Lecturer Bio
David C. Holland, Esq.
At the crossroads of cutting edge issues for over 30 years, David C Holland is a highly skilled litigator and strategist who understands the implications of politics and law enforcement. A stalwart free speech defender, he’s been on the forefront of headline constitutional battles from the COVID vaccine debate to cannabis legalization to challenging civil and criminal RICO statutes for his entire career. David is a master at cleverly getting people to appreciate the other side of contentious issues as he has a rare ability to empathize and adopt different viewpoints.
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Effectively navigating crises, David has staunchly defended against censorship, even embracing unpopular messages to help protect the rights that matter most to Americans. As a successful and passionate advocate for marijuana legalization, David has been on the frontline of the debate and is one of the longest serving counsel in New York state on the subject. He has been a prime mover as a member of several think tank organizations focused on cannabis legalization and was instrumental in obtaining six presidential acts of clemency from both President Obama and Trump for elderly prisoners serving life sentences without parole for cannabis offenses. He is a frequent source for news outlets and a lecturer at major legal and industry events around cannabis-related issues.
For decades, David’s stellar legal work has led to several citations including being repeatedly named a National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Attorney of the Year in Criminal Defense; a New York Super Lawyer® in Cannabis Law; a Global Top 200 Cannabis Attorney; and being listed in Marquis’ Who’s Who 2023 edition.
Today, David left his position as a Partner at the Prince Lobel Tye LLP law firm and has formed the business and general litigation firm of Holland Schriever LLP where he represents a wide array of clients across a number of disciplines. He is also the Executive and Legal Director of Empire State NORML (the New York State affiliate of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws), Co-Chair of the NORML Amicus Committee, Co-Founder and President of the New York City Cannabis Industry Association as well as a pro bono Legal Advisor to Last Prisoner Project (LPP). David spent a dozen years serving as Of Counsel to the late Michael Kennedy, Esq., an outspoken criminal defense and civil rights advocate as well as providing counsel to High Times Magazine. In those roles he challenged the constitutionality of federal cannabis laws in several legal actions and defended those using marijuana for medical purposes including the precedent setting case of Scott Martin v. The City of Buffalo attacking an outdated collective bargaining agreement and drug testing policy and causing the restoration of position, back pay, and all benefits stripped from this armed services veteran.
David is admitted to the Federal and State courts in New Jersey, New York, and Maryland, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court and the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. His Juris Doctorate degree is from New York Law School.
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