About Hoots Law Practice PLLC

Hoots Law Practice PLLC established in 2019 to meet the needs that are unmet by most larger firms. Using her unique background of experience in contracts, employment, corporate/business formation, and intellectual property law, as well as advising endeavors in the psychedelics space, Allison Hoots, Esq. is devoted to providing keen personal attention, reliable structure and procedures, creative solutions, and strategic legal protection for her clients.

Allison Hoots, Esq. is the founder and principal attorney of Hoots Law Practice PLLC and has been an attorney since 2011. She is licensed to practice law in: New York, District of Columbia, and Pennsylvania.

You can keep up-to-date with Allison’s current work on LinkedIn.

Allison’s qualifications are broad and diverse, but she has synthesized these different experiences into a strong foundation of knowledge.

Allison is skilled at providing comprehensive and nuanced legal counsel in employment matters, including employment and independent contractor contracts and analysis, compliance with Federal and State laws, policies and procedures, employment disputes, and negotiations and settlement agreements.

Allison is considered one of the leading psychedelic attorneys in the US. She has unique experience advising in all areas of the psychedelics space, including practitioners as psychedelic assisted therapy providers, risk reduction support service providers, ketamine practitioners, and therapists, as well as other harm reduction and psychedelic endeavors. She advises churches on liability issues and defensibility of the ceremonial use of psychedelic sacraments, pursuant to the right to religious exercise and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

She is a founding member of the Psychedelic Bar Association. She is also Head Policy Counsel for New Yorkers for Mental Health Alternatives to develop policy creating legal access to psilocybin.

Allison is President & Board Member of Sacred Plant Alliance, a self-regulating organization of religious practitioners dedicated to the legal, safe, ethical, and sincere ceremonial use of psychedelic sacraments: https://www.sacredplantalliance.org/

Allison is on Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines' Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants. Allison is the lead author of Chacruna’s Guide to RFRA & Best Practices for Psychedelic Plant Medicine Churches: https://chacruna.net/chacruna_guide_rfra_best_practices_psychedelic_churches/

PREVIOUS WORK EXPERIENCE

Allison has practiced law with small law firms and an Am 100 law firm. She also has government experience at both the state and federal levels, giving her valuable insights into the practices and priorities of agency investigations; she spent two years as an Investigator for the U.S. Dept. of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, investigating alleged violations of ERISA and ACA, and several years interning at both the New York State Division of Human Rights and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, investigating alleged violations of state and federal non-discrimination laws.

Allison also worked with several entertainment law firms and a non-profit music organization to help advise clients on copyright and trademark issues, working on a variety of licensing and other types of agreements.

Allison was the Co-Chair of the Defined Benefit Plan Subcommittee for the ABA Tax Section Employee Benefits Committee from October 2019 to June 2021. She was the Co-Vice Chair of this Subcommittee from 2016-2019. In May 2013, she was a speaker for the “Tax Bridge to Practice – Introduction to Employee Benefits” panel, ABA Tax Section Meeting.

Through her experience and in developing her strategies, Allison Hoots, Esq. effectively provides her legal services and attentive support by teleworking, but she travels to provide any services needed, such as one-on-one negotiations or training seminars. Hoots Law Practice PLLC is located in the Hudson Valley of New York, which is a beautiful and easy day-trip to New York City.

Education

TEMPLE LAW SCHOOL - BEASLEY SCHOOL OF LAW
Juris Doctorate, 2011; Certificate in Employee Benefits, 2013

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
B.A. in English Literature (Honors Program), Minors in Legal Studies and Philosophy, 2007

Bar Admissions

• New York

• D.C.

• Pennsylvania 

Allison also currently co-counsels with brilliant attorneys who provide state-specific legal advice in:

• California

• Oregon

• Colorado

• Massachusetts

• Washington State

News + Media

• Panelist, Psychedelic Intersections: Cross-cultural Manifestations of the Sacred Conference 2024: “Psychedelic Spirituality and the Underground.” Center for the Study of World Religions and the Harvard Psychedelics Project at Harvard Divinity School. February 2024.

• Panelist, Psychedelic Safety Seminar 5: Allison Hoots and Brian Holoyda. Hosted by Jules Evans’ Ecstatic Integration. February 2024.

• Interview, Praying to a HIGH-er power! By Miles Dilworth, DailyMail. January 2023.

• Panelist, Psychedelic Churches and Taxes: Supporting Religious Rights with the DEA and IRS. Chacruna Institute. November 2023.

• Interview, UC Berkeley’s The Microdose. Psychedelic churches and the law: 5 Questions for attorney Allison Hoots. November 2023.

• Co-Author, Chacruna Institute Files Amicus Brief in Support of Sacramental Churches’ Rights under RFRA Appeal. Chacruna Institute. October 2023.

• Attorney on Record, Representing Amici Curiae: Chacruna Institute and Sacred Plant Alliance. Amicus Brief in Appeal: Iowaska Church of Healing vs IRS and US. October 2023.

• Presenter, PhilaDelic Conference on the Interdisciplinary Frontiers of Psychedelic Studies: Freedom of Religion and Psychedelics. Penn Psychedelic Collaborative, University of Pennsylvania. July 2023.

• Panelist, MAPS Psychedelic Science: Do's and Don'ts of Filing a RFRA Lawsuit - Religious Use Claims and Defenses. June 2023.

• Panelist, MAPS Psychedelic Science: Sacred Plant Alliance: The Mission and Vision of a Self-Regulating Association of Psychedelic Churches. June 2023.

• Workshop Presenter, MAPS Psychedelic Science 2023: “Best Practices for Legally Protecting Sincere Psychedelic Medicine Churches.” June 2023.

• Podcast Guest, Psychedelics Today: Psychedelic Morning Show #2 with Joe Moore and Anne Philippi. June 2023.

• Podcast Guest, The Mindfulness Experience: MAPS Psychedelic Science 2023 Partnership Episode - Laws & Sacramental Worship. Hosted by Keith Fiveson. May 2023.

• Podcast Guest, The Psychedelic Entrepreneur Podcast: Psychedelics, the Law & the RFRA with Allison Hoots of the Sacred Plant Alliance. Hosted by Beth Weinstein. May 2023.

• Podcast Guest, Psychedelica Lex: Allison Hoots, Esq. Talks Trip Sitting and Retreat Risks and Liabilities. Hosted by Gary Smith. May 2023.

• Interview, Ecstatic Integration: Psychedelic religions: how big could they grow? By Jules Evans. April 2023.

• Interview, Vice News Tonight: Ex-Mormons Are Running a Magic Mushroom Church. February 2023.

• CLE Presenter, The Seminar Group: Legal and Regulatory Landscape of Psychedelics - Religious Use Issues. January 2023.

• Panelist, Harvard Law School’s Project on Psychedelic Law and Regulation: Comparing Legal Approaches to Accessing Psychedelics. December 2022.

• CLE Presenter, Psychedelic Bar Association: New Developments in Religious Use of Psychedelics. September 2022.

• Interview, Churches are providing psychedelics to their followers. Is that legal? The Psychedelic Renaissance by Marc Gunther. October 2022.

• Podcast Guest, Psychedelica Lex: “The New FREE Chacruna RFRA Guide with Allison Hoots and Sean McAllister.” Hosted by Gary Smith. February 2022.

• Panelist, Protecting Sincere Psychedelic Churches: Chacruna’s Guide to the Law and Best Practices. December 2022.

• Interview, “The Underground ‘Churches’ that claim Psychedelics are their Religion”, Mel Magazine. November 2021.

• Lead Author, Chacruna’s Guide to RFRA and Best Practices for Psychedelic Plant Medicine Churches. Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines & Hoots, A. Published November 2021.

• CLE Presenter, Protecting the Use of Psychedelic Sacraments under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. 2021.