A New Push To Clear Up Marijuana’s Foggy Legal Status

Although marijuana is now legal for recreational or medical use in 37 states, it is still a federal crime to grow, sell or possess marijuana. With Congress unable to come to an agreement on marijuana's legal status, the Biden administration has been considering other means at its disposal to change its legal status. Following the recommendation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last...

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BisNow | 'You Can Imagine the Pressure': Commercial Appraisers at the Center of CRE's Price Reckoning

Commercial real estate appraisers are currently playing a crucial role in one of the biggest real estate stories: the fate of the office market and urban centers. Their valuation decisions can significantly influence property sales, how and when transaction volume restarts, and even who controls key assets. Joseph Cioffi, was quoted multiple times in this article for BisNow, “‘You Can Imagine the...

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Knowledge Is Power: Accessing Loan Information in Troubled CMBS

If the days of “extend and pretend” actually come to an end for commercial real estate loans this year, there will be a greater focus on investors’ rights to information regarding troubled properties.

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Regulatory Shift May Offer Lifeline To NY's Cannabis Industry

New York's recreational cannabis industry has the potential to be a multibillion-dollar industry. Yet, in the first year of legality, New York cannabis is struggling to generate the expected tax revenues for the state government, with a meager $70 million in legal sales as of August. This may come as a surprise to New Yorkers, who have become accustomed to seeing dispensaries on virtually every...

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Law360 | Long Before FTX, Criminal Cases Have Complicated CH. 11

The FTX bankruptcy proceeding has become tangled with the criminal trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, following a path forged by some of the largest bankruptcies and frauds of the past such as Enron, Adelphia, and Madoff. Joseph Cioffi, Insolvency + Finance partner, was quoted in the Law360 article, “Long Before FTX, Criminal Cases Have Complicated CH. 11” presenting his takeaways from these watershed...

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Valuation and Regulation Risks and Opportunities in Commercial Real Estate

Adverse market conditions and lower valuations are creating litigation risks for commercial real estate (CRE) deal parties, particularly in the office sector. At the same time, opportunities exist for refinancing and a rebound in value where regulations can be eased or adapted to help CRE survive and thrive through the post-pandemic storm.

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What’s Next for Cannabis After MasterCard’s Debit Card Ban?

Though cannabis’ status as a Schedule 1 controlled substance has hampered the industry’s ability to fully integrate into the digitally dominated payment world, with credit card issuers refusing to process cannabis transactions, cannabis businesses have historically been able to enjoy similar benefits of efficiency, convenience, and security with debit cards. However, MasterCard’s recent ban on...

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