Jonathan Voegeli, '11, on Lawyers, Guns, and Money

Jonathan Voegeli, '11, was hosted by the Business and Transactional Law Center (BTLC), the Tax and Estate Planning Association, and the Business Law Society on Monday, November 4, 2019.

After graduating from law school, Voegeli moved to a city north of California’s emerald triangle – a region of substantial marijuana growth facilitated by the mild climate and favorable growing conditions. Voegeli's goal was to help the marijuana growers in this region act as legally as possible.

Voegeli discussed several of the cases and laws that set the stage for his work with marijuana growers and dispensaries. The laws were difficult to navigate as they varied significantly by city and county. Additionally, the area of the law changed quickly and dramatically as courts decided new cases.

Voegeli helped the growers to set up non-profit corporations and informed them about maintaining proper records (ranging from meeting minutes to medical marijuana cards) and books (the corporations had to estimate the expected growth and associated costs and set salaries so the profits could be reinvested). Voegeli also helped clients establish consulting firms as a way to legitimately pay taxes on the money earned from marijuana.

As might be expected, Voegeli had many interesting experiences and he shared a number of stories from the two years he spent in Crescent City, California. He also discussed the impact of recent laws that legalize recreational marijuana and his predictions about the use and availability of marijuana and hemp in the future.

Washburn Law is grateful to Jonathan Voegeli for taking the time out of his busy schedule to share his unique experience and insight with students.