Experience

After four rewarding years of dedicated service to its clients, Plant Medicine Law Group (PMLG), a prominent New York-based psychedelics law firm, wound down operations in September 2024 and transitioned relationships and certain clients to Emerge Law Group, a leading Portland-based law firm with extensive expertise in cannabis and psychedelics. Both law firms specialize in advising psychedelic companies domestically and internationally. The transition builds upon the collaborative co-counsel arrangement that formed between Emerge and PMLG earlier this year and is a significant step forward for the emerging psychedelics industry. 

Services & Expertise of PMLG

PMLG offered a comprehensive range of legal services tailored to the needs of the psychedelic industry. From regulatory guidance to business formation and intellectual property, they provided the tools and expertise necessary for clients to thrive in this innovative space. With a deep understanding of the psychedelic sector, PMLG leveraged its niche knowledge to deliver high-quality legal solutions.

Founders & Lawyers

PMLG launched operations on November 4, 2020. The law firm was founded by Adriana Kertzer, Hadas Alterman, and Serena Wu. In December 2022, Kertzer became the sole proprietor of the firm and oversaw its operations in New York, California, Oregon, Georgia, and Colorado. The team at PMLG was made up of experienced legal professionals deeply committed to the psychedelic and wellness sectors. Each lawyer in the team contributed unique insights and expertise, ensuring clients received comprehensive and informed legal support.

The following is a summary of the types of clients PMLG counseled since beginning operations on November 4, 2020.

Psychedelic Clinics

  • California-based psychedelic-assisted therapy clinic conducting MAPS sponsored Phase III clinical trials using MDMA for PTSD and COMPASS sponsored Phase III clinical trials using psilocybin for depression. Entity conversion, compliance, general corporate matters, employment matters, copyright and trademark, and commercial real estate.

  • New York-based psychedelic-assisted therapy clinic conducting MAPS sponsored Phase III clinical trials using MDMA for PTSD. FDA clinical trial agreement, investigator-initiated clinical trial agreement, and employment agreements.

  • Rhode Island clinic that provides ketamine treatment for psychiatric disorders using a hybrid model of in-office, telemedicine visits, and at-home ketamine with sublingual tablets. Incorporation, informed consent, and general legal matters.

  • Ketamine-assisted therapy clinic in New York City that follows the Lascaux Method, a method that synthesizes certain forms of psychotherapy, vibrational sound work, as well as the choice of other creative activities and bodywork. Incorporation.

  • Management services organization for ketamine assisted therapy clinic. Incorporation.

  • Ibogaine clinic in Mexico offering care for those suffering from PTSD, depression, anxiety, and addiction. General corporate matters, clinical trial agreements, fundraising, and employment.

  • Ketamine-assisted therapy clinic, wellness center, and intimacy coaching practice. Incorporation, compliance, licensing, and commercial real estate transactions.

  • California clinic that provides individual and group ketamine assisted therapy and hosts workshops. Compliance, employment, insurance, and general corporate matters.

  • Clinical practice providing ketamine-assisted therapy in Southampton, NY. Incorporation, governance, trademark, contracts, employment agreements, and NDAs.

  • Coworking space in Pennsylvania for ketamine-assisted psychotherapy practitioners. Incorporation, compliance, contracts, employment agreements, and introduction to vendors in the psychedelic ecosystem.

  • Psychedelic-assisted therapy company with proprietary virtual reality technology. Governance and documentation.

  • Ketamine clinic in New York City. Guidance on hosting speakers speaking about Schedule 1 substances.

  • Future multistate operator of psychedelic assisted therapy centers in Oregon and Colorado. Initial guidance on market selection.Clinical practice providing ketamine-assisted therapy in Southampton, NY. Incorporation, governance, trademark, contracts, employment agreements, and NDAs.

Psychedelic Industry Professionals

  • Portland-based LCSW preparing to be a licensed psilocybin facilitator and considering opening a nonprofit service center focused on research, education, and provision of community services focused on environmental justice and preservation of traditional cultures.

  • Los Angeles-based LCSW with a clinical practice that offers private therapy, harm reduction training, workplace consulting, and direct care for workers on the frontlines of secondary trauma.

  • Research scientist and author with two decades of experience studying the effects of mindfulness meditation and psychedelics.

  • Nurse practitioner licensed in Colorado, Washington and CA with certifications in counseling and ketamine therapy.

  • Professor of psychiatry with a private practice who leads couples’ retreats that include group ketamine-assisted therapy.

  • Psychedelic therapy consultant.

  • Indigenous rights activist, researcher and social entrepreneur dedicated to developing and scaling innovative solutions to improve Indigenous health equity.

  • Coach offering integration and harm reduction services.

  • Philadelphia-based LCSW with a clinical practice offering psychedelic assisted therapy and HIV harm reduction services.

  • Nursing practice.

  • Family medicine specialist.

  • Naturopathic doctor providing psilocybin-assisted treatment at multiple facilities in Oregon.

Retreats

  • Practitioner group that leads psilocybin retreats in Jamaica.

  • Clinical psychologist trained in contemplative psychotherapy, dream analysis, and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy negotiating with a psilocybin retreat company in Jamaica.

  • Psilocybin retreat company in Jamaica looking to expand operations into Oregon.

  • Ketamine-assisted retreat in upstate New York.

  • Breathwork studio engaged in group ketamine-assisted therapy.

Education & Media

  • Communications company that provides public relations, media relations, marketing, crisis management, and education services in the fields of psychedelic science, therapy, health, and wellness, and related fields.

  • Organization providing state-approved training and certification for psilocybin therapy facilitators in Oregon with a focus on BIPOC and LGBTQIA communities.

  • Online platform developed in collaboration with clinicians dedicated to psychedelics, psychedelic therapy, wellness, and related topics.

  • Podcast about the psychedelic industry.

  • IFS practitioner, educator, and integration and microdosing coach.

  • Microdosing integration coach and educator.

  • Online platform that will provide clinical training and research services to promote the dissemination of psychedelic medicine.

  • Nonprofit that publishes research on plant medicines and psychedelics and helps propagate academic knowledge in more accessible formats.

  • Journalist covering the psychedelic industry.

  • Ibogaine podcast host.

  • A platform aimed at advancing responsible psychedelic assisted therapy.

  • Social networking platform for psychedelic content and conversation.

  • Content platform for providing educational material and music services for psychedelic assisted therapy consumers with accompanying retreat centers.

  • A virtual platform that aimed to provide personalized support for clients, connecting them with psychedelic therapy and retreats, and offering one-on-one integration coaching.

  • Online musical ceremonies and integration supported by live facilitators.

  • Psychedelic marketing consulting company and NFT gallery.

Nonprofits

  • Nonprofit dedicated to accelerating conscious innovation utilizing mindfulness practices and/or psychedelics. 

  • Christian nonprofit that advocates for the legal and safe access to psychedelics and believes that Christianity and other existing religious traditions offer paths for preparing, experiencing, and integrating mystical experiences, including those occasioned by sacred plants and compounds.

  • Jewish nonprofit religious psychedelic support and integration group.

  • Colorado nonprofit ministry offering entheogenic prayer ceremonies, sacred pilgrimages, and spiritual counseling.

  • Organization providing education and consultation to individuals, communities and organizations around ethical care, restorative justice, and human rights in non-ordinary states of consciousness.

  • Nonprofit that builds bridges between those who seek healing and those who've found it through psychedelic-assisted therapy.

  • Nonprofit association of entheogenic practitioners.

Funds, Investors, & Holding Companies

  • A holding company creating and supporting early-stage psychedelic and wellness companies in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

  • Venture capital firm that invests in technologies that elevate mental health and wellness.

  • Private psychedelics investor.

Drug Development & Research

  • NY-based psychiatrist with expertise in ibogaine research and psychopharmacology.

  • Psychedelic drug development company focused on autoimmune diseases and inflammation.

  • Publicly traded biotech company that created an impact program.

  • Individual employed by psychedelic drug development company.

  • Direct-to-consumer scientific research company providing a scaled R&D platform to the alternative medicine landscape with end-to-end clinical research services.

Medicinal Mushrooms

  • Community space for individuals interested in edible plant and mushroom foraging.

  • Company selling medicinal mushroom blends and offering educational experiences (in-person and virtual) about microdosing psilocybin.

  • Producer of spawn, mushroom grow kits, fruiting blocks, sterile substrates, and medicinal mushroom supplements. Researching the legality of liquid culture syringes and spore syringes of psilocybin containing species.

  • Mushroom substrate manufacturer.

Cannabis

  • Cannabis apparel and accessories company in New York, NY.

  • Multistate cannabis production and retail licensee and consulting firm headquartered in New York, NY.

  • Creator of New York City's first cannabis exhibit.

  • Marketing firm dedicated to supporting cannabis companies through thoughtful content for diverse audiences.

  • Platform that tracks effects of cannabis use and gathers data for cannabis brands.

  • Dental office in New York targeting cannabis users.

  • Future cannabis dispensary in Brooklyn, NY.

  • Cannabis consulting firm.

  • A modern luxury hotel in Brooklyn, NY.

  • Craft legacy cannabis cultivator in the Emerald Triangle.

  • Exposition company focused on cannabis-related vendors for weddings.

  • Cannabis extraction consultant in Oakland, CA.

Hemp & CBD

  • Company that markets and sells proprietary herbal remedies, medicinal mushrooms, and proprietary CBD formulations in New York City.

  • Online direct-to-consumer marketplace for halal-certified CBD and hemp products.

  • Joint venture craft cannabis brand in the Emerald Triangle.

  • Hemp and botanical farm in Hudson, NY.

  • Cannabis extraction company in Oakland, CA.

  • CBD retailer in TX.