I am a co-founder of the LPS Diversity Committee. I grew up in two very different places: one, with my single mother, a few very homogeneous, wealthy suburbs of San Francisco; the other, with my father, a predominately Hispanic rural community in Northern New Mexico. In each community and by each parent I was taught to fight for my own place in addition to advocating for the rights of others.

I translated that upbringing into a lifetime of drug policy reform, advocacy, and education. Immediately after law school I was fortunate enough to help challenge everything from asset forfeitures and unconstitutional searches to systemic biases against THC. Later in my practice, I worked at a leading US-based biotech company on environmental and drug development issues, helping to secure access to clinical trials for those most in need.

To improve the lives of attorneys working in cannabis and the level of services they can provide I co-founded the International Cannabis Bar Association and remain as a “super volunteer” on the advisory board. I also co-founded the Bar Association of San Francisco Cannabis Law Section, where I sparked the San Francisco Cannabis Equity Program pro bono panel to provide meaningful and free legal representation to local social equity applicants. I am a frequent speaker on all matters cannabis, had the honor of being on the “Weed Wonks” podcast (August 13, 2020), and recently developed the curriculum for key cannabis classes at City College of San Francisco where I will teach. I was also honored to be on the team that drafted the Simple Agreement for Future Equity (“SAFE”) for Y Combinator to reduce costs of capital raises for California cannabis companies while better maintaining founder and minority rights.  

I am looking forward to making more headway and developing more options for everyone to participate in the industry of their choice.