Seth R. Tipton

Seth R. Tipton is a partner of the firm and Chair of its corporate, commercial real estate, and cannabis practice groups.

During his career, Seth has represented corporate clients in connection with business formation, internal governance, and mergers and acquisitions. In the latter capacity, Seth has guided privately-held companies through digital auctions, preliminary negotiations, financing, and closing of multi-million-dollar transactions on both the buy and sell side. For instance, he was counsel for the sale of a chain of New Jersey franchise restaurants for $24 million, a privately-held construction company for $8 million, a Lehigh Valley pharmaceutical company vendor for $17 million, an acute care hospital and surgical center and lease of associated real estate in $50 million dollar transaction, and a nationwide auto glass installation company for $75 million.

In addition, Seth is a leader in the field of cannabis law.  He has represented applicants for medical cannabis permits in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, guiding them on private capital raises, application requirements, and real estate acquisition and approval. Seth counsels clients on all aspects of formation and compliance for cannabis companies, from start-ups to multi-state operators. For example, Seth was counsel for Keystone Releaf LLC in a successful appeal of denial of a medical marijuana application, and he was counsel for successful applicants for medical cannabis dispensaries and cultivators in the 2019 New Jersey Department of Health request for applications. He is the immediate past co-chair the New Jersey State Bar Association Cannabis Law Special Committee, and an instructor for NJ Canna Certified where he teaches cannabis law basics to students at many of New Jersey’s community colleges. In 2022, Seth was ranked 5th on Insider New Jersey’s The Insider 100: Cannabis Power List which is a tribute to politically influential voices in New Jersey’s cannabis movement. In 2023, Seth and firm partner, Sarah Powell, coauthored New Jersey Cannabis Regulation, the first and only book of its kind focused on New Jersey cannabis law.

Seth also has extensive experience with representing both lenders and developers in all phases of commercial real estate development, including due diligence, zoning and planning applications, and negotiating and finalizing acquisition and construction loans.  He has guided clients through sale leaseback transactions, multi-family and medical office building construction, financing and sales, and a variety of other projects.   As part of this work, Seth has represented clients with a variety of development incentive programs, including the first City Revitalization Improvement Zone (“CRIZ”) project in Pennsylvania, the Keystone Improvement Zone (“KIZ”) tax credits and the New Jersey Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit program.  Additionally, he served as local real estate counsel for part of the ownership group in the $1.2 billion dollar sale of the Sands Casino in Bethlehem Pennsylvania, and an associated $170 million-dollar securitized loan. He was also counsel for the developer in the acquisition, financing, construction and lease of $44 million-dollar medical office building, and counsel for $36 million construction financing for 180-unit multi-family facility in New Jersey.

Seth is also a licensed Pennsylvania title agent, routinely advising lenders and private clients on title issues, and financing commercial real estate.

Seth has served as counsel for hospitals and has overseen matters adverse to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; the management and retention of hospital employees; licensing; negotiation of medical supply and services contracts; and compliance with the Stark and Anti-Kickback Laws. He has also guided physicians in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in connection with the sale of medical practices, and the regulatory and licensing processes regarding the establishment of new practices.

Prior to joining the firm, Seth served as a law clerk for the Honorable Ariel A. Rodriguez, Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey. Seth is a member of the Warren County, New Jersey and Northampton County, Pennsylvania Bar Associations, and of the Health Law Section of the American Bar Association.

Publications & Presentations

• South Jersey Biz – The Blunt Reality of Cannabiz, November 2023
• 2023 Cannabis & Real Estate Conference – Moderator – April 20, 2023
• NJICLE – 5th Annual Cannabis Symposium – The Licensing Evolution: Conditional, Provisional, Annual – March 29, 2023
• NJICLE – 4th Annual Cannabis Symposium – 2019 RFA Awardee Update – April 28, 2022
• Healthcare Financial Management Association Annual Institute – What to Expect Now That Cannabis is Legal – October 7, 2021
• New Jersey School Boards Association – Legalized Marijuana: What Does It Mean for School Districts? – May 13, 2021
• NJICLE Webcast – The Cannabis Law Referendum, You and Your Clients – What You Need to Know Now – October 19, 2020
• NJICLE – 2nd Annual Cannabis Symposium – Co-Moderator – March 18, 2020
• NJICLE Webcast – Current Insurance Issues Facing the Cannabis Industry – September 15, 2020
• 2019 CLM New York Conference – Emerging Insurance Coverage Issues in the Cannabis Industry – December 05, 2019
• New Jersey State Bar Association Mid-Year Meeting (San Juan, Puerto Rico) – Living La Vida Loca: Update on Cannabis Law in New Jersey & Puerto Rico – Panelist – November 8, 2019
• New Jersey Paralegal Convention – Cannabis & Legal Marijuana – October 25, 2019
• NJICLE – Expansion of Medical Marijuana Webcast – Panelist – September 17, 2019
• NJICLE – 1st Annual Cannabis Symposium – Moderator – March 13, 2019
• Princeton Bar Association – Hot Topics on Marijuana Law – February 29, 2019
• New Jersey Business & Industry Association – Starting a Cannabis Business – Panelist – January 23, 2019
• NJICLE – Cannabis Basics – Legislative Update – November 28, 2018
• New Jersey State Bar Association Mid-Year Meeting (Rome, Italy) – Cannabis Policy Models in Europe & The U.S. – Panelist – November 9, 2019.
• New Jersey State Bar Association Podcast – The Pot Edition – August 22, 2018
• How to make full use of CRIZ designation, Lehigh Valley Business (April 14, 2014)
• The Ethical Issues of Cloud Computing, PBA Young Lawyers Division, At Issue (Fall 2012)
• New Jersey Supreme Court Gives Warning to Superior Court: Public Entity Liability is the Exception, Not the Rule (September 12, 2012)
• Ruling Slashes Ambiguity in Bidding on School Projects, NJ Biz (January 23, 2012)
• Connoisseurship Corrected: Protecting the Artist, the Public and the Role of Art Museums through the Amendment of VARA, 62 Rutgers L. Rev. 269 (2009)