General Counsel / VP of Legal & Compliance
About The Position
At Minnesota Cannabis Services, we’re not just building businesses — we’re building the people who make them great. Our team partners with leading operators across cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and retail to deliver world-class expertise in legal, finance, analytics, marketing, HR, and technology. We’re looking for professionals who take pride in their work, move with purpose, and thrive in fast-changing environments. The kind of people who hold themselves to high standards, think creatively, and find satisfaction in solving hard problems. When you join our team, you’ll work alongside some of the most experienced leaders in the industry — professionals who share their knowledge freely and lead by example. You’ll be challenged, supported, and trusted to take ownership of meaningful work that shapes the future of one of the fastest-growing industries in America. This is the senior-most attorney seat in our organization. You will own the legal and compliance function end to end: legal strategy, regulatory compliance, corporate structure, real estate and transactions, and risk management across everything we and our clients do. You'll report directly to the CEO, work daily with a four-person executive team that decides fast and doesn't do bureaucracy, and help set the standard for a corporate office being built right now. The path to Chief Legal Officer is real and defined for the right candidate. For the right candidate, the work itself is the draw: cannabis regulation is complex, fast-moving, and genuinely interesting, and this seat touches all of it — regulatory strategy, governance, leasing and land use, legislative affairs, lender relationships, licensure. Your first six months will have defined strategies and objectives, so you'll know exactly what you're walking into and exactly what success looks like.
Requirements
- JD with active bar membership in good standing; Minnesota admission or ability to obtain promptly.
- 8+ years including senior in-house leadership, with demonstrated experience building or owning a legal or compliance function.
- Deep multi-state regulatory experience in cannabis (strongly preferred) or a comparably regulated industry: alcohol, pharmaceuticals, gaming, tobacco, etc.
- Multi-unit retail, franchising, or real estate depth is a plus.
- Exceptional attention to detail, decisiveness, and the highest ethical standards.
- Genuine current fluency and mastery with AI legal tools is part of the job.
Nice To Haves
- Multi-unit retail, franchising, or real estate depth is a plus.
Responsibilities
- Regulatory compliance and audit-readiness across every market and license type we support — built and maintained to a standard that welcomes scrutiny.
- Corporate governance and structure: architect, draft, and implement entity and compliance frameworks in partnership with financial advisors.
- Real estate and transactions: lease review, subleasing, and transactional work supporting turnkey construction and facility solutions for licensed operators.
- Legal team leadership: you'll work with an established team — an in-house attorney, two paralegals, and a Director of Legal Operations — while directing outside counsel with tight control of scope and spend.
- Government affairs: you must speak purple. Cannabis policy here advances through bipartisan relationships, and we work credibly with lawmakers and stakeholders across the political spectrum — Republicans and Democrats alike — as a matter of principle. If partisan politics would get in the way of our mission, you’re not the right candidate.
- Other important responsibilities include zoning, land use, and municipal approvals; labor and employment partnership with Human Resources; and litigation readiness quarterbacking external counsel.
Benefits
- $225,000–$250,000 and benefits.
- A defined path to Chief Legal Officer.
- Direct access to ownership and real decision-making authority.
- A modern, AI-forward legal practice.
- Relocation assistance for the right candidate.
- A seat at the table in a nascent industry where the impact is still being influenced by people like you.
- Mentorship, on-the-job training, and opportunities for advancement across multiple sectors of the cannabis industry.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
