Jill M. Schafer is an experienced attorney who has been practicing in Massachusetts for over 25 years. She focuses her practice on cannabis law and also assists her clients with commercial real estate matters.

Jill has extensive knowledge of hemp, marijuana and cannabinoid laws gleaned from years spent advising Massachusetts cannabis operators and she continues to assist clients in all cannabis-related matters, including consulting on medical and adult-use marijuana licensure; navigating municipal zoning and permitting procedures; helping clients achieve and maintain regulatory compliance; and drafting corporate, employment, and real estate agreements.

In addition to her experience in cannabis matters, Jill is also a practiced real estate attorney. She has represented both landlords and tenants in commercial real estate sales and acquisitions and commercial leasing matters. She has also worked with municipalities and private clients on cases involving public construction and public works; municipal building projects; planning, zoning, and permitting; land use; environmental issues; and housing appeals matters. She also has experience working on wireless telecommunications development projects. She assists clients with site acquisition and lease negotiation, as well as the local and state municipal and environmental permitting processes.

Jill is the chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals in the Town of Hudson and served on the Town’s Zoning Bylaw Reform Committee. Jill is also a member and Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Advanced Math and Science Academy (AMSA) Charter School in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

In addition to a J.D. from Suffolk University School of Law and a B.A. from the University of New Hampshire, Jill also holds an M.B.A. in Business Administration from Suffolk University’s Sawyer School of Management.

Education

  • Suffolk University School of Management, M.B.A.
  • Suffolk University Law School, J.D., cum laude
  • University of New Hampshire, B.A., cum laude

Bar Admissions

  • Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  • United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
  • United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
  • United States Supreme Court

Memberships & Affiliations

  • Massachusetts Bar Association
  • Women’s Bar Association
  • Boston Bar Association
  • Real Estate Bar Association
  • International Cannabis Bar Association (INCBA)