避风险的投资者望而却步。然而这可以说是重点所在，因为要规避风险的人不应该将他们的资金投入私人公司，这在本质上是有风险的。 大麻业务的风险因素看起来会更加吓人。他们会说：“联邦政府可能会突击搜查我们、查封所有的设备和库存、逮捕所有的员工、官员和投资者，包括你在内”等之类的话。公司不应该淡化投资的风险。这似乎有悖常理，但是在一开始就让投资者充分了解他们所面对的风险是在为公司提供法律保障。如果一家公司注销而无法偿还投资者，必须证明投资者已经了解所有的风险并知道其投资的安全性是没有保证的。 投资者之间的股票销售也受到证券法的影响，尤其是非注册发行的公司股票。请参阅美国证券交易委员会对此课题的说明。 大麻公司目前是小型企业投资市场的热门商品。许多大麻公司迫切需要资本，许多投资者则把大麻产业视为“明日之星”。但请警惕任何在寻求投资者时不愿意完全披露该投资风险、或是不遵守相关证券法的公司。 如果您需要向律师咨询，请联系： Robert McVay 律师，电话(1) 206-224-5657，邮箱robert@harrisbricken.com。
