Bryna Dahlin

Practice Areas

Bryna Dahlin is a partner and chair of the Cannabis Industry Group at Benesch, where she works on the cutting edge of an emerging industry known for its regulatory complexity and challenging legal and business landscape. For nearly a decade, she has advised companies in all sectors of the cannabis space including growers, manufacturers, distributors, dispensaries, investors and ancillary businesses. She also advises non-cannabis companies that are impacted by cannabis laws. Her clients are nationwide and range from new entrants in the space to publicly-traded companies operating across dozens of states.

Bryna advises clients across the country on issues of regulatory compliance, risk avoidance, company formation and structuring, licensing, corporate and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, advertising and product packaging, brand strategy and intellectual property protection. She also performs legal due diligence for investors in the cannabis space, and guides hemp, health and beauty brand clients in navigating Cannabidiol (CBD) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) laws.

Bryna is also a skilled trial lawyer who does not hesitate to litigate when the circumstances call for it. Beyond cannabis, she has represented prominent food, pharmaceutical, entertainment, advertising, technology and consumer product companies in an array of high-profile cases.

Her deep experience defending all manners of deceptive advertising and product defect claims includes matters before the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the National Advertising Review Board.

Bryna has collectively handled cases worth tens of billions of dollars, including defeating a $1.15 billion constitutional claim on summary judgment. She also defeated nationwide, single-state and multistate class certifications on behalf of a toy manufacturer and its big box retailers involving a popular children’s toy that contained a Schedule I controlled substance when swallowed.

Other representations include defending a labeling class action seeking to remove a wide category of cannabis products from the state-legal market; trademark work for a well-known film production company; and litigating a defamation case against a popular singer and television personality. Bryna also has experience defending food, beverage, beauty and dietary supplement companies in lawsuits involving misleading health and benefit claims.

Professional Memberships

• Member, International Cannabis Bar Association Member, American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS)

• Member, Illinois Cannabis Bar Association

• Member, Illinois Women in Cannabis

• Member, B-Sharp Professional Network for Women In-House Attorneys

Education