Our Team
We are licensing and regulatory experts. Real estate and transactional experts. Municipal ordinance, zoning, employment law, criminal defense, litigation, trial law and intellectual property experts. All specializing in, and dedicated to, the Michigan medical marihuana industry. Cannabis Attorneys of Michigan is a team of dedicated lawyers committed to your growth, to your success, and to your needs, not because you are a marihuana business, but because you are first a business.
Our clients are the definition of the entrepreneurial spirit, pioneers in bringing a centuries old medicine into the highly-regulated market of present day. And Cannabis Attorneys of Michigan is there with you every step of the way. From business planning and real estate development, to licensing and trademark protection, to litigation and criminal defense; we support our clients and keep them risk averse, so that they can navigate the fluid and sometimes hostile legal climate facing the marihuana industry. We are the starting point for every successful canna-business.
Denise A. Pollicella, Esq., Founder & Managing Partner, Cannabis Attorneys of Michigan
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Wayne State Law, Denise Pollicella’s 21 years of private and corporate practice have focused on Business Transactions, Mergers & Acquisitions, Labor & Employment, Regulatory & Licensing, and Corporate Law. Managing Partner of Pollicella & Associates, PLLC, she founded Cannabis Attorneys of Michigan in 2009 to advance marihuana law in Michigan.
Ms. Pollicella was involved in the crafting of the legislation that is now PA 281 of 2016, the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act, and has been a strong advocate for patients, caregivers and emerging canna-businesses for nearly a decade. In addition to regularly writing, speaking and educating on the Michigan’s rapidly developing marihuana laws, she continues to be at the forefront of developing cannabis policy and regulation at both the state and municipal levels.
Ms. Pollicella is an inaugural member of the Michigan State Bar Marihuana Law Section, and is a member of the Business Law and Labor & Employment Law Sections. She serves on the Small Business Administration’s Marihuana Task Force, as well as the on the Legal Advisory Board of MiCompassion, a charitable organization focused on medical cannabis education and research. She has been a Legal Corner contributor to Culture Magazine since January 2013, and currently serves as legal counsel to the Michigan Cannabis Development Association, which she helped found in 2014.
Ms. Pollicella was recently honored to be named one of Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2017 Women in the Law, and has been named one of American’s Top Lawyers by the American Law Society.
Ms. Pollicella holds Bachelors of Arts degrees in Political Science and French, and worked in the US Senate prior to attending law school. She then served as Vice President, Secretary & General Counsel for Childtime Learning Centers before departing for her most important job, mom to two beautiful children. She started her own Livingston County practice in 2003, where she resides with her family.
Jackie Langwith, Associate Attorney, Cannabis Attorneys of Michigan
Diana Olesko, Of Counsel
Diana Olesko is passionate about the law and medical marihuana, and brings a powerful combination of science and criminal defense to Pollicella & Associates. Diana has a strong and successful history of criminal defense victories, aggressively defending clients from marijuana and other related controlled substances charges. Uniquely, Diana is also a registered patent attorney, assisting clients with patent applications, as well as a wide variety of intellectual property matters, including trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights.
Diana has an in-depth and specialized understanding of the science involved with marijuana, forensics, and pharmaceuticals. Diana earned an LLM in intellectual property and a professional science masters in chemical synthesis and material science. Before attending law school, she worked in a pharmaceutical research laboratory. When not representing clients, Diana teaches chemistry at South University and Mott Community College. Before becoming a lawyer and a scientist, Diana served in the United States Navy.
Timothy Lessing, Of Counsel
Mr. Lessing is the Senior Trial Attorney for the team and specializes almost exclusively in criminal and civil trial and litigation practice. With countless trials over the course of his career, Mr. Lessing has earned the reputation as a ferocious advocate for his clients at both the trial and appellate levels.
He has been repeatedly recognized as a Top 100 Litigation Lawyer for the State of Michigan by the American Society of Legal Advocates and by the National Trial Lawyers. Mr. Lessing is also a member of the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates, which can only be accomplished by unsolicited invitation, and a peer review of trial experience and qualifications. There are currently fewer than 150 lawyers in the State of Michigan who are members of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Mr. Lessing is a member of the bar in the following jurisdictions: State Bar of Michigan, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan. While completing his Law Degree at Michigan State University, Mr. Lessing served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Rudy J. Nichols in the 6thCircuit Court for approximately three years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics.