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November 8, 2022

At Dentons, an expanding cannabis practice

Photo / Tim Greenway Hannah King, a Portland-based partner with Dentons Bingham Greenebaum, is a member of the law firm’s cannabis law, litigation and corporate practice groups.
By Renee Cordes

Long before Hannah King became a lawyer, she worked for five years as a mountaineering guide — a job that took her to several states and Central America.

She grew up in Cumberland and returned to her home state to study at the University of Maine School of Law, earning a J.D. in 2009.

Today as a Portland-based partner with Dentons Bingham Greenebaum in the law firm’s cannabis law, litigation and corporate practice groups, she advises 450 companies, most of which are state-licensed cannabis businesses as well as related businesses, including financial institutions and investors. King’s work encompasses a range of issues, from mergers and shareholder disputes to risk management and strategic planning.

“Everyone I advise touches cannabis in some way,” says King, who joined Dentons in May.

Many of her clients are startups she’s been working with since before they were licensed.

 “One of the reasons I joined Dentons was that many of my clients were starting to expand beyond New England, and the work was becoming more and more sophisticated, with clients looking for advice on federal patent protections, import and export laws related to hemp, and the process for taking accompany public,” she explains. “I wanted a practice that could meet the needs of my clients as they continue to grow.”

She also finds it rewarding to work in an ever-changing area of law, saying: “As an attorney, this makes for an exciting, diverse, collaborative and never-boring practice.

Before joining Dentons, King worked at Drummond Woodsum, where she led the firm’s regulated substance practice group. Early in her career, she worked as an assistant public defender in Alaska.

“Few industries in the United States present more complex legal issues than cannabis,” Eric Berlin, the Chicago-based partner who leads Dentons’ global cannabis law practice group, said in a June announcement about King. “Hannah understands how to navigate the intricate legal challenges in this space.” While 20 lawyers make up the firm’s core cannabis practice group, more than 100 Dentons attorneys touch cannabis matters, King notes. The group includes Malina Dumas, a managing associate with Dentons in the Portland office.

King, whose job entails some travel, considers herself fortunate to have a global practice based in Maine. Dentons, which has offices in more than 200 locations across 80 countries but no single headquarters, claims to be the world’s largest law firm.

“It’s so incredible that I can live in Maine and be a partner at a global law firm,” she says.

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