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Biography/Practice Areas
Benjamin L. Rackliffe is a Partner with Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC and a member of the firm’s Corporate & Business, Cannabis Law and Nonprofit Organizations Teams. He is considered a leading authority in the areas of corporate and regulatory compliance, providing counsel in a wide range of areas to closely held business and tax-exempt organizations.
Building upon years of traditional corporate transactional experience, Attorney Rackliffe is at the forefront of advising businesses on the ever-evolving state and federal cannabis law and policy landscape in both medical and recreational markets throughout New England and elsewhere. Within the State of Rhode Island alone, Attorney Rackliffe has advised approximately two dozen licensed cultivation companies through real estate, licensing, regulatory compliance and investment related matters. He routinely advises dispensary and cultivation operators, both publicly traded and private, including the owner of the largest outdoor cannabis cultivation on the east coast. In addition, he advises investors on risk mitigation measures within the cannabis space. His experience also includes representing clients in the nation’s burgeoning hemp industry. He is considered a leading authority in the areas of corporate and regulatory compliance within nascent cannabis industries and was the only attorney in Rhode Island to be named a 2024 Best Lawyer® in Cannabis Law. Attorney Rackliffe has also been named a Rhode Island Super Lawyers Rising Star by Thomson Reuters, a distinction that recognizes the top 2.5 percent of Rhode Island lawyers under the age of 40 or those in practice for 10 years or less.
In addition, Attorney Rackliffe has experience in the construction and engineering industries and in commercial real estate development, having previously served as assistant general counsel to a hospitality and real estate development corporation and as an attorney for a Rhode Island-based construction and engineering litigation firm representing multinational and U.S. contractor corporations. Attorney Rackliffe now uses this experience in advising developers, financing parties and institutional clients alike participating in renewable energy projects.
He earned his J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Providence College, where he has served as a Special Lecturer in the field of corporate law for the College’s School of Business. He is admitted to practice law in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York, and is a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Connecticut Bar Association, the New York Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
Areas of Practice
- Corporate & Business Law
- Cannabis Law
- Emerging Industries Compliance and Regulatory Law
- Commercial Real Estate
- Investor Relations
- Nonprofit Organizations
Bar Admissions
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- New York
- U.S. District Court District of Rhode Island
- U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Circuit
Honors and Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America®
- Super Lawyers Rising Star
Education/Professional Associations
Education
- Roger Williams University School of Law, Bristol, Rhode Island
- J.D.
- Providence College, Providence, Rhode Island
- B.S.
- Major: Management
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Rhode Island Bar Association
- Massachusetts Bar Association
- Connecticut Bar Association
- New York Bar Association
- American Bar Association
Representative Matters
- Represented a large manufacturing corporation in a complex M&A transaction that involved a multi-disciplinary team approach to successfully close on a ~$50MM acquisition.
- Represent Multiple Massachusetts Cannabis Operators in Eight-Figure Plus Private Placements, Acquisitions and Various Regulatory Matters.
- Successfully advise over 15 Medical marijuana cultivator license applicants in the Rhode Island with respect to obtaining medical marijuana cultivation licenses from the Department of Business Regulation, including advice and counsel on local zoning and planning matters, facility acquisitions/ leasing.
- Advise Publicly-Traded Corporation on Regional Cannabis Licensing and Regulatory Matters.
- Represented consortium of private schools and education-based nonprofit concerning a net metering credit finance arrangement involving a hydroelectric facility.
- Advise numerous quasi-public and private institutions with respect to solar net metering and virtual-net metering projects throughout the Rhode Island.
- Represent national point-of-sale and credit card processing technology company in stock sale transaction.
- Represent water authority with respect to statutory merger and annexation of abutting water supply districts into said water authority.
- Represent national janitorial services company specializing in the healthcare industry in sale of stock to foreign corporation.
- Represent multiple veterinarians in the purchase and sale of veterinary practices.
- Represent ophthalmologist in sale of practice assets.
- Represent dermatologist in acquisition of skin rejuvenation therapy business.
Articles & Insights
- FDA Considers Rescheduling Marijuana: A Milestone in Drug Policy Reform
- Governor Mckee Makes Long-Awaited Announcement Of Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission Nominations – What’s Next?
- The Votes Are In! What’s Next For The 25 RI Communities That Approved Cannabis Retail Sales?
- RI Legalizes Recreational Use Of Marijuana – Final Bill Gives Licensed Cultivators The Expanded Right To Manufacture
- The Safe Banking Act: Will 2022 Open The Door For Cannabis Businesses To Access Commercial Banking?
- Cannabis Advertising In The Age Of Regional Competition
- Municipal Barriers to Cannabis Enterprises
- PBN 2021 Cannabis Summit Speaker Comments: Legalized recreational pot is only matter of time in R.I.
- Is 2021 The Year For Rhode Island? Smoke Signals Point To Cannabis Adult Use Licensing
- Sale Of MA Cannabis Cultivator-Dispensary To National Firm Is Worth Watching As Industry Consolidation Ensues
- RI Governor Announces Recreational Marijuana Legislation Forthcoming
- Rhode Island’s Industrial Hemp Program Commences This Month
- Public Hearing Set For Tomorrow On Proposed Hemp Regulations By RI Department Of Business Regulations
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