Jared Schwass Attorney
Contact JaredAbout Jared
Jared Schwass is a corporate and regulatory attorney based in California who advises businesses operating in highly regulated industries. His clients include entrepreneurs, investors, and companies ranging from early-stage startups to publicly traded multi-state operators. His practice focuses on corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance, licensing, land use, and outside general counsel services.
With experience in both private practice and government, Jared offers clients a practical understanding of the legal and regulatory issues affecting regulated businesses. Before joining Harris Sliwoski, he served as lead California regulatory counsel at a top Am Law 100 firm, where he advised some of the nation’s largest cannabis companies on licensing, compliance, land use, enforcement matters, and regulatory due diligence for mergers and acquisitions. He has worked on transactions representing billions of dollars in aggregate cannabis industry deal value.
His government experience includes serving as Deputy County Counsel for Mendocino County, where he advised on the development, interpretation, and implementation of local cannabis regulations. That role provided firsthand insight into how regulatory agencies develop policy, evaluate compliance, and administer licensing programs.
Outside General Counsel to Regulated Businesses
Before joining Harris Sliwoski, Jared founded and led his own practice representing regulated businesses as outside general counsel. He advised clients on corporate governance, commercial agreements, regulatory strategy, and business expansion, helping companies navigate every stage of growth, from local permitting through multi-state operations.
Whether assisting with a complex transaction, developing a compliance strategy, or advising on day-to-day business operations, Jared focuses on practical solutions that help clients achieve their business objectives while managing regulatory risk.
Outside the office, Jared enjoys spending time on the golf course.
Fast Facts
Education
- J.D., California Western School of Law
- B.A., History, University of Redlands
Bar & Court Admissions
- California State Bar
More About Jared
- Bright Green Exits Cannabis Business, CRB Monitor News, March 19, 2025
- Inside the Cannabis Operator Playbook: What Happens After Launch, Cogent Law, May 2026
- California Cannabis Report (newsletter/publication), Schwass Law Firm, 2021-2025
- Beyond the Show’ Podcast: CA’s Gubernatorial Recall Election and More, Cannabis Business Times, September 2021
- M&A Uptick Expected to Continue in 2021: Q&A with Fox Rothschild, Cannabis Business Times, February 2021
- New York to Require Licenses to Manufacture and Sell Hemp-Derived CBD Products, Cannabis Business Executive, July 2020
- State-Based Options Exist for the Cannabis Industry Shut Out of the SBA Loan Process, Cannabis Law & Regulation Reporter, April 2020
- Inside the Cannabis Operator Playbook, Panelist, Cogent Law, 2026.
- San Francisco Bar Association
- Mendocino County Bar Association
- International Cannabis Bar Association
- Cannabis Chamber of Commerce
- Super Lawyers, Rising Star — Cannabis Law (2021–2024)
- Databird, Top 250 Cannabis Law Expert in the U.S. (2021–present)
Proven Expertise for Challenging Legal Issues
“Zkittlez” originator Terphogz releases statement on settlement with “Skittles” candy maker Wrigley
Timothy Alger in Greenway Magazine
July 18th, 2023Timothy Alger stated, “It’s important to distinguish between my clients and unregulated pirates that Wrigley sued separately who sell adulterated candy or who use packaging identical to Wrigley’s including their registered trademarks.”
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What Does Rep. Mace’s States Reform Act Have to Do With Hemp?
Jesse Mondry in Hemp Grower
November 24th, 2021“The USDA has incorrectly, in my view, sought to impose this DEA certification program on hemp testing labs,” Mondry said “I think ending that requirement would help end the bottleneck at this testing level and allow the hemp CBD industry to scale up. That’s just one way to do that.”
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20 Best International Business Law Podcasts of 2021
Global Law and Business Podcast in Welp Magazine
June 19th, 2021Are you wanting to learn more about international business law ? Well you’ve come to the right place. This is a curated list of the best international business law podcasts of 2021.
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USDA Reopens Hemp Comment Period
Jesse Mondry in WeedWeek
September 14th, 2020“I think it also shows [that federal agencies] are working in good faith and want to make rules that work for the industry,” he said. “They actually want it to grow, and taking feedback from folks in the industry is a good way to help understand what needs to be done.”
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The Cannabis Recession Test
Harris Sliwoski in Comstock’s Magazine
August 18th, 2020Harris Sliwoski, an international law firm specializing in the cannabis industry, wrote in April that it was being contacted almost every week by a cannabis company looking for a white-knight investor to bail them out.
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“False and Misleading:” Suit Claims Select Vapes Contain Less THC Than Labelled
Jesse Mondry in WeedWeek
July 31st, 2020In a Thursday post at law firm Harris Sliwoski’s Canna Law Blog, attorney Jesse Mondry outlines problems Curaleaf and Cura have faced.
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As marijuana class action lawsuits surge, experts stress accurate, forthright disclosures
Jesse Mondry in Marijuana Business Daily
June 10th, 2020A U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration warning letter against a CBD company for making an unfounded health claim, for example, “is almost an invitation to a plaintiff lawyer,” Mondry said.
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Hemp Lawsuits Rising: A Recent Suit’s Allegations ‘Are Disturbing for Growers’
Jesse Mondry in HempGrower
May 21st, 2020“The last year has seen a significant uptick in hemp-related litigation in nearly all phases of the industry,” from contract disputes to federal action against cannabidiol (CBD) health claims, Jesse Mondry, an attorney with international law firm Harris Sliwoski, tells Hemp Grower. Lawsuits involving hemp businesses have surfaced throughout the U.S. with hundreds of thousands to an excess of $1 billion at stake.
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Why the 0.3% THC limit for U.S. hemp might stop you from starting a CBD business
Jesse Mondry in RIV Capital
April 17th, 2020“The farmers for this growing season are going to have to abide by that 0.3 percent THC threshold and it is going to be very difficult for them to do so,” said Jesse Mondry, an attorney based in the Portland, Oregon offices of Harris Sliwoski who regularly does litigation work involving hemp and CBD.
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