JASON BRANDEIS is an associate professor of justice and legal studies at the University of Alaska Anchorage and is of counsel at the law firm Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot, where he advises businesses and government entities on marijuana regulation. He has litigated cases involving the legality of marijuana in Alaska and has written several articles on this topic. His marijuana law and policy research has been cited in national and local publications and presented at international academic conferences. Professor Brandeis has been recognized as a leading scholar on the subject of marijuana laws in Alaska by the Alaska Law Review. Prior to joining the UAA faculty, Professor Brandeis worked as the staff attorney for the ACLU of Alaska. There, he represented clients in constitutional litigation at all levels of the state and federal court systems, including the U.S. Supreme Court, where he was co-counsel in Morse v. Frederick, a prominent student free speech case better known as the Bong Hits 4 Jesus Case. He also worked as an associate attorney for the State of Alaska Public Offices Commission, where he advised on campaign finance and disclosure matters. Professor Brandeis is a member of the Alaska Bar Association and serves on the bar's Law Related Education Committee. He is a graduate of Ohio University and Vermont Law School.

BRIAN T. DUFFY is a partner with Gruenstein, Hickey, Havelock & Duffy, where he routinely addresses the commercial, corporate, and real estate issues that impact small to mid-sized businesses, ranging from multi-state transaction and disputes to local issues unique to rural Alaska. Mr. Duffy assists clients in ensuring legal compliance by developing appropriate form contracts, policies and procedures, and applying for licensing and permits. He has litigated civil cases with disputed issues involving accretion, adverse possession, ANCSA lands, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, closely held corporations, constructive trusts, common interest community restrictions, corporate squeeze-out, defamation, environmental remediation, employment discrimination, fraud, foreclosure, the Indian Child Welfare Act, municipal taxation, misappropriation of trade secrets, proxy disputes, residential real estate disclosures, trespass, unfair trade practices, whistleblower protections, and quiet title actions. Mr. Duffy earned his B.A. degree from Loyola College in Maryland and his J.D. degree from the University of Oregon School of Law. He is a member of the Alaska Bar Association and participates in the Native Law Section, Corporation Counsel Section, and Real Estate Section. Mr. Duffy is also admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

KARL A. KAUFMAN is an attorney with Landye Bennett Blumstein LLP, in Anchorage. Mr. Kaufman is admitted to practice law in Alaska and Oregon, and his practice focuses on federal taxation, state and local taxation, tax-exempt organizations, business tax planning, and Alaska native law. Raised in Alaska, he left the state to attend college and law school. Mr. Kaufman earned his B.A. degree, cum laude, from Arizona State University and his J.D. degree from the University of Oregon (Order of the Coif), where he was an editor on the Oregon Law Review. After law school, Mr. Kaufman clerked for Judge Walter Edmonds on the Oregon Court of Appeals. He then obtained his LL.M. degree in taxation from New York University. At NYU, Mr. Kaufman was a graduate editor of the Tax Law Review and awarded the Wilf Tax Scholarship.

JANA WELTZIN is an attorney with JDW, LLC, which serves as counsel to Hoban & Feola, a Colorado cannabis business law firm. Ms. Weltzin focuses her legal practice on land use and zoning law, medical marijuana law in Arizona, and recreational marijuana business law and regulation compliance in Alaska. Ms. Weltzin provides representation for her cannabis clientele relating to business structure, permitting/licensing, land use applications and hearings, conditional use permits, investment connections and presentation, regulation compliance, real estate commercial leasing and purchases, operations, and general activism for the cannabis industry. Ms. Weltzin played an invaluable role during the 2015 legislative session through her work with the Coalition for Responsible Cannabis Legislation, initiative sponsors, and future Alaskan cannabis businesses advocating for and analyzing proposed cannabis-related legislation to ensure sustainable success for the industry. Ms. Weltzin is a regular contributor to Marijuana Venture Magazine’s legal section and other various publications. She received her B.A. degree from the University of Reno, Nevada, and her J.D. degree from Sandra Day O’Conner College of Law, Arizona State University.