Top New York Cannabis Attorney Jason Klimek Joins Harris Beach Murtha’s Expanding Cannabis Industry Team
(July 7, 2025) — Jason W. Klimek, a central player in New York’s legalized cannabis rollout, is joining Harris Beach Murtha to provide strategic business, tax and legal advice to cannabis clients and companies in other industries.
Jason will co-lead the firm’s Cannabis Industry Team and join its Corporate and Tax practice groups. His comprehensive understanding of the cannabis industry complements his experience as a successful corporate and tax attorney, uniquely qualifying him to counsel cannabis companies on business, tax and regulatory matters. He’s developed a stellar reputation working with cannabis companies of all forms and sizes on entity selection, taxation, funding, licensing, regulatory navigation, employment issues, securities transactions and a host of other matters.
As New York rolled out its legal cannabis market, Jason worked with lawmakers and regulators to help develop the Marijuana Regulation and Tax Act that legalized cannabis use, as well as some of its subsequent regulatory components. He also worked closely with adult-use retail dispensary licensees, cultivators, processors, cannabis testing labs and several multi-state operators throughout the drawn-out legalization and regulatory process. His deep experience and knowledge led to frequent speaking and writing engagements on the topic of cannabis law, as well as to being appointed the chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Cannabis Law Section’s Tax Committee and the Cannabis Association of New York’s Policy Committee chair.
“Jason’s been in the trenches of New York’s cannabis legalization effort since day one and is well-equipped to provide cutting-edge advice to our cannabis clients,” said FL Gorman, another co-leader of the firm’s Cannabis Industry Team. “The ‘go-to’ cannabis lawyers and consultants ‘go to’ Jason for problem solving; he will strengthen our team as it expands its work not just in New York State, but throughout the Northeast and particularly in Massachusetts and Connecticut.”
Jason’s corporate experience includes structuring entities, advising on regulatory compliance, handling mergers and acquisitions, licensing work, stock and asset sales, drafting purchase agreements and many other business matters. His extensive knowledge of tax law benefits his corporate clients enabling him to analyze tax implications for mergers and acquisitions as well as the formation and operation of C Corporations, S Corporations and LLCs. In addition to cannabis companies, Jason frequently works with technology startups on the complex tax issues they face in launching a new business venture. He is a frequent speaker and writer on topics such as cannabis tax issues, entity structure and taxation issues and personal tax issues.
About Harris Beach Murtha
Harris Beach Murtha formed in 2025 via the combination of Harris Beach PLLC and Murtha Cullina LLP. A forward-thinking and innovative partnership with the benefit of more than 250 years of combined history, Harris Beach Murtha’s New York roots reach back to 1856 and the firm has had ties to New England since 1936. Harris Beach and Murtha Cullina were separately among the country’s top law firms as ranked by The National Law Journal.
Harris Beach Murtha and its subsidiaries have a strong Northeast presence, but a global reach. Clients include Fortune 100 corporations, privately held companies, emerging businesses, public sector entities, tax-exempt organizations and individuals. The firm’s practice areas and industries served span appellate law, business litigation, commercial real estate, construction, corporate, environmental, energy, financial institutions, financial restructuring, government compliance and investigations, health care, immigration, intellectual property, labor and employment, mass torts, medical and life sciences, political law, product liability, public finance, tax, and trusts and estates.
Harris Beach Murtha is the exclusive member firm in Connecticut for Lex Mundi, the world’s leading network of independent firms with in-depth experience in more than 125 countries worldwide. As part of the Lex Mundi global network, Harris Beach Murtha can provide clients with preferred access to more than 22,000 lawyers around the world – all from a single point of contact. Lex Mundi allows Harris Beach Murtha to seamlessly handle clients’ most challenging cross-border transactions and disputes.
The firm’s lawyers and consultants practice from offices throughout Connecticut in Bantam, Hartford, New Haven and Stamford; New York state in Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Ithaca, Niagara Falls, New York City, Rochester, Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, Long Island and White Plains, as well as in Boston, Massachusetts and Newark, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.harrisbeachmurtha.com.