Here’s an interview that DM have published with Nannette
Duane Morris partner Nanette Heide was named to The National Law Journal‘s list of 2022 Cannabis Law Trailblazers.
What was the genesis of the idea/path that has made you a trailblazer?
The Cannabis industry continues to be a trailblazer industry as a whole but the companies and transactions have grown larger and more sophisticated, making experience with complex mergers and acquisitions and securities laws more important than ever. As a corporate partner in a large law firm that has embraced the cannabis industry for many years, utilizing my knowledge and experience from private equity investments, mergers and acquisitions and securities laws allows me to bring this substantive knowledge to transactions in the cannabis industry.
What was the genesis of the idea/path that has made you a trailblazer?
The Cannabis industry continues to be a trailblazer industry as a whole but the companies and transactions have grown larger and more sophisticated, making experience with complex mergers and acquisitions and securities laws more important than ever. As a corporate partner in a large law firm that has embraced the cannabis industry for many years, utilizing my knowledge and experience from private equity investments, mergers and acquisitions and securities laws allows me to bring this substantive knowledge to transactions in the cannabis industry. My background and discipline in traditional transactions provides comfort to new participants from the PE and VC investor community in that my knowledge has been applied to a cannabis transaction.
What sort of change has resulted from the concept?
There are more traditional investors and other strategic participants that are rapidly participating in transactions in the cannabis industry, including traditional and non-traditional PE and VC investors. In addition, cannabis M&A transactions are increasingly more sophisticated and complex, especially as the industry experiences consolidation. These transactions require large teams with subject-matter expertise not only in corporate matters, but also tax, real estate, labor and employment law, environmental matters, and intellectual property, all acting together in a cohesive manner to complete these transactions and, importantly, lawyers that understand the intricacies of the cannabis industry.
What bearing will this have on the future?
It is anticipated that the participants in the cannabis industry will continue to expand as more states approve the sale of medicinal and recreational cannabis. The participants will have higher expectations and demands for the expertise and guidance delivered by their various experts. The cannabis industry is well-poised to become a solid investment opportunity for PE and VC investors.
Reprinted with permission from The National Law Journal, © ALM Media Properties LLC. All rights reserved.
SOURCE
https://www.duanemorris.com/news/2022_trailblazers_cannabis_law_nanette_heide_0422.html
BIO
Nanette C. Heide is a partner in Duane Morris’ Corporate Practice Group, Co-Chair of its Private Equity Division and team lead of the firmwide Private Equity Industry Group. Ms. Heide has significant experience handling complex transactions and providing general corporate counseling. She regularly represents private equity and venture capital investors, multinational and domestic corporations (public and private) in a wide spectrum of corporate finance transactions, including private equity and venture capital investments, mergers and acquisitions, institutional private placements, cross-border transactions, debt and equity structuring transactions, joint ventures and strategic alliances. She also has formed and structured private equity and hedge funds. She is the Senior Advisory Partner to the firm’s Fashion/Retail/Consumer Branded Products Group, and a member of the firm’s Partners Board. For four consecutive years, from 2018 through 2021, Mergers & Acquisitions named Ms. Heide one of the Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A.
Ms. Heide serves as outside counsel for many mid-sized companies on issues of corporate governance, securities law compliance, general commercial transactions and disclosure issues. Her clients span a wide variety of industries, from consumer products to cannabis, medical and personal wellness devices, communications, media and Internet-based businesses.
Ms. Heide previously served as general counsel and chief financial officer of two technology companies. She is a graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law, where she was editor in chief of Washington and Lee Law News, and is a graduate of West Virginia University.
