Chip Sheppard, shareholder, Carnahan, Evans, Cantwell & Brown, P.C. Practice areas: Representing businesses/licensees - medical and recreational marijuana/cannabis, hemp, regulatory, campaign consulting, licensing, transactional, real estate, employment, acquisitions, banking, contracts, municipal, planning and zoning, securities and intellectual property transactions, appeals of regulatory decisions, litigation and dispute resolution.Founding member, Board of Directors, MoCannTrade (MCT), the Missouri trade association for the cannabis industry in Missouri. Also founding Governmental Affairs Committee member for MCT; Named Best Cannabis Attorney statewide by Greenway Magazine, 2024. Chair of the Cannabis Law Group at Carnahan Evans - Named Best Cannabis Law Firm statewide by Greenway Magazine 2022-23; Lawyer of the Year 2019 by Missouri Lawyers Weekly for co-authoring Article XIV of the Mo. Constitution and pro-bono campaigning for its passage. Also co-authored Sec. 2 of Art. XIV - recreational cannabis. Named to Power List of 30 top Missouri Merger and Acquisition Attorneys by Missouri Lawyers Weekly 2023 and 2024. Fellow - ABA, an honor bestowed upon <1/200 members of the ABA. “AV” (highest rating) by Martindale Hubbell; Named to the “Best Lawyers in America” list by the publication of the same name; selected annually since 2005 to the “Super Lawyer” list by Law & Politics Magazine (top 5% according to peer review), currently for Cannabis Law. Formerly Director of the campaign committees that successfully led the voters to put medical and then recreational marijuana in the Missouri Constitution. In 2008, Co-Chair - Greene Countians for Fair and Impartial Judges Committee which was responsible for bringing the Missouri Court Plan to Greene County. Received the Missouri Bar and Springfield Metropolitan Bar Presidents' Awards in recognition of extraordinary service to those Associations and the legal profession for leading the successful effort to expand the Missouri Court Plan. Mr. Sheppard tried more than 50 arbitrations, administrative hearings, state and federal trials, both jury and non-jury.Former arbitrator - American Arbitration Association, NYSE, NASD and current arbitrator - FINRA.Past Pres. - Springfield Metropolitan Bar. Former Member, Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association. Trustee & former Chair - Ozarks Technical Comm. College Board of Trustees, Former Chair - OTC Foundation Board; Former Elder and Trustee - First & Calvary Presbyterian Church.