Greater Chicago Area
• Legal counsel to the cannabis industry - representing entrepreneurs, investors and business owners, both plant touching and ancillary trades. Deep experience with both start-up's and established multi-state operators in numerous states. • Partner in Kilpatrick's Litigation Group and Cannabis Industry Group. • President of the International Cannabis Bar Association. I lead the firm's Cannabis practice, where I advise both public and private companies on a wide range of corporate issues, including mergers, acquisitions, financing and tax transactions. I counsel entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners to help achieve their goals in the cannabis industry, representing companies facing business and tax litigation and providing outside general counsel services. Having worked with cannabis companies for nearly a decade, my practice touches every part of the industry. I represent national and expanding brands, licensed retailers, cultivators, processors, and delivery services. I also advise non-plant touching and start-up companies as they look to grow in this evolving industry, helping both investors and companies seeking capital to create the appropriate agreements to accomplish their goals. I enjoy helping clients navigate unsettled and differing statutes, regulations, and industry-specific legal developments. I also enjoy guiding clients through the state licensing process and counseling on issues that arise from early-stage application steps through the company’s lifespan. I have assisted license holders from over 15 legalized states in expanding their operations into new jurisdictions, empowering them to enter new markets with compliance and confidence. With extensive litigation experience, I also represent clients in an array of issues litigated in the cannabis industry and beyond, often representing clients in partnership, ownership, and contract disputes and defending clients involved in whistleblower (qui tam), False Claims Act claims, and multistate tax issues. I represent clients before state courts, administrative tax tribunals, appellate, and federal courts. Before Kilpatrick, I was a partner in the Litigation Group and led the Cannabis practice at HMB Legal Counsel, a well-established, corporate-focused law firm based in Chicago, Illinois. In 2024, I was recognized as a “Leading Lawyer” for Cannabis Law and Closely and Privately Held Business Law by Leading Lawyers magazine.
David is a partner at HMB Legal Counsel concentrating his practice in business litigation and dispute resolution, with a particular focus in the Cannabis industry and on State and Local Tax (SALT) matters, dispute resolution, and whistleblower cases. He has successfully represented clients in nearly every state in the country, in state courts, federal courts, and administrative tribunals. David focuses his practice on: • Cannabis law • Contract disputes and business torts • Partnership and ownership disputes • Real estate and construction litigation • State and local tax (SALT) litigation • Whistleblower (qui tam) and False Claims Act (FCA) defense David appreciates that every case and client is different and tailors his litigation style to match the particular client's needs and strategies. Clients rely on David not only for his experience, but for his ability to listen, understand their business, and customize the litigation approach to reach the best and most efficient resolution.
Practice focused on commercial litigation; counseled and represented individuals and businesses. Merged successful litigation practice into my current firm (HMB) where I gained a network of sophisticated colleagues and more opportunities to provide services to a broader client base.
Represented businesses in high-volume litigation practice.