As we get further and further into 2021, we have more and more blogs joining the Community. This week, we’ve highlighted two of DLA Piper‘s bloggers as the firm launches their ninth publication. Three other blogs join us, focusing on cannabis, finance litigation, and general parliamentary procedures.

Chris Gismondi’s interest in CBD law inspired by daughter’s plight 

Chris has been with DLA Piper for almost a year now and is a blog manager for the firm’s new CBD-related blog. His interest in the industry was actually sparked by his daughter, Juliette, who developed epilepsy, affecting her day-to-day life as a kid. “She never complains about these unfair restrictions, simply accepting that this is her life and that she will make the best of it,” Chris remarks. “CBD’s untapped potential to alleviate and treat conditions with de minimis side effects brought me in, and the collaborative nature of the industry kept me coming.”

Even with being a father and working attorney, Chris manages to carve out time in his morning for working out and meditating in order to attain that balance between work and life. And if his work didn’t consist of being a lawyer? Chris says he wanted to be a novelist. “But that’s why I became a lawyer.”

Matt Miehl’s path to becoming an attorney paved by lessons along the way

Matt has found success being an attorney, coming up on a year and a half at DLA Piper. However, the path hasn’t always been easy—one of his proudest moments is the failed startup he co-founded in law school. Though the end product may not have been ideal, Matt counts the journey itself as a success since he learned how to use criticism as a tool for improvement, refine his public speaking skills, and get out of his comfort zone daily.

If being an attorney didn’t go his way, Matt may have tried his hand in the kitchen. “I love to cook, and I am pretty good at adjusting recipes to make them just right. Unfortunately, the one thing I like more than cooking is tasting what I cook, which I don’t think the restaurant or its customers would like very much,” Matt says. “I guess it’s a good thing that I’m a lawyer!”

New Blogs

  • Both Matt and Chris manage DLA Piper’s Cultivate blog, which focuses on critical legal issues affecting the nascent hemp and CBD industry.
  • Based out of Alabama, The Law of Order is run by Sarah Merkle and is a resource for general parliamentary procedures.
  • Herrick Restructuring Review produced by Herrick Feinstein discusses developments in restructuring and finance litigation with a focus on New York.
  • Another cannabis blog joins us this week—Cultiva’s blog talks about everything from marijuana legalization to cannabis licenses.
Photo of Michelle Newblom Michelle Newblom

Michelle works on LexBlog’s Publishing team and assists in managing and creating the company’s editorial and social content, as well as working with clients to ensure the overall success of their blogs. She has experience working in all different realms of publishing—including newspapers,

Michelle works on LexBlog’s Publishing team and assists in managing and creating the company’s editorial and social content, as well as working with clients to ensure the overall success of their blogs. She has experience working in all different realms of publishing—including newspapers, magazines and research journals. Michelle has published a poetry book and been featured in an anthology.