Digital Currency & Blockchain

We launched our Digital Currency & Blockchain practice in March 2015 and have since built a global team of highly regarded advisors with expertise in every area affecting players in the digital currency and digital asset spaces. Our experience includes advising innovators and investors on issues related to:

• Company formation and financing
• Fund formation
• Public securities laws, including those related to: 
  • Federal agencies (e.g., SEC, FinCEN, DOJ, FINRA and CFTC)
  • State regulations
  • Broker-Dealers
• Intellectual property
• Government investigations and enforcement
• Civil litigation including securities litigation 
• Data privacy and cybersecurity
• Money transmission licensing
• Token fundraising and other alternative securities offering options, including:
  • Reg A+
  • Reg D/506(c)
  • Reg S
  • Equity Crowdfunding

We embrace the potential of innovation to make lasting impact, and we partner with companies that are shaping the future of digital currency and blockchain in rapidly developing areas such as:

• Decentralized Finance (DeFi). We advise on a range of issues related to DeFi, including investing, due diligence, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, and exploration of DeFi opportunities by traditional financial services providers. 
• Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). We work with companies as they explore the bounds of NFTs in a variety of areas such as real estate, music and other digital content, and gaming. Our experience includes advising on due diligence, investing, intellectual property, securities, financings, regulations, compliance, dispute resolution and estate planning. 
• Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). We counsel clients on the full spectrum of legal considerations facing DAOs, including operations and investing.

Get in touch to let us know how we can help wherever you are in your journey. 

Recent Experience

• Represented a16z in its investment into the $450 million series seed financing of Yuga Labs, a major player in the NFT space, which will use the funds to develop it’s Bored Ape Yacht Club in the metaverse.
• Represented Paradigm in its investment into the $30 million Series A financing of Jambo, an early-stage company that is building a Web3 super app to educate young people in Africa about Web3 financial ecosystems.
• Represented Abra, a leading wealth management platform for cryptocurrency investors, in the initial closing of its up to $55 million Series C financing, which was led by IGNIA and Blockchain Capital. 
• Represented OpenZeppelin, a blockchain cybersecurity startup, in connection with a token-based financing.
• Co-represented a payments technology client in responding to an SEC investigation about whether it operated a digital asset exchange as an unregistered securities exchange.
• Representing DAOs in response to SEC enforcement investigations.
• Representing digital asset company in two SEC investigations relating to alleged laundering of cryptocurrency.
• Representing a digital assets exchange  in a class action case (Kuklineski v. various defendants) brought under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
• Representing a DAO in responding to a $120 million security incident.
• Representing digital asset companies in response to IRS John Does Summons.
• Representing a company that works with fintech companies to offer next-gen banking solutions for cryptocurrency clients, in connection with the development of a fintech program and partnerships with lending, payments, and crypto fintech companies. This involves negotiating an arrangement and providing product design and regulatory advice in connection with the company’s partnership with a fintech lender.