California New Marijuana Law: How Does It Impact Employers?

Melvin K. Patterson, an attorney licensed to practice before all state and federal courts in California, is General Counsel to the Cedrus Group, a family of international financial services firms with offices around the globe. He is a member of the Labor & Employment Section of the California State Bar and has been admitted to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California as well as the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal. Mr. Patterson is experienced in Labor and Employment litigation and transactional matters in the U.S., Asia and the U.K. He has designed internal business policies, procedures and management structures, as well as inter-corporate relationships and has been a business owner himself. Mr. Patterson is an experienced trial litigator who has handled numerous business and commercial matters for over 20 years on behalf of an elite clientele around the world. He has defended clients in matters brought against companies by employees, commercial business agreements and government regulatory matters. Mr. Patterson holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the John F. Kennedy University School of Law, as well as a Certificate in Strategic Human Resource Management from Cornell University. He has also earned the American Jurisprudence Award, completed specialized training in Assessing Economic Damages, Forensic Discovery and Preservation of Electronic Evidence and Data. Mr. Patterson was nominated to the National Dean's List and has been a speaker before such groups as the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, is a past contributing editor to California Motions In Limine (The Rutter Group) and has been a columnist for the "The Docket", the news and information journal of the San Mateo County Bar Ass'n. He has a knowledge of Korean, Japanese and Spanish languages.