About Hoots Law Practice PLLC

A law firm in service to you

Hoots Law Practice PLLC was established by its principal attorney, Allison Hoots, Esq., in 2019 to apply her unique background of experience with: business formation & operations; employment agreements, policies, & negotiations; contracts for services, use of property, & confidentiality; tax-exempt compliance for charitable nonprofits & churches; constitutional rights & regulations of the right to religious exercise; professional rules for licensed healthcare providers; and intellectual property law.

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Hoots Law Practice’s legal counsel is framed with an approach intended to fulfill client needs that are unmet by large, traditional firms.

Recognized for advising on complex endeavors in the psychedelics space, these strategies are implemented with devotion to personal attention, clear structure and procedures, creative solutions, and anticipatory legal protection in a dramatically shifting landscape.

Allison Hoots Esq.

Principal Attorney of Hoots Law Practice

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

Hoots Law Practice is elevated by Allison’s broad and diverse legal knowledge. Her experiences in a variety of legal areas are synthesized into a strong foundation for serving clients.

Based on her work at Hoots Law Practice, Allison is considered one of the leading attorneys advising about psychedelics and other controlled substances in the US.

She has unique experience advising in all areas of the psychedelics ecosystem, 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.

Through her experience and committed development of strategies, Allison Hoots, Esq. advises clients through a comprehensive lens and with attentive support.

Allison is a founding member of the Psychedelic Bar Association, where she received the “Legal Scholarship Award” in the inaugural PBA Awards in 2025.

Allison was ranked by Chambers & Partners as a Top Ranked Band 1 attorney in the practice area of Psychedelics Law in 2025. Chambers rankings are to identify the definitive mark of excellence across the legal industry.

Chambers’ rankings are based on its recognition that an attorney has emerged as one of the best in their field through its research process that is stated to be the most rigorous, independent, and in-depth of any legal directory.

Representing Clients Nationwide

Beyond state legal issues within the jurisdictions where Allison is licensed to practice, Hoots Law Practice advises clients throughout the U.S. to support their navigation of federal law and regulatory issues: including constitutional rights, employment obligations, tax-exempt compliance, the interaction of federal and state law, intellectual property rights, and regulation of controlled substances.

When a matter involves aspects that must be compliant with state laws where the firm’s principal attorney is not licensed—such as forming an entity, employment rules, or local contract compliance—Hoots Law Practice engages in collaborative counsel with a client’s state-licensed attorney who they trust and have separately engaged or the firm can identify attorneys attorneys who have developed relationships with the firm in the following states:

Character of Counsel

Previous Experience

Prior to opening her own practice, Allison practiced law with small boutique law firms and an AmLaw 100 law firm. As an attorney in these firms, she managed legal matters relating to employment, employee benefits, and tax law. 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.

She 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 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.

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

• District of Columbia (D.C.)

• Pennsylvania 

Aligned Endeavors

Legal practice is informed by real work and hands-on experience—as well as contributing beyond the firm’s services.

Allison acts as Head Policy Counsel for New Yorkers for Mental Health Alternatives to develop policy creating legal access to psilocybin.

Allison also serves as Executive Director of Sacred Plant Alliance, a self-regulating association of churches dedicated to legal and ethical practices.

Allison is Law and Drug Policy Reform Advisor for the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. Allison is the lead author of Chacruna’s Guide to RFRA & Best Practices for Psychedelic Plant Medicine Churches.

• California

• Oregon

Connect with Hoots Law Practice

Hoots Law Practice PLLC is a law firm that uses both its knowledge and its compassionate understanding of interpersonal relationships to advise and support its clients. This firm believes it is crucial to take the time to understand its clients’ goals and resources in order to protect their rights and best interests.

Hoots Law Practice provides information and free consultations for potential clients to explore whether the firm can provide legal services through a trusting and healthful engagement.

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