Cannabis Law with Robert Jappie
Our guest this week is Robert Jappie, a pioneer in the area of Cannabis Law. Now a Partner at Ince specializing in Life Sciences and Cannabis Regulation, Robert was previously a criminal defense lawyer before striking out in a different direction and heading the UK’s first dedicated Cannabis Law department. In this episode, Robert tells us all about his fascinating journey and shares advice that will be helpful to any aspiring lawyer, no matter what area you want to work in.
Cannabis Law is a very new area of legal practice, operating in a new market. The novelty of this area makes it an extremely exciting and dynamic field to work in, but it also brings with it a lot of risk and uncertainty. Lawyers tend to be risk-averse by nature and shy away from grey areas; unfortunately, this isn’t in the cannabis industry. With no case precedents or high-court judgements to fall back on, Robert has no choice but to stick his neck out sometimes. The key is to always ensure that you’re giving your advice in a commercially-minded way. Companies don’t want to work with people who just tell them no all the time. If you are working with a client in an emerging industry, it’s not always possible to operate on a zero-risk profile. Instead, focus on mitigating this risk as much as possible and be clear that there’s no guarantee things won’t go wrong. In Robert’s experience, clients appreciate this approach and, although there is the occasional sleepless night, as long as they can see that you’re offering the best guidance that you can, they will value the work you do in helping them navigate complex regulatory issues.
This commercially-minded approach also extends to ensuring that you have a good level of knowledge of the field you’re operating in. This doesn’t mean that you have to become an expert and head back to uni for another degree, but it does mean you need to gain a comfortable grasp of the basics. Clients will be looking to you to make their lives easier and so they want to speak to someone who understands where they’re coming from and isn’t asking basic questions. This is also important when it comes to dealing with regulators. In general, it’s a good idea to maintain a good, amicable relationship with regulators but you’ll also need to be able to pick your battles.
For Robert, working in cannabis regulation, there was not a great deal of material to read up on in order to gain this background. Instead, he relied on networking skills. He made a real effort to make sure he was speaking to all the key people in the business, finding out what’s going on and all the different issues and perspectives. As well as providing a wealth of information which he could then factor in his legal opinions to clients, this networking was also a fantastic way for Robert to market himself and become known in the industry.
The importance of personal branding and marketing is often overlooked in university law courses but, in Robert’s opinion, is one of the foundational skills that you will need in order to grow and develop in your career, no matter which area of law you work in. Of course, studying hard and getting good grades are important, especially for getting your foot on the first step of the career ladder. But thinking ahead, what firms really want to see is that you are able to bring in business, and half of Robert’s time is now spent on tasks he considers to be related to marketing and business development, rather than law. Getting your name out there and becoming known in the right circles is one of the best ways of doing this, and it’s never too early to start networking and promoting yourself; the earlier you start, the bigger your network will be. Take the initiative and go out there, attend events, meet people and follow up with them afterwards – it’s surprising how quickly you can build up a mutually beneficial relationship and although you may not get work from it right now, it could pay off later on.
As your career progresses, interviewers will increasingly look at your commercial value to a firm and you have to be able to generate work if you want to push on to the upper stages of the career ladder. However, although it’s important to think ahead and plan for the long term by cultivating a strong network, you should also set yourself shorter-term, bitesize goals which you can aim to achieve within 2 to 3 years. For Robert, these were to qualify as a solicitor first, move to a bigger firm, transition out of legal aid work, and then to become a partner at a good firm. Setting these goals gave Robert focus and helped him make the good decisions necessary to make his own luck and get to where he is today.
We hope you found Robert’s story insightful and, although you may not be looking to move into Cannabis Law specifically, here are our top three takeaways from his story and can be valuable to any lawyer:
Be Commercially Minded. Make sure that you give advice appropriate to the industry you’re operating in and appreciate that it’s not always possible to operate a zero risk profile. Do your homework and get informed about the main issues and perspectives.
Market Yourself. Although you might not be looking to set up a new practice area, any lawyer needs to be marketing and promoting themselves to attract business. As you progress in your career, your ability to bring in business will become ever more important – effective self-marketing and networking is essential.
Set Achievable Goals. Although it’s great to have a long-term vision, and it’s important to keep this in mind, don’t forget that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Set yourself shorter term goals that you can achieve within 2 to 3 years to keep yourself focused and motivated.
Contact Robert on LinkedIn
