Aliya J. Nelson

Aliya Nelson brings more than 20 years of corporate, licensing, and entertainment experience to Greenspoon Marder. As a partner in the firm’s Corporate, Cannabis Law, and Entertainment & Sports, practice groups, Ms. Nelson focuses on transactional, regulatory, and licensing matters for clients in the cannabis, media, technology, sports, and real estate industries. Ms. Nelson represents a wide range of cannabis clients, including state-licensed cultivators, processors, distributors, dispensaries, general and social equity applicants, investors, and ancillary businesses. In addition, she has substantial experience in corporate and entertainment law, including representing companies and talent across the media, technology, sports, music, film, television, and publishing industries.

As a seasoned practitioner, she serves as a trusted advisor and a fierce advocate for her clients, advising founders, senior management, and board of directors of cannabis, sports, media, technology companies, financial institutions, and real estate developers through various corporate transactional, regulatory, licensing, and real estate matters. Ms. Nelson also has extensive experience representing clients, both as a lead attorney and outside general counsel, in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, equity, debt financing, and general corporate matters.

Ms. Nelson has served as a managing principal of an experiential marketing and activation agency that owned and operated branded youth sports properties around the United States and a multicultural advertising and experiential agency that served clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small and mid-sized companies. She has also served as the Executive Director of a non-profit think tank.

Prior to joining Greenspoon Marder, Ms. Nelson founded and led her own firm for over a decade, concentrating on corporate, entertainment, and intellectual property matters. She was also an Adjunct Professor at New York University teaching legal issues affecting non-profit entities and an Adjunct Professor at The College of New Rochelle introducing law-related issues to undergraduate students.

In recognition of her achievements in the law, in 2022, Ms. Nelson was named a Notable Woman in Law by Crain’s and became a member of CHIEF. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Ms. Nelson has been actively engaged throughout her life as a director, executive, and member of several civic, charitable, and philanthropic organizations. Ms. Nelson is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She is a graduate of the United Way’s Linkages professional board training program and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, and previously served on the Board of Directors of Classical Theatre of Harlem, Behind the Book, Inc. and the New Rochelle Boys and Girls Club. She is the founder of a New Rochelle-based Girl Scout Troop and is engaged in the development, fundraising, and committee work for her children’s schools.

Courts Admissions

• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Bar Admissions

• New York

Education

• J.D., Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 2001
• B.A., Political Science, Art History, Rutgers College, 1997