James Nechleba

Counsel

Denver

j.nechleba@vicentellp.com

303-860-4501

455 Sherman St.
Suite 390
Denver, CO 80203

Administrative Law
Licensing
Litigation & Arbitration
Psychedelics & Emerging Therapies
Regulatory Compliance

Colorado
New Mexico
United States District Court for the District of Colorado
United States District Court for the District of New Mexico

J.D., University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law
B.S., University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana

Overview

James Nechleba serves as regulatory counsel at Vicente LLP. In this role, he assists clients with understanding rules and regulations surrounding the establishment of cannabis-based businesses and provides guidance to ensure continuity of compliance. His guiding principle is that attorneys protect clients by educating the public, and to that end, handle licensing applications of all sorts, local and state inquiries, administrative hearings, and appellate issues.

In 2023, James was recognized by his peers in the "Best Lawyers" list for his work in cannabis law.

Prior to joining Vicente LLP, James spent his legal career in administrative and regulatory practice in every capacity of consequence: legislative, executive, quasi-judicial, and private legal advocacy. In the New Mexico State Legislature, he drafted and edited proposed bills and amendments for elected state officials, including extremely consequential funding mechanisms for the state’s budding cannabis licensing program. He revised New Mexico’s employment regulations governing cannabis businesses and provided necessary oversight to their administrative court. James also has the rare distinction of being a former hearing officer for the Colorado Department of Revenue—the agency responsible for regulating and adjudicating state-level cannabis licensing disputes. In private practice, James found a niche in administrative litigation of state licensing matters before the Colorado Department of Revenue, as well as the appellate practice of administrative decisions affecting licensure.

James is active and dedicated to the holistic betterment of Colorado legal practices through advocacy of comprehensive understanding of administrative law. He regularly teaches continuing legal education courses to the Colorado Bar Association to develop members’ skills before state adjudicators, and even held a course before the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Hearings Division to improve their adjudicators’ insight of the scope and depth of their legal power and authority. James joined Vicente LLP because he understood that the “tip of the spear” in nearly all adversarial interactions individuals and businesses have with the government, whether cannabis-based or not, stem from administrative and regulatory issues.

Recognition

Events