Blank Rome added Sean P. Coyle and Vijay S. Choksi as partners in the corporate, M&A and securities group and the cannabis industry team in its West Palm Beach office. Coyle and Choksi bring extensive experience advising clients on complex transactions across a range of highly regulated sectors. Together, they deepen the firm’s ability to serve clients in South Florida and nationwide with sophisticated transactional and regulatory counsel. They join Blank Rome from Fox Rothschild.
“West Palm Beach is increasingly becoming a destination for financial services, private capital and complex transactional work,” Lawrence F. Flick II, Blank Rome’s vice chair and chair of the financial services industry team, said. “Welcoming Sean and Vijay underscores our commitment to the market and our focus on growing strategically, with the right talent in place to support clients operating in South Florida and beyond.”
Coyle advises professional sports franchises, software companies, multinational corporations and a wide range of emerging businesses, including cannabis companies, on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, private equity transactions and corporate governance matters. He represents buyers and sellers in complex domestic and cross-border transactions and counsels companies navigating diverse regulatory regimes in the United States and abroad. Coyle also serves as a strategic adviser on capital-raising strategies, operational and governance best practices and long-term growth planning. His experience extends to professional franchise transactions, sponsorship and naming rights arrangements, and sweepstakes and game promotions.
“Blank Rome’s national corporate platform and its commitment to South Florida made this an ideal fit for me and my clients,” Coyle said. “The firm’s breadth across transactional, regulatory and industry teams allows me to serve clients more holistically as they grow, raise capital and navigate complex regulatory environments. I look forward to helping build the firm’s presence in West Palm Beach, making it a hub for sophisticated corporate work.”
Choksi is a regulatory and corporate attorney who advises operators, investors and stakeholders on strategic corporate transactions, financing, licensing, regulatory compliance, enforcement matters and litigation across regulated markets, including cannabis and gaming. Formerly general counsel and senior director of compliance for a Florida-based medical marijuana provider, Choksi brings a unique in-house perspective, enabling him to counsel clients on how regulatory decisions affect day-to-day operations, growth strategy and risk management.
“Sean and Vijay significantly enhance how we serve corporate clients operating in highly regulated industries,” Peter Schnur, partner and co-chair of the firm’s corporate, M&A and securities group, said. “Sean’s experience leading multifaceted, high-stakes M&A transactions combined with Vijay’s regulatory and compliance perspective shaped by an in-house background allow us to guide clients through transactions with a deeper understanding of both deal dynamics and business operations.”
Frank A. Segall, partner, co-chair of the firm’s cannabis industry team and co-chair of the Boston office, said, “This is an exciting addition for our firm and we are proud to welcome Sean and Vijay to Blank Rome’s cannabis industry team. Their arrival strengthens our capabilities nationwide but particularly in Florida, which is an important cannabis market and underscores our commitment to serving clients in this rapidly evolving industry. We are also honored that their move brings marquee client relationships, including Trulieve Cannabis Corporation. Trulieve’s decision to follow Sean and Vijay to Blank Rome is a powerful testament to their talent and to the strength of our platform.”
In the cannabis industry, Coyle has played a central role in many large mergers and acquisitions. He served as lead U.S. counsel to Trulieve Cannabis in the company’s $2.1 billion acquisition of Harvest Health & Recreation. He has also represented Green Growth Brands in the $54 million acquisition of all outstanding shares of Spring Oaks Greenhouses, enabling entry into Florida’s medical marijuana market, and has advised several multistate cannabis operators on acquisitions of cannabis licensees across jurisdictions, including Florida, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Massachusetts, California, Michigan and Arizona.
Choksi’s cannabis practice spans the full lifecycle of cannabis businesses. He advises on state and federal regulatory compliance, zoning and land-use approvals, intellectual property strategy and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) considerations. He has successfully obtained more than 100 variance approvals for Florida cannabis operators, enabling the expansion of cultivation facilities, new product launches and changes in corporate control. He structures and negotiates genetic license agreements for multistate operators and advises on advertising, manufacturing and white-labeling compliance. Choksi has also served as lead counsel on a complex strict foreclosure transaction for a multistate cannabis operator and as sole legal adviser to a nonprofit coalition of Florida’s largest cannabis companies.
“The cannabis industry is becoming a K-shaped market, consolidation at the top, with smaller players finding it harder to stay competitive,” Choksi said. “Blank Rome’s national platform, deep bench in corporate and regulatory matters, and collaborative culture make it exceptionally well positioned to serve clients navigating that shift. Firm leadership has made a real, tangible commitment to growing the cannabis industry group, and I am excited to be part of a team that can offer holistic counsel across transactions, compliance and day-to-day operations.”
