New Partner Spotlight: Meg Nash
Apr 11, 2023
Vicente LLP recently announced our new rebranding and that six of our top attorneys were elevated to partners. In this next post in our special New Partner Spotlight series, we’re proud to share more about our exceptional colleague and new partner, Meg Nash.
Meg guides her clients through licensing application processes in multiple states, helping them navigate land use and zoning requirements, and regulatory and compliance matters. She was selected by Boston magazine as one of "Boston's Top Lawyers," and has been recognized by her peers in the "Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch" list since 2021.
What practice areas do you focus on day to day?
I’m primarily involved in the merit licensing group and helping clients with competitive license applications in multiple jurisdictions, such as Illinois, Virginia, and New York. Just recently my team was successful in helping a client obtain one of the first CAURD licenses to open a retail dispensary for adult-use cannabis sales in New York.
What is your attorney style?
I find it incredibly exciting to be a part of building something together, so my attorney style is all about collaboration and providing regulatory advice to inform business decisions that will best position them to chart a path to success. This often involves multi-level collaboration, not just with the client, but in dealing with their architects and real estate brokers, and other outside consultants. Understanding a client’s goals, keeping the communication open, and collaborating helps to make sure everyone’s paddling in the same direction.
What about your past work experience helps your current legal practice?
I’m a recovering litigator. Having spent a large portion of my career representing clients after things have gone wrong helps to prepare my current clients for what can happen if things go sideways, or proactively avoid problems. In addition, because litigation is very timeline driven, I’ve been trained from the outset of my legal career to be very organized, to anticipate what’s coming next, and know what we need to do to satisfy upcoming deadlines, which is integral in licensing when you are up against submission deadlines.
What is one of your Vicente client accomplishments that you’re most proud of?
In 2019 I was part of a team at Vicente that submitted 10 applications to Illinois, which at the time, was the highest number of applications to be submitted by our firm in a single licensing round. What I’m most proud of there was that all of the applications received perfect scores. That excitement and accomplishment has made me more driven in the merit licensing arena, and that much more committed to helping clients achieve their licensing goals in new markets.
What service or product you are proud to offer?
I’m really excited to be working with current operators and applicants in Maryland. We expect to see new adult use licensing opportunities before the end of the year, despite the fact that legalization just passed in November of 2022 through a ballot initiative. From a timing perspective and geographically, Maryland is primed to be an explosive market.
What markets do you see having big developments in the next 6 months/in 2023?
There’s been a real prioritization of righting the wrongs of the war on drugs in Maryland, so I’m looking forward to seeing how other states reference or replicate Maryland’s regulations and social equity programs as more states move toward adult-use legalization.
I’m also looking forward to supporting more clients closer to home in Rhode Island, where I started practicing litigation in 2012. Rhode Island passed its adult use law last year, and we’re anticipating 24 new retail licenses, but the state has yet to appoint its regulatory authority.
Contact Meg to discuss how she and her team may be of assistance, and stay tuned for our next post in this series about Vicente LLP’s 2023 new partner class.