In brief: Box outside mall prompts evacuation

Spokane City Hall and portions of River Park Square were evacuated for about three hours Saturday while police investigated a suspicious package.

The box outside Rock City Grill on Spokane Falls Boulevard was called in to Spokane police at 11:30 a.m. The immediate area was evacuated as a precaution and Spokane Falls Boulevard was shut down, said Officer Ben Green.

A robot was sent in to examine the package, which looked like a lunch box. The box turned out to be empty, Green said.

Video surveillance footage showed a person leaving the package, Green said.

Lawyers turn to business of pot

SAN FRANCISCO – Law firms and marijuana have long intersected in criminal court.

But as marijuana goes mainstream, firms are getting into the business side of the multibillion-dollar industry.

Over the past several years, small and mid-size firms have started marijuana divisions that advise pot-related businesses about issues such as where they can locate, what their websites and product labels can say, and how to vet new clients.

“It’s definitely something that established firms are dipping a toe into, though they are being very cautious, and rightly so,” said Sam Kamin, a professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law who teaches a class about representing the marijuana industry.

Experts say the legal work is not without its perils. While numerous states have legalized medical marijuana and some, such as Washington, have even approved recreational use, the drug remains illegal under federal law.

Attorneys say they focus on providing advice about what the law does and does not allow and decline to answer questions about how clients can bend the rules regarding marijuana.