California
J.D., Pepperdine University School of Law
M.M., University of Southern California
B.A., The Hartt School of Music, The University of Hartford
Overview
Jeffrey Welsh serves as an of counsel attorney at Vicente LLP, where he focuses his practice on advising companies, brands, entertainment and media properties, other law firms, and investors on how to navigate the California cannabis marketplace.
From 2023-2025, Jeffrey was recognized by his peers in the "Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch" list for his work in entertainment and sports law
Prior to joining Vicente LLP, Jeffrey worked in Corporate Business Affairs at the largest talent agency in the world, William Morris Endeavor, now WME | IMG, while simultaneously continuing to work in the legal cannabis industry part-time. In this unique position, Mr. Welsh’s goal was to develop an understanding of the nuanced entertainment industry, while concurrently connecting entertainer-advocates with projects and groups actively working in the cannabis space.
In 2015, Jeffrey co-founded Frontera Law Group with Luke Stanton. Through aggressive networking and an unrelenting desire to be the first mover in the cannabis-to-entertainment/media space, Mr. Welsh fostered an extensive network with the current and future tastemakers of the entertainment industry to facilitate deal flow between these two industries.
In April of 2017, Mr. Welsh co-founded a full-service creative agency, Composite. Composite helps guide and grow brands in the legal cannabis industry and specializes in creative & content production, marketing research & strategy, and product development. By navigating this unique path, Mr. Welsh is sensitive to specific legal issues involved in entertainment and cannabis coming together, such as intellectual property, endorsements, licensing, criminal and civil liability and other business and other legal considerations.
Jeffrey holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Hartford, a Master of Music from the University of Southern California, and a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law. Recognized as a thought leader in the cannabis and entertainment communities, Jeffrey frequently speaks at cannabis industry events throughout Southern California.
Experience
Leadership & Community Involvement
- Member, California Cannabis Industry Association, 2017-2019
- Member, National Cannabis Industry Association, 2017-2019
Recognition
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America®, Entertainment and Sports Law, 2023-2025
- MG Magazine, "50 Best Companies to Work for in Cannabis," 2018
- Green Entrepreneur, "Top 100 Cannabis Leaders," 2018
Publications
- Co-author, "How to Start a Cannabis Business in California," MG Magazine, January 10, 2016
- Co-author, "Expanding Your Business into Multiple States," MG Magazine, January 10, 2016
- Co-author, "Succeeding With Entertainment Transactions in Cannabis," MG Magazine, April 5, 2016
- Co-author, "The California Distribution Solution," MG Magazine, April 9, 2016
- Contributor, "Everything You Need to Know About Legal Weed in California," Thrillist, April 9, 2019
- Contributor, "As Cannabis Goes Mainstream, Are Celebrity Brands The Future of the Industry?" Forbes, April 24, 2019
Events
- Speaker, To Be Blunt: The Podcast for Cannabis Marketers, "California Cannabis Status Check with Jeffrey Welsh of Vicente Sederberg,” Podcast, December 21, 2020
- Speaker, The Craft Cannabis Club: Cannabiz Connect, "How to Succeed in Competitive Marijuana Business Licensing | Vicente Sederberg LLP,” Virtual, December 16, 2020
- Speaker, Emerge Virtual Cannabis Conference, "Cannabis Sales & Marketing Track: Partnering with Celebrities & Influencers for Brand Reach,” Virtual Conference, December 15, 2020
- Speaker, University of Hartford "On the Air", "Jeff Welsh, Nov. 30, 2020 UHART to Hartford,” Podcast, November 30, 2020
- Speaker, Lit & Lucid, "Ep.103: Creating a Future in Cannabis,” Podcast, November 12, 2020
- Speaker, Cannabis Radio, "Blunt Business Podcast,” Podcast, October 06, 2020
- Speaker, Vicente Sederberg LLP, "Protect Your Brand! Cannabis Trademark Strategies and Benefits,” Webinar, September 23, 2020
- Speaker, Webjoint, "Connecting Cannabis,” Online, August 21, 2019
- Speaker, New West Summit, "From Music to Cannabis - Pivoting Into A New Industry,” California, October 12, 2018
- Speaker, Cannabis Education Forum, "How to Start and Run a Legal Cannabis Business,” California, August 16, 2017
- Speaker, Cannabis Compliance Summit, "Frontera Law Group,” California, July 09, 2017
In the Media
- Law360, "California Cannabis Firm Founders Join Vicente Sederberg," December 4, 2019
- Green Market Report, "Executive Spotlight: Jeffrey Welsh, Co-Founder of Frontera Law Group & Composite Agency," July 8, 2019
- Let's Talk Bitcoin Network, "The Crypto Show: Jeffrey D. Welsh Frontera Law Group & Heather Fazio Texas Marijuana Policy/ MPP," August 16, 2017
- Cannabis Industry Journal, "California Poised to Make Huge Advances in Market Expansion and Regulation," September 16, 2016
- LeFair Magazine, "High Times: The Cannabis Industry After Prop 64,"