Cannabis in New York State: The intersection of cannabis and bankruptcy

William M.X. Wolfe | Syracuse University

William, a native of Chicago, graduated from the College of Law in 2020. Alongside his Juris Doctor (J.D.), William achieved a certificate for completing the Advocacy & Litigation Curriculum program. He was also honored with admission to the Order of the Barristers, co recipient of the Paul Shipman Andrews award, and awarded the “Outstanding Graduate” accolade for the class of 2020.

During his time in law school, William was a member of the Travis H. D. Lewin Advocacy Society, where he was a member of the ABA Arbitration Team and the BLSA Mock Trial Team. William also played pivotal roles within the Black Law Students Association (BLSA), serving as Social Chair from 2018 to 2019 and as President from 2019 to 2020.

Following graduation, William secured a position at Harris Beach PLLC, specializing in bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, litigation, and insolvency law. He also engaged in handling regulatory matters and litigation concerning New York State’s legalization of adult-use cannabis. Additionally, William serves on the Board of Directors for both ACR Health, Inc. and the Frank H. Hiscock Legal Aid Society.

Recently, William transitioned to a new role as Assistant General Counsel at Syracuse University within the Office of University Counsel. William is a frequent speaker on cannabis related topics and regularly contributes articles on licensing procedures and legislative developments in the field.

I. The Cannabis Industry | 12:00pm – 12:20pm

II. Access to U.S. Federal Bankruptcy Courts for plant-touching and ancillary businesses and overview | 12:20pm – 12:40pm

III. Out-of-Court Restructurings & Receiverships | 12:40pm – 1:00pm

Break | 1:00pm – 1:10pm

IV. NYS-specific regulations concerning cannabis | 1:10pm – 1:30pm

V. NY Cannabis Receiverships: Ideal structure based on what is contained in the regulations | 1:30pm – 1:50pm

VI. Pending NY Cannabis litigation matters | 1:50pm – 2:10pm