About Terrapin Legal
Terrapin Legal is a pioneering law firm focused on the evolving legal landscape of psychedelics and plant medicine. Founded in 2022, Terrapin was built on a deep belief in the transformative potential of psychedelics and a commitment to supporting their safe, responsible, and legally sound access.
Psychedelics sit at a unique crossroads of law, policy, and practice, raising questions about constitutional protections, regulatory frameworks, and risk management. Navigating these complexities requires a deep respect for traditional wisdom, an understanding of emergent research, and a commitment to practical, sustainable legal solutions.
Our approach extends beyond traditional legal strategies, drawing from diverse perspectives to provide comprehensive support. We don’t just address legal hurdles; we consider the broader societal and cultural impacts of psychedelic use. We believe that law can and should serve as a tool for safeguarding access to psychedelic and plant medicines, as well as the communities that rely on them for healing and transformation.
Terrapin is guided by simple yet meaningful values: gratitude, intentional strategy, and integrity. We believe that thoughtful legal frameworks, progressive policy reform, and expanded access are essential to creating a future where psychedelic practices are not only protected but fully recognized as legitimate and transformative.
Who is Terrapin?
Taylor Loyden, Managing Attorney
Taylor is an attorney, strategist, and advocate who sees the law not just as a set of constraints, but as a tool for protection, alignment, and thoughtful innovation. As Managing Attorney of Terrapin Legal, she helps clients turn visionary ideas into legally sound, strategically grounded realities. Whether advising entrepreneurs, researchers, spiritual communities, clinics, or advocacy groups, Taylor works at the forefront of psychedelic law, offering clear, responsive guidance through a rapidly evolving legal landscape.
Her approach is shaped by a multidisciplinary background and a career that extends well beyond traditional legal practice. Before becoming an attorney, Taylor spent over a decade as a backcountry guide, wilderness therapist, instructor, medic, and naturalist. That work taught her how to navigate uncertainty, care for others in complex environments, and build practical systems that prioritize safety and integrity — all of which continue to inform her legal practice today.
Taylor’s experience in ethnobotany, mycology, and Indigenous traditions offer further context for her work, supporting conversations that span science, culture, and policy. She brings a relational lens to legal strategy, bridging regulatory requirements with the deeper values and intentions behind the work her clients are doing.
She focuses on First Amendment protections, compliance planning, and policy development, helping clients design legal frameworks that are both resilient and responsive. For those working at the edges of law, culture, and healing, Taylor helps ensure that possibility rests on a strong and sustainable foundation.
Pat Donahue, Founder and Expert Consultant
Pat Donahue spent years working in criminal defense while simultaneously supporting decriminalization and legalization within the psychedelic ecosystem. Informed by these experiences, Pat founded Terrapin Legal PLLC in 2022 to focus primarily on psychedelic policy, legalization, and advocacy for balanced and ethical practices.
Guided by the idea that “civilizations are born from the marriage of bureaucracy and mythology” (Yuval Noah Harari), Pat worked to foster collaboration between entheogenic churches and the DEA. This approach sought to reduce conflict and litigation by encouraging dialogue and understanding between these traditionally opposing parties.
While Pat continues to consult in the psychedelic space, he returned to full-time work as a Public Defender in late 2024, driven by a commitment to public service and justice. His years of experience in criminal defense have been integral in shaping his approach to advocacy and his understanding of the legal system. Pat’s experience in advocacy, law, and mediation reflects his dedication to finding practical solutions in complex regulatory environments.