Experience

JRG Attorneys at Law

• United States
• Law Practice
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Attorney At Law

  • Apr 2022 - Present



Cultural Heritage Imaging

• Member Board of Directors

  • Dec 2002 - Present

  Cultural Heritage Imaging ("CHI "​) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that builds innovative digital tools and practices that save world heritage. CHI drives development and adoption of practical digital imaging and preservation solutions for people passionate about saving humanity's treasures today, before they are lost. The technologies and principles that guide our work are leading to new and easy-to-learn imaging techniques that can be made available and accessible to people all over the world.By providing tools, technology, and training, CHI drives the adoption of new practices by a broad constituency, from major art museums to remote archaeological sites to fields in the natural sciences.



MAHLaw

• Principal, Attorney, Consultant

  • Nov 2019 - May 2022

  Attorney, litigator, consultant and policy advocate providing outside General Counsel services, legal representation and strategic advice to help private and public-sector clients navigate existing legal, regulatory and policy landscapes—with a focus on cannabis and hemp laws and regulations and criminal justice policy—and to envision better approaches, then bring policy innovations from white-board to reality. Attorney, litigator, consultant and policy advocate providing outside General Counsel services, legal representation and strategic advice to help private and public-sector clients navigate existing legal, regulatory and policy landscapes—with a focus on cannabis and hemp laws and regulations and criminal justice policy—and to envision better approaches, then bring policy innovations from white-board to reality.



Leland, Parachini, Steinberg, Matzger & Melnick LLP

• United States
• Legal Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Senior Counsel, Cannabis Practice Group

  • Dec 2017 - Nov 2019

  https://www.lpslaw.com/practice-areas/cannabis-hemp-law/Allen’s practice focuses on cannabis regulatory law and policy. An experienced litigator, consultant and policy expert with deep substantive knowledge of federal, state and local cannabis laws and regulations, Allen advises and represents cannabis businesses navigating cannabis laws and regulations, as well as local governments and officials. Allen was a member of the attorney drafting team for Prop. 64, the 2016 California initiative that legalized adult non-medical cannabis use, creating the framework for the regulated commercial cannabis market. While serving as Director of the ACLU of California’s Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Project, Allen conceptualized and created the 2014-2015 California Blue Ribbon Commission on Marijuana Law and Policy chaired by then-Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom. Allen has represented local government entities litigating cannabis regulatory matters in state and federal courts, including the City and County of Santa Cruz (challenging a DEA raid of a local collective garden), and Pueblo, Colorado (defending a RICO lawsuit seeking to invalidate state marijuana laws as preempted by federal law). In 2008, Allen led the legal team that, working closely with the California Attorney General’s office, defeated San Diego County’s lawsuit seeking to overturn all California medical marijuana laws as preempted by federal law. Allen is co-author of two published law review articles, including Cooperative Federalism and Marijuana Regulation (62 UCLA L. Rev. 74 (2015)), which proposes an incremental and effective solution to the state-federal law conflict that would allow willing states to experiment with novel regulatory approaches while leaving the federal cannabis prohibitions intact for the remaining states.Allen earned his B.A. degree from New College of Florida, the honors college of Florida, and his J.D. from the University of California, Davis.



Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)

• United States
• Research Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Member Board of Directors

  • Dec 2014 - Nov 2019

  http://www.maps.org/bulletin-items/387-bulletin-spring-2015/5667-introducing-the-maps-public-benefit-corporation http://www.maps.org/bulletin-items/387-bulletin-spring-2015/5667-introducing-the-maps-public-benefit-corporation



M. Allen Hopper Law Offices and Consulting

• Attorney and Consultant

  • Jan 2015 - Dec 2017



ACLU of Northern California

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Director

  • Oct 2010 - Jan 2015

  Created and direct the ACLU of California's Criminal Justice and Drug Policy project (CJDP), the largest state-level policy project in the history of the ACLU. Managed and coordinated a team located in five offices throughout the state with an annual budget of approximately $1 million. Developed and implemented a strategic plan comprised of complimentary county- and state-level policy advocacy incorporating policy analysis, litigation, strategic communications, public education, public engagement and lobbying strategies to reform state and local criminal justice and drug policies. Participated in individual donor fundraising, worked with development staff to steward and solicit support from donors and foundations, evaluated and reported grant outcomes and deliverables. Cultivated relationships with major new funders resulting in $5 million in new support over first three years of the Project.Conceptualized and created the 2014-2015 California Blue Ribbon Commission on Marijuana Law and Policy; recruited Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom to Chair the Commission, and coordinated with his staff concerning all aspects of the Commission’s work; recruited expert commissioners from California, Colorado and other states including, law enforcement, tax policy, public health, children’s health and environmental protection; planned public town hall events in strategically-selected locales; coordinated, helped draft and produce the commission's substantive research and written reports.

• Police Practices Director

  • Sep 2010 - Oct 2011

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ACLU

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Litigation Director, Drug Law Reform Project

  • Aug 2004 - Sep 2010

  Hired as Senior Staff Attorney, promoted to Litigation Director. Member of Project’s Management Team which conceptualized, drafted, and implemented strategic plan comprised of multi-disciplinary campaigns combining legal, policy and legislative advocacy, public education, and organizing to challenge punitive drug policies. Had primary responsibility for all litigation components of campaigns and other Project work. Managed annual budget of approximately $1 million.Directly litigated cases, supervised the legal staff. Coordinated the ACLU’s drug policy-related litigation nationally, worked with policy experts around the nation to improve state and federal drug policies, with a focus on state medical marijuana laws, litigated impact cases.Working closely with the California Attorney General’s office, defeated San Diego County’slawsuit seeking to overturn all California medical marijuana laws as preempted by federal law.(San Diego v. San Diego NORML (2008) 165 Cal.App.4th 798 (rev. den. Oct. 16, 2008)).Represented the City and County of Santa Cruz and a local medical marijuana collective indefeating the federal government's motion to dismiss a Tenth Amendment challenge to federal law enforcement practices targeting medical marijuana collectives working collaboratively with local CA government officials. (County of Santa Cruz v. Gonzales (N.D. Cal., Aug. 20, 2008, No. C 03-01802JF), 2008 WL 3892019).



California Appellate Project

• United States
• Law Practice
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Staff Attorney

  • Feb 1999 - Aug 2004

  https://www.capsf.org/About-CAPSF.aspThe California Appellate Project in San Francisco (CAP-SF) is a non-profit corporation established by the State Bar of California in 1983 as a legal resource center to implement the constitutional right to counsel for indigent persons facing execution. CAP serves the largest population of condemned individuals in the country and is funded primarily by a contract with the Judicial Council of California.CAP-SF assists private counsel appointed by the California Supreme Court to represent indigent defendants in capital cases challenging their convictions and sentences on direct appeal and through habeas corpus proceedings, and provides them with professional training and litigation resource materials. In addition, CAP-SF assists unrepresented death row inmates by collecting and preserving evidence for their post-conviction claims, and by providing advocacy as needed during the period of incarceration before counsel is appointed. CAP-SF also consults, at the request of the judiciary, on policy matters regarding indigent defense representation in capital cases.