Benjamin M. Rattner – Cermele & Wood LLP

Benjamin M. Rattner leads the cannabis practice at his law firm, Cermele & Wood LLP.  He represents pre-operational and operational clients throughout the cannabis and hemp industries, along with numerous ancillary businesses.  Ben routinely negotiates leases and land deals, drafts licensing and purchase agreements, and drafts the documentation necessary to form and operate cannabis businesses.  He also counsels clients about brand protection, marketing, and advertising.  Ben uses his background as a seasoned litigation attorney to guide clients through business divorces, contractual disputes, and intellectual property disputes. 

Ben is one of the contributors to the Hudson Valley Cannabis Industry Association’s and the New York City Cannabis Industry Association’s Report & Recommendations on New York’s Cannabis Licensing Regulations.  He also served on the Cultivation Committee for the Cannabis Association of New York.  In addition, Ben has taught other attorneys about New York cannabis-related matters through a continuing legal education seminar called Grass Class. 

For these and other activities, Ben was recently recognized as a 2023 Cannabis Industry Power Player by PoliticsNY and amMetro New York, and was named the Best Cannabis Lawyer in New York (2023) by Green Market Report. 

Publications & Media Appearances

• The Lawsuit that Nobody’s Talking About Could Have Grave Implications for NY’s Social and Economic Equity Program  – NY Cannabis Insider, September 18, 2023
• Big Trouble Lies Ahead for New York’s Legal Cannabis Supply Chain – NY Cannabis Insider, April 3, 2023
• MSOs Beware: A NY Trademark Lawsuit Involving Cookies Foreshadows What’s to Come – NY Cannabis Insider, October 4, 2022
• Is New York Setting Up Adult-Use Cannabis Licensees to Fail? – NY Cannabis Insider, August 11, 20222
• Quoted in:  Another Proximity Protection Lawsuit Surfaces Against NY Cannabis Regulators, with Possibly More on the Way- NY Cannabis Insider, June 13, 2024
• Quoted in:  Confusion, Uncertainty in New York amid Fallout from Cannabis Audit and Resignation of Key Regulator –
• Green Market Report, June 6, 2024
• Quoted in:  New York License Winners Find Creative Ways to Sell Already – Green Market Report, January 17, 2024
• Quoted in:  N.Y. Cannabis Board Settles Suits, Paving Way for Dispensaries to Open
  – The New York Times, November 27, 2023
• Quoted in:  NY Promised Pot Store Loans Would Build Wealth and Create Equity.  Instead, They’re Loading Businesses with Steep Costs – The City, November 16, 2023
• Quoted in:  New York Cannabis Licensing Underway, but Questions Still Abound – Green Market Report, October 12, 2023
• Quoted in:  Smoke and Mirrors: Inside the Murky $200M Effort to Kickstart NY’s Marijuana Industry – NY Cannabis Insider, December 1, 2022

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