Alumni in Residence with Joanne Caceres J.D. ’13 of Dentons US LLP

Tuesday, February 24, 2026, from 9:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. ET

The Alumni in Residence program connects current HLS students with accomplished HLS alumni for one-on-one career mentoring and advice. You’re invited to meet with Joanne Caceres J.D. ’13 during their virtual office hours. Sign up for a 20-minute Zoom appointment.  

When cannabis and hemp businesses face regulatory walls, investors hesitate, or reform hangs in the balance, Joanne is the strategist they call to find the path forward.

With more than a decade at the center of cannabis and hemp law, Joanne has built a reputation for turning “that can’t be done” into structures that get clients to yes—fast, clear, and defensible. She has secured licenses in multiple states, guided a federal license to bulk manufacture cannabis, and advised on both drafting and amending legislation at the state and federal level, including contributing to landmark federal legislation that would regulate and tax cannabis.

Her vantage point—working directly with regulators, litigating license disputes, and structuring corporate deals—gives clients a rare combination: pragmatic clarity in the moment and foresight into where policy is headed. Public companies, multi-state operators, hemp innovators, and ancillary businesses rely on her to navigate risk, protect credibility, and unlock growth. She has been integral in listing ancillary cannabis companies on US stock exchanges and routinely issues the opinion letters investors and lenders need to move deals across the finish line.

Joanne’s practice spans corporate transactions, regulatory compliance, and litigation strategy. Her clients include single and multi-state operators, hemp product manufacturers, large publicly traded companies selling into the cannabis sector, life sciences companies exploring psychedelics, REITs, and investors financing these industries.

Beyond her client work, Joanne has helped social equity applicants with licensing, filed expungements for previously incarcerated individuals, and advocated for federal pardons for simple possession. Within the firm, she serves as Health Care Practice Group Diversity Partner and co-chairs the Hispanic/Latinx Organization for Leadership and Advancement (HOLA).