William G. Roark is a Principal of Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin and chair of the firm’s medical marijuana practice. Additionally, effective April 1, 2022, he now serves as Managing Partner of the firm with Steve Lupin. Bill represents individuals and businesses in the medical marijuana industry by helping them comply with Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act. He assists clients in understanding the permitting application process and the requirements associated with entering this industry. Because he has remained on the forefront of the legislative development and implementation of the Act, Bill has been asked to plan and present at various educational seminars teaching other professionals about this new law. Since 2014, he has devoted his time to expanding the legal profession’s knowledge and awareness of the Medical Marijuana Act and its precursors so that the profession can be better prepared to meet the numerous legal needs on the horizon. He serves as co-chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s official Medical Marijuana and Hemp Law Committee.
A member of the firm’s Litigation Department, Bill’s practice also includes environmental litigation and catastrophic injury cases. His clients have included individuals suffering from traumatic brain injuries, medical malpractice and exposure to dangerous chemicals.
An active member of the Montgomery Bar Association, chairing and participating in various committees, Bill is a past editor for the Montgomery County Law Reporter, past chair of the Environmental Law Committee and a contributing editor to Montgomery County’s Civil Practice Manual. He serves as an adjunct professor teaching “Cannabis Law and Regulation” at Villanova University Law School, having previously taught at Temple University Beasley School of Law, and guest lectured at the University of the Sciences. He is an Officer of Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
A graduate of Bucknell University (B.A. Economics, cum laude, 2003), Bill received his law degree with honors in 2006 from Villanova University where he served as a member of the Villanova Moot Court Board Executive Committee. Prior to joining the firm, Bill worked for Environmental Equipment Inc., where he helped usher in the green-age by selling, servicing and installing solar pool heating systems.
Bill has been recognized locally and nationally as a leader in cannabis law. Recently, he was named a “Cannabis Industry Power Player” by Metro News. Two years ago, Bill was selected as a Rising Star for 2020 for Cannabis Law by Law 360, a highly respected national legal publication that recognized lawyers nationwide whose “legal accomplishments transcended their age.” Bill was a recipient of the 2020 PBA Special Achievement Award, recognizing his work in starting up PBA’s Medical Marijuana & Hemp Law Committee. For twelve consecutive years (2010-2021) Bill has been named to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Stars List. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. Additionally, he is one of only thirty attorneys named to The Legal Intelligencer’s 2018 “Lawyers on the Fast Track.”
