Ariel Clark is one of California’s most dedicated business and regulatory attorneys advising clients in highly regulated and emerging ecosystems.

For over a decade, Ariel has been in the trenches of cannabis law and drug policy reform, helping to enact ecosystem-defining regulations while being deeply committed to her clients — leading operators, entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and healers. When the idea of a robust, diverse, and regulated cannabis supply chain was considered impossibly out-of-the-box, she committed her practice to be of service to the plants and communities she is in deep connection with — foresight that was recognized by Rolling Stone, which named her one of 18 “Women Shaping The Culture of Tomorrow.” Ariel’s hard work, intelligence, and tenacity have earned her a national reputation as one of the fiercest lawyers working on drug policy reform and healing technologies. Ariel’s extensive legal and political expertise provide valuable counsel to other trailblazers building successful, impactful, and mindful organizations and offerings.

Ariel is General Legal Counsel to Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and is a member of the Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants. She is a founding Board Member of the Psychedelic Bar Association (PBA), serves as the Board Steward of PBA’s Religious Use Committee, and serves as the Lead Astral Projector of PBA’s Legislation and Regulation Committee. She co-founded and served on the Executive Committee of the Cannabis Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. She also co-founded the Cannaboss Womxn’s Circle, an active community of professionals collectively advancing feminine leadership in the cannabis ecosystem. Ariel’s other affiliations have included the International Cannabis Bar Association, California Native American Cannabis Association, California and National Cannabis Industry Associations, and California Growers Association. 

Ariel has been involved in numerous policy-change organizations, one of which was the Los Angeles Cannabis Task Force, which Ariel founded and ran. The Task Force was instrumental in the passage of Measure M, which authorized the creation of a legal, regulated industry in LA. Over the last ten years, she has advised many other trade associations and drug policy reform organizations on regulatory and legal issues. Ariel regularly guest lectures at universities and law schools, including Columbia, Yale, and Harvard, and participates  in community gatherings, conferences, and festivals.

Ariel’s nationally-recognized leadership is reflected in her inclusion in, among other accolades, Cannabis Business Executive’s “75 Most Important Women in Cannabis”; mg Magazine’s “30 Most Powerful Cannabis Lawyers”; Cannabis Law Report’s “Global Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers”; and Entrepreneur’s “Top 100 Cannabis Leaders.” 

Prior to founding Clark Howell LLP (originally Clark Neubert LLP), Ariel captained her own firm and worked with California Indian Legal Services in Oakland, Santa Rosa, and Eureka. Her holistic, forward-thinking, and thorough approach to law – coupled with deep policy expertise and progressive vision – is of enormous benefit to clients, colleagues, and fellow paradigm-shifters.