Omar Figueroa

Bar / Professional Activity

• California State, 1998
•  NORML Legal Committee, Lifetime Member
• Sonoma County Bar Association, Member of the Board of Directors, 2025
• California Attorneys for Criminal Justice
• National Cannabis Industry Association, Former Director
• Director of the Cannabis Travel Association International, formerly the California Cannabis Tourism Association (CCTA) which serves to promote the development of safe and responsible cannabis tourism, unify the cannabis and tourism industries, and advocate for an enabling regulatory environment and promoting best practices in this space.
• International Cannabis Bar Association, Founding Lifetime Member and Director Emeritus, 2019

Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)

• Member of team which obtained a $415,000 settlement in a federal RICO action filed against the City of Rohnert Park, alleging constitutional violations in connection with the seizure of three pounds of cannabis from our client., 2019

Videos

• Featuring attorney Andrew Kingsdale (admitted in New York and California) in conversation with Omar Figueroa (admitted in California)., Strategies for the Cannabis Market in New York, Cannabis, 2022
• Omar is a Member of the Ganjier Founder's Council, and helped establish a certification program for cannabis sommeliers., Omar Figueroa Teaches Artfully Executed Cannabis Service, Cannabis, 2020

Special Licenses / Certifications

• Earned certificate after completing the "Boards That Lead: Corporate Governance That Builds Value" program at the Aresty Institute of Executive Education at Wharton in Philadelphia., 2019
• Mediation Certificate from Community Boards in San Francisco after completing 40-hour training course, "The Basics of Mediation.", 2017

Pro bono / Community Service

• Dismissal against animal rights activist facing multiple felony charges in Sonoma County, Defender
• Cannabis activist and grower Eddy Lepp (San Francisco federal court), Defender
• All charges dismissed with no jail against animal rights activist facing prison time and multiple felony charges for protesting mistreatment of farm animals in factory farms in Sonoma County., 2024
• Benevolent hacker Pimpshiz, motivated by a desire to alert authorities to flaws in the information infrastructure (Oakland federal court), Defender
• No jail time and no felony conviction against a member of the so-called Paypal 14 in the Northern District of California (San Jose federal court), Defender
• Hung jury trial in the Southern District of California (San Diego federal court) with no jail time against legendary activist Rod Coronado, Defender
• Dismissal against septuagenarian forest defender in Humboldt County, Defender
• No jail time against journalist Will Parrish in Mendocino County, Defender
• Dismissal of state charges against OG computer hacker Kevin Mitnick in Los Angeles County, Defender
• Dismissal of the first federal prosecution brought under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, Defender
• Sonoma County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California, Board Member
• Member of Board of Directors of Sebastopol Center for the Arts., 2025
• Successfully obtained Notice of Allowance for Equity Trade certification mark for Original Equity Group., 2021
• Case dismissed against septuagenarian forest defender accused of trespassing to prevent unlawful logging on Rainbow Ridge in Humboldt County., 2020
• Member of Sonoma County Cannabis Advisory Group. Appointed by Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to Cannabis Advisory group and served for two years, from mid-2017 to mid-2019., 2019
• Led team which authored first amicus brief filed by the National Cannabis Bar Association (now the International Cannabis Bar Association) in a key case involving the scope of the attorney-client privilege for Jessica McElfresh, a San Diego attorney facing criminal prosecution along with her client., 2017

Educational Background

• Trial Lawyers College, 2006
• Yale College, Bachelor of Arts, Major: Philosophy, 1992

White Papers

• This Expert Analysis was published in Law360., The MORE Act's Possible Impact on State-Licensed Cannabis Companies, Cannabis, 2022
• Law 360 Expert Analysis explaining California's OCal comparable-to-organic program and identifying opportunities for cannabis companies., California's Organic Cannabis Program: Issues And Opportunities, Cannabis, 2022

Scholarly Lectures / Writings

• Ganjier Council, Member
• This book is indispensable for everyone who needs to understand the rules of the cannabis game in the Golden State. In this book, updated for 2023, one will find: A carefully curated compendium designed to give the reader a deep understanding of the laws and regulations which govern cannabis and hemp in California A Table of Contents with detailed section descriptors Charts of California cannabis license types A handy Index for ease of reference., Author, Compiler, Publisher, 2023 California Cannabis Laws and Regulations, Lux Law Publishing, Cannabis, 2023
• CLE panelist during the Cannabis Law Sessions at MJBizConNEXT in New Orleans, presented by the International Cannabis Bar Association. The Lawyers Perspective: Accepting Your First or Five-Hundredth Cannabis Client4:30PM - 5:30PMRepresenting cannabis clients presents a minefield of issues for the unwary lawyer, over and above questions relating to the conflict between state and federal law. Every day, cannabis attorneys struggle with questions like, what makes a good cannabis client? Can lawyers ethically represent multiple, competing cannabis clients? What terms are essential in a cannabis client engagement letter? How can lawyers ethically and effectively lobby on behalf of clients? What kinds of reputation issues do cannabis attorneys face in the industry? How should lawyers structure and accept fees from cannabis clients? The panel will walk through all of these issues and more to provide attendees with a solid understanding of both the ethical and practical considerations associated with representing clients in this exciting industry. Jason Klein, Offit Kurman Andy Bowers, Andy Bowers & Associates Sara Presler, Presler Consulting, LLC Amy McDougal, Clear Resources Omar Figueroa, Law Offices of Omar Figueroa, 2019
• Taught legal ethics CLE entitled "Ethical Considerations and Legalized Marijuana" at The Business of Marijuana in Northern California conference presented by the Seminar Group. Class covered the following topics: Investing in marijuana businesses; Conflict waivers; How to advise clients in the cannabis space considering federal illegality; Cross-border transactions; Implications for an attorney’s use of legal cannabis, 2019
• Taught "Ethical Cannabis Practice" CLE at the Alameda County Bar Association, sponsored by the ACBA Cannabis Section., 2019
• Taught CLE on "Cannabis Events: Law and Regulations" at the California NORML Legal Seminar 2019.
• Taught "Ethical Cannabis Practice" Continuing Legal Education (CLE) course at the Sonoma County Bar Association., 2020
• Speaker at the Cannalaw Summit. Mr. Figueroa spoke on two occasions. First, the opening panel, entitled, "Cannabis Law Today: The impact of 2020, a new administration, and the push for federalization" with illustrious colleagues Katy Young (Founder, Ad Astra Law), Jonathan Robbins (Chair of Cannabis Practice, Akerman), and Zachary Kobrin (VP and General Counsel, Trulieve). Second, Mr. Figueroa was the featured speaker in a solo presentation entitled "Emerging Focuses in Cannabis Law: Tourism & Hospitality."
• Taught CLE's at the California NORML Legal Seminar, to wit: "Nuts and Bolts of an Appellation Petition" and "Cannabis Law Ethics.", https://www.canorml.org/california-norml-legal-seminar-2021/, 2021
• Taught live CLE seminar on the Corporate Transparency Act at the Sonoma County Bar Association. The live seminar was recorded and is available on demand., 2024
• In this book, updated for 2022, one will find: A carefully curated compendium designed to give the reader a deep understanding of the laws and regulations which govern cannabis and hemp in California A Table of Contents with detailed section descriptors Charts of California cannabis license types A handy Index for ease of reference, Author, Compiler, Publisher, 2022 California Cannabis Laws and Regulations, Cannabis, Hemp, 2022
• In this book, one will find: A carefully curated compendium designed to give the reader a deep understanding of the laws and regulations which govern cannabis and hemp in New York A Table of Contents with detailed section descriptors Charts of New York state cannabis license types A handy Index for ease of reference, Author, Compiler, New York Cannabis Laws and Regulations, Cannabis, 2021
• Authored and wrote California cannabis industry reference work, which is in its fifth edition., Author and Publisher, 2021 California Cannabis Laws and Regulations, Cannabis, 2021
• This book, updated for 2020, contains: A carefully curated compendium designed to give the reader a deep understanding of the laws and regulations which govern cannabis and hemp in California A Table of Contents with detailed section descriptors Charts of California cannabis license types A handy Index for ease of reference, Author; Compiler, California Cannabis Laws and Regulations 2020, Lux Law Publishing, Cannabis, 2020
• This book, updated for 2019, contains: A carefully curated compendium of California laws designed to give the reader a deep understanding of the statutes which govern cannabis and hemp in the Golden State A Table of Contents with detailed section descriptors The final permanent regulations for cultivators issued by the California Department of Food and Agriculture The final permanent regulations for distributors, testing laboratories, retailers, and event organizers issued by the Bureau of Cannabis Control The final permanent regulations for manufacturers issued by the California Department of Public Health A handy Index for ease of reference, Author, California Cannabis Laws and Regulations: 2019 Edition, Lux Law Publishing, Cannabis, 2019
• Comprehensive legal reference updated for 2018 containing California's cannabis laws, organized by California Code and section number. Contains seminal legislation, including: Proposition 215 (the Compassionate Use Act of 1996), Senate Bill 420 (The Medical Marijuana Program Act), Proposition 64 (the Adult Use of Marijuana Act), and the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA)., Author, California Cannabis Laws: MAUCRSA Edition, Lux Law Publishing, Cannabis, 2018
• Contemporaneous reference guide containing California's cannabis laws, including Proposition 64 (Adult Use of Marijuana Act), the Medical Marijuana Regulation Safety Act (MCRSA), Proposition 215 (Compassionate Use Act), and Senate Bill 420 (Medical Marijuana Program Act)., Author, Cannabis Codes of California: Legalization Edition, Lux Law Publishing, Cannabis, 2017

Other Outstanding Achievements

• Voting Member, Sonoma County Democratic Central Committee., 2024
• Founding Member of the Ganjier Founder's Council, a group of cannabis experts which developed a certification program for cannabis professionals akin to wine sommeliers., 2021

Honors

• Winner of the Best of the North Bay awards for Sonoma County in two categories: Best Cannabis Law Firm and Best Civil Law Firm., Best Cannabis Law Firm, North Bay Bohemian, 2022
• One of the Global Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers
• One of the Top 200 Global Psychedelics Lawyers and Policy Experts
• Top 100 Trial Lawyers list from the National Trial Lawyers
• Rated “Superb” on Avvo
• Best Civil Law Firm, North Bay Bohemian, 2022
• Best Cannabis Law Firm, North Bay Bohemian, 2021
• Distinguished Counsel's Award, National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), 2017
• Winner of Best Attorney category at Best of Cannabis Awards 2018., Best Attorney, Best of Cannabis Awards 2018, 2018
• Winner of 2019 Educational Achievement Award at Cannabis Business Awards in December 2019., Educational Achievement Award, Cannabis Business Awards, 2019

Awards

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Avvo Client's Choice Award: This award is granted to attorneys with at least 5 reviews with 4+ stars in a given year on Avvo.com

Industry Groups

• Cannabis
• Crypto
• Hemp
• Psychedelics
• Tech