Laura Bianchi, Esq.
As a Shareholder and Partner at Bianchi & Brandt in Scottsdale, Arizona, Laura Bianchi is one of the nation’s foremost experts in cannabis business law and financing. Having begun her work in the discipline with the 2010 passage of Arizona’s medical marijuana law, Laura Bianchi was among the first business/corporate transaction attorneys in the country to specialize in the nascent legal cannabis market. Now she applies her distinctive mix of boundless energy and formidable insight to all aspects of her clients’ legal, financial, and operational needs.
Laura Bianchi’s cannabis business expertise supports the success of her clients at every stage of development, from startup to exit. She provides a wide range of services, including licensing applications, corporate and real estate transactions, state and local regulation compliance, strategic planning and development, business agreements and contracts, investment and lending structures, operation and employment matters, brand development, IP licensing and expansion, and business best practices. Having worked closely with state regulators on the development of Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Program and rule making processes in more than a dozen states nationwide, she is deeply familiar with all aspects of the regulatory and licensing process. Her meticulous attention to detail and holistic, top-down approach to client relations has led to precedent-setting legal wins and among the largest cannabis-
related financial transactions in the country.
Along the way, Laura Bianchi has become a passionate and powerful advocate for the development of a professional and responsible cannabis industry. For two years, she served as co-chair of the Phoenix chapter of the Women Grow, a national organization dedicated to empowering women leaders in the cannabis industry. She is also an active member of the National Cannabis Industry Association and the National Cannabis Bar Association. She has been featured as a cannabis expert in media outlets across the country, and has spoken at major events including the Southwest Cannabis Conference and Expo, the World Medical Cannabis Conference and Expo, various Arizona Department of Real Estate seminars, and panels with many of Arizona’s most influential politicians. In 2018, AZMarijuana.com named her an “Industry Blazer” for her pioneering work in the movement and in 2020 Laura was awarded Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona by AZ BIG Media.
Laura Bianchi earned her JD from Vermont Law School and received a Bachelor of the Arts Degree in political science, with a language emphasis in American Sign Language, from the University of Colorado Boulder. She is an active member of the State Bar Association of Arizona, the Arizona Women Lawyers Association, and the Pinal Partnership and Valley Partnership community development organizations. For three consecutive years, Laura Bianchi was selected as a Super Lawyers Southwest Rising Star, an honor reserved for attorneys who demonstrate excellence in their practice.