Louise St. Laurent

Louise St. Laurent has over 15 years of experience in administrative, regulatory, healthcare, and cannabis law.

Administrative and Regulatory Law

Louise provides state and federal regulatory support on behalf of clients in a variety of complex healthcare and administrative matters. She has experience in administrative and regulatory law in Florida, including litigating state agency decisions affecting clients’ interests, public competitive procurement processes for high-value contracts, defending against agency investigations, agency rule challenges, and compliance with existing and new laws, rules, and regulations in both state and federal jurisdictions.

Prior to joining private practice, Louise served in various roles for nearly a decade at the Florida Department of Health (DOH), including as General Counsel. In this capacity, she led the DOH legal office, managing more than 180 employees, including 90 attorneys, in supporting all public health-related activities regarding patient safety, diseases of public concern, Medicaid for children with significant needs, Florida’s Medical Marijuana program, environmental health, and emergency response. Louise navigated complex state and federal regulations while overseeing the legal operations related to regulatory compliance, litigation, and rulemaking. She managed high-stakes litigation and provided legal guidance on administrative law matters across Florida’s circuit, district, and federal courts, as well as before the Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH).

Healthcare Law

Louise has experience focusing on regulatory compliance, healthcare policy, and public health law. She advises private clients on complex public contracting, regulatory, and compliance matters affecting health care organizations and individual practitioners. She regularly represents and counsels clients in matters involving the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Agency for Health Care Administration, Florida Department of Health, and other state and federal agencies overseeing healthcare operations and compliance in Florida.

During her tenure at DOH, Louise provided strategic legal counsel on complex healthcare regulations, public health initiatives, and delivery systems.

Medical Marijuana and Hemp Regulation

Louise advises clients on regulatory compliance, licensing, and transactional matters within Florida’s medical marijuana and hemp industries. She counsels businesses seeking licensure as Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers and provides strategic guidance on the continually evolving regulatory and compliance requirements governing Florida’s highly regulated cannabis market.

Louise’s notable experience also includes work with the DOH’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU), where she played a key role in developing Florida’s medical marijuana program, now the third-largest cannabis market in the U.S., helping to shape the program’s legal framework through drafting, defending, and implementing the rules regulating Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers and Certified Marijuana Testing Laboratories. Louise has provided support to OMMU, where her work involved advising on compliance issues, defending the program’s legal standing in various courts, and navigating the complex regulatory environment surrounding licensing, dispensing, and policy development in the cannabis industry.

Louise also previously acted as lead prosecuting attorney for the Division of Medical Quality Assurance, overseeing the entire disciplinary and unlicensed activity processes for more than 50 regulated professions. Prior to joining the DOH, Louise served as an Assistant State Attorney for the State Attorney’s Office in the Second Judicial Circuit.

Louise is a frequent presenter on topics such as administrative litigation, constitutional rulemaking, evidence in administrative hearings, and the use of executive power during states of emergency.