Lawyer Financial News

Jessica Jonas, chief legal officer of the nonprofit Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund, discussed the potential legal ramifications of a high profile lawsuit against Bitcoin core developers during the Bitcoin 2023 event in Miami on May 18.

Defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor, James K. Filan, expects the infamous Hinman Speech documents to be released to the public by June 6, citing a previous court order.

In a major update, leading peer-to-peer cryptocurrency exchange Paxful announced the resumption of its marketplace operations. 

Allen & Overy and Linklaters have upped pay for their newly qualified lawyers to £125,000.

Financial Regulators around the world are strictly monitoring the crypto industry following a year full of bankruptcies, exploits, and scandals.

Popular crypto lawyer Jeremy Hogan recently took to Twitter to offer his thoughts on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s controversial lawsuit against Ripple.

Ripple’s XRP (XRP) is not a security because it does not fit the definition of an “investment contract,” the “only” legislative definition that it could “possibly” fit, according to Jeremy Hogan, a partner at the law firm of Hogan & Hogan.

Cohen told a Manhattan federal court judge that his 31-year-old client, a founder of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was pleading not guilty to new charges lodged against him in recent weeks in what a prosecutor has labelled as one of the biggest frauds in American history. But Cohen quickly added that although he was pleading not guilty to the new charges, Bankman-Fried was not acknowledging that he can be tried on them. He didn't elaborate and left the courthouse quickly just before his client was ushered to a waiting vehicle. Earlier this week, a rewritten indictment charged Bankman-Fried with a new conspiracy count, alleging that he violated the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by directing the payment of $40 million in bribes to a Chinese official or officials to free up $1 billion in cryptocurrency that was frozen in early 2021. FTX filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11, when the global exchange ran out of money after the equivalent of a bank run. He has remained free on a $250 million personal recognizance bond that requires him to stay with his parents in Palo Alto, California. His trial is tentatively set to begin in the fall.

Crypto lender Celsius Network’s lawyer and advisor fees amid its bankruptcy proceedings are projected to reach $144 million, triggering responses from members of the crypto community. 

Crypto lawyer John Deaton has predicted that the controversial Hinman emails and documents in the U.S. SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple will be made public. These documents include speech drafts and communications of former SEC director William Hinman.

The government has appointed a top City lawyer to chair a review into how London can remain a top destination for stock market listings through changes to investment research rules.

Ras Al Khaimah’s recently announced free zone for virtual asset firms will explore accepting crypto payments from companies looking into setting up their businesses in the emirate, a lawyer involved in the hub’s development said.

Hedge funds are lawyering up to meet complex new regulations, according to sector leaders.

Attorney John Deaton, a pro-Ripple lawyer, has chastised Michael Saylor, the chairman of business intelligence firm MicroStrategy Incorporated, for his stance on Bitcoin [BTC] maxis. The digital currency ecosystem was disturbed since news of the SEC’s onslaught on key industry firms began making the rounds in February 2023.

Blockchain Association’s chief legal officer says “it would be absurd” for a United States court to rule that digital assets on private blockchains are securities, following a federal judge's decision to allow a lawsuit against Dapper Labs's NBA Top Shots NFTs to play out. 

The staking services offered by cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase are “fundamentally different” to what was offered by its peer exchange Kraken — which recently came under fire from the United States securities regulator — according to Coinbase's head lawyer.

James Bromley, one of the lawyers representing debtors in FTX’s bankruptcy case, has criticized social media activity against his law firm promulgated by posts from former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.

A former FTX chief lawyer has accused the company's US general counsel of channeling business to Sullivan & Cromwell (S&C) — the firm currently serving FTX as bankruptcy counsel.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Cabinet has decided to pass a new law that governs virtual assets, setting up the country's initial regulatory regime for the cryptocurrency space at the federal level. 

Crypto companies that keep their faith in the sector, and that are able to harness the value of traditional risk management and compliance, will survive the crypto winter, one leading financial services lawyer has argued.

Daniel Friedberg, controversial lawyer who served as top compliance chief at now-defunkt exchange FTX, has reportedly cooperated with United States’ prosecutors investigating FTX collapse.