Cannabis Law Report and Cannabis Law Journal have included A.Y. Strauss partners Jennifer Cabrera and Sahar Ayinehsazian in the 7th edition of the Global Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers 2026-2027. The list is based on the publications’ annual survey of clients and lawyers in the cannabis legal services sector, combined with editorial decisions based on reporting on this sector over the past decade.
As leader of the firm’s Cannabis Group, Jennifer serves as counsel to cannabis businesses operating in New Jersey and New York, providing strategic guidance on regulatory compliance, corporate structuring, M&A, and licensing matters. A former litigator, she has successfully guided clients through many business disputes, with an emphasis on mediation and early intervention dispute resolution. She works with companies of all sizes, from startups to multi-state operators, and often serves as outside general counsel.
Sahar advises businesses, investors, and financial institutions on complex corporate transactions, including financings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring, licensing agreements, and strategic restructurings for cannabis businesses without access to traditional bankruptcy protections. The founder and former chair of a national law firm’s cannabis banking group, she brings deep transactional experience and a sophisticated understanding of banking, capital flows, and regulatory frameworks, informed by her prior role as Director of Regulatory and Governmental Affairs at a multi-state money transmitter serving the cannabis industry.
This year’s Global Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers list notes: “As the industry pivots into 2027, the role of legal counsel has evolved from helping businesses circumvent federal barriers to actively defending them within heavily policed boundaries. Law firms must prepare clients for a wave of state and federal enforcement actions, product re-formulation mandates, and commercial litigation stemming from broken supply chains.”
The editor further observes that with “normalization” of the industry, attorneys in this area must have a firm grasp of federal and state regulations, administrative procedure, and sophisticated corporate structuring.
About A.Y. Strauss
A.Y. Strauss provides legal counsel for commercial transactions and litigation in the areas of real estate, construction, employment, cannabis, family law, environmental, and corporate bankruptcy. With the intellectual depth of a large firm and the personalized touch of a boutique, the firm’s lawyers handle a broad variety of matters for emerging businesses, institutional clients, and high net worth individuals.