California Cannabis and Hemp Business Attorney for Operators and Investors

Shay Aaron Gilmore is a California cannabis and hemp business attorney who works exclusively with operators and investors across the state’s regulated cannabis and industrial hemp supply chains. With more than two decades of experience practicing law, Shay counsels licensed cannabis operators, registered hemp cultivators and manufacturers, family-owned companies, social equity entrepreneurs, and institutional and private investors on the full range of business transactions and regulatory matters that arise in California’s complex — and increasingly convergent — cannabis and hemp markets.

Shay has helped dozens of businesses procure or maintain state and local cannabis licenses and hemp registrations, successfully closed millions of dollars in mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions for operator and investor clients across both the cannabis and hemp sectors, and donated hundreds of hours of pro bono legal services to the cannabis social equity movement.

What Operators and Investors Can Expect

As outside general counsel to cannabis and hemp businesses and their investors, Shay provides strategic advice and hands-on legal execution across two distinct but closely related regulatory frameworks. For cannabis clients, he counsels on the ownership, financial-interest, and operational restrictions imposed by California’s Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) and the rules of the California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC). For hemp clients, he navigates the federal Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill), the California Industrial Hemp Program administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and the Industrial Hemp Enrollment and Oversight (IHEO) Authorization process administered by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) under Assembly Bill 45 (AB 45).

With federal hemp reform narrowing the definition of legal hemp and California’s AB 8 channeling intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoid products into the licensed cannabis supply chain, Shay’s fluency in both regulatory worlds positions him to guide operators and investors through the convergence of these two markets.

Each client receives not just personalized attention, but an undivided duty of loyalty — a core advantage of working with a dedicated solo practitioner rather than a firm that divides focus across practice areas and teams.

Legal Services Across the Cannabis and Hemp Supply Chains

Shay’s legal services span the entire business life cycle for cannabis and hemp operators and investors, from initial entity formation through exit:

• Business entity formation and governance — structuring LLCs, corporations, joint ventures, and multi-entity platforms with governance frameworks designed for regulatory compliance and investor protection under both the cannabis and hemp regulatory regimes
• Private mergers and acquisitions — buy-side and sell-side representation in asset purchases, equity acquisitions, reorganizations, and other change-of-control transactions across the cannabis and hemp supply chains
• Private equity, venture capital, and other financings — convertible notes, SAFEs, preferred equity rounds, and structured investments calibrated to state-law ownership and financial-interest restrictions (cannabis) and federal and state compliance requirements (hemp)
• Supply chain and commercial contracts — manufacturing, distribution, white-label, IP licensing, services, and vendor agreements for both cannabis and hemp product companies
• Cannabis licensing and regulatory compliance — new DCC license applications, ownership restructurings, provisional-to-annual conversions, and ongoing compliance counseling with the Department of Cannabis Control
• Hemp registration and regulatory compliance — CDFA industrial hemp cultivation registration, CDPH IHEO Authorization for hemp manufacturers, compliance with state cannabinoid regulations, and guidance on the evolving federal hemp framework
• Local permitting and land-use approvals — securing permits and authorizations before California cities and counties for cannabis and hemp operations, aligned with local ordinances and state requirements
• Real estate acquisitions, leasing, and zoning — site selection, due diligence, lease negotiation, and zoning analysis for compliant cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and retail locations
• Employment and labor counsel — workforce policies, employment agreements, independent contractor compliance, and dispute-avoidance strategies tailored to cannabis and hemp operations
• Administrative law and regulatory enforcement — responding to notices of violation, regulatory inspections, and remediation planning before the DCC, CDFA, CDPH, and local agencies

Shay’s clients range from single-license cannabis startups and registered hemp cultivators to institutional investors and multi-site enterprises across California, including San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, Santa Cruz, and the North Coast.

Recognized Among California’s Top Cannabis and Hemp Lawyers

California’s highest-circulation legal newspaper, The Los Angeles/San Francisco Daily Journal, has recognized Shay as one of the Top 20 Cannabis Lawyers in California. Super Lawyers® Magazine has listed Shay as a Northern California Super Lawyer in Cannabis Law and in Business & Corporate Law, and as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Northern California across all practice areas. Shay is also named among the Top 200 Global Cannabis Lawyers by Cannabis Law Journal.

The State Bar of California has recognized Shay with the Wiley W. Manuel Pro Bono Service Award for his commitment to access to justice. He has also served as a Commissioner on the State Bar of California’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation, contributing to the evaluation of candidates for the California bench.

Shay is admitted to practice in California. His bar profile is available on the State Bar of California Attorney Search.

Cannabis and Hemp Industry Leadership

Shay holds leadership positions in the cannabis and hemp industry’s most prominent trade and professional organizations:

• International Cannabis Bar Association (INCBA) — Board of Directors member, helping shape education and best practices for cannabis and hemp lawyers worldwide
• California Lawyers Association — Chair of the Cannabis Practitioners Group, a statewide group of attorneys dedicated to cannabis and hemp law practice in California
• Bar Association of San Francisco — Co-Founder of the Cannabis Law Section, launched at the dawn of California’s legal adult-use market
• National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) and California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA) — active member contributing to legislative advocacy, tax reform, and industry policy development across the cannabis and hemp sectors
• California NORML Legal Committee — longtime member

Through these roles, Shay contributes to policy development and thought leadership that directly affects cannabis and hemp operators and investors throughout California — and he brings those insights back to the clients he serves.

Social Equity, Community Service, and Pro Bono Work

Shay believes that legal, reliably tested, environmentally sustainable, and socially equitable cannabis and hemp should be accessible in every corner of California.

In San Francisco, Shay donates hundreds of hours of pro bono legal services to verified equity applicants through San Francisco’s Cannabis Equity Program, helping entrepreneurs overcome barriers to entry, secure and maintain local authorization, and obtain state licenses. Appointed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Shay has served on the San Francisco Cannabis Oversight Committee, advising on regulatory implementation and community impact.

Background — From BigLaw and In-House Financial Counsel to Cannabis and Hemp Attorney

Before founding The Law Office of Shay Aaron Gilmore in 2018, Shay practiced at major national and international law firms, where he handled complex commercial litigation, employment litigation, and regulatory compliance matters. He also served as in-house corporate counsel in the legal departments of two major financial institutions, advising on corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, product development, commercial transactions, government affairs, and regulatory compliance.

This background in complex, highly regulated industries informs every aspect of Shay’s cannabis and hemp practice — from structuring sophisticated investment transactions to managing regulatory risk across multiple agencies, including the DCC, CDFA, and CDPH.

Education

Shay earned his J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law and his B.A. in Economics from Rice University, grounding his legal practice in both rigorous legal training and a deep understanding of market dynamics and capital formation.

Publications, Speaking, and Media

Shay regularly writes and speaks on cannabis and hemp law developments affecting operators and investors. Recent work includes analysis of California cannabis M&A in 2026 at the intersection of federal rescheduling momentum, hemp bans, and state integration; coverage of how a new federal hemp ban meets California’s AB 8 in a regulatory squeeze on the hemp industry; a review of the cannabis laws of the 2025 California Legislative Session published in The Los Angeles/San Francisco Daily Journal; coverage of more than a dozen cannabis and hemp bills introduced in the 2026 California Legislative Session; and a comprehensive review of 2025 California cannabis litigation and case law.

A list of publications, speaking engagements, and media appearances is available on the Media page.

Schedule a Consultation

Whether you are a licensed cannabis operator looking to expand, a hemp cultivator or manufacturer navigating CDFA registration and CDPH IHEO requirements, a startup seeking your first license or registration, or an investor evaluating opportunities across California’s regulated cannabis and hemp markets, Shay Aaron Gilmore provides the business law counsel you need to move forward with confidence. Visit the Legal Services page to learn more, or contact The Law Office of Shay Aaron Gilmore at (415) 846-6397 or shay@shaygilmorelaw.com to schedule a consultation.