Growing up in New Mexico, Amanda Connor’s parents used to joke that she was destined to become a lawyer because she liked to argue. It was an argument laid out by her husband, however, that led her to her current role as an expert in cannabis law.
“He came home one day and stated that he had a practice area that I would be good at,” said Connor, who holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Pepperdine University; a master’s degree in education from University of California, San Diego; a master’s of administration from New Mexico State University; and a J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law.
“I had never seen or used marijuana, but when he told me it was all about figuring out and following rules, I decided to give it a shot.”
Connor, who previously taught dual-language kindergarten, and her husband founded Connor & Connor PLLC in May 2102, and the firm has since helped to shape Nevada marijuana-industry regulations with the goal of providing safe products and clear guidelines.
“Since our inception, when it was just my husband and I working out of our house, we have expanded to a firm that provides more than 15 good-paying jobs with benefits,” said Connor, who sits on the board of the Children’s Advocacy Alliance and the leadership board of the Southern Nevada chapter of the American Cancer Society, and also represents kids in the foster system through the Children’s Attorney Project. “We are moving our headquarters into a larger space and we look forward to continuing to expand our operations.”