Jake Chervinsky (@jchervinsky) is involved in all aspects of the crypto ecosystem & has a strong understanding of the regulatory space surrounding crypto. Jake is Head of Policy at the Blockchain Association and Advisor for the Variant Fund, and former General Counsel for Compound Labs. 

Rebecca Rettig (@RebeccaRettig1) is the General Counsel of the Aave Companies, a group of software development companies in Europe that build open source, blockchain-based software. Rebecca began her legal career at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York, litigating complex commercial disputes; prior to joining the Aave Companies, Rebecca was a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP in the financial services group, representing blockchain and crypto clients. 

Sarah (Hody) Shtylman (@SHodyEsq) is a Partner at Perkins Coie, where she advises innovators in the fintech and blockchain industries, and her clients range from entrepreneurs and startups to big tech and regulated financial institutions. Sarah’s background includes serving as in-house regulatory counsel at Coinbase (2nd lawyer hired), Levine & Associates (a litigation boutique), and Hody Esq., as a Sole Proprietor. 

This episode answers the question: What should I do if I want to become a crypto lawyer? While focused on crypto, the principles can be applied to any legal area. This was such a fun episode to record, as each guest offers incredible insights.  

Show highlights: 

- How Rebecca built a practice in crypto [3:30] 

- What helped Rebecca establish a crypto arbitration practice [7:45] 

- Sarah’s introduction to crypto [9:00] 

- Being the second lawyer at Coinbase [14:00] 

- Jake’s crypto law journey [16:00] 

- What law students should get on their resume to get roles in crypto [21:00] 

- How to determine which area of law to tie crypto into [34:00] 

- Finding an area of law in which to specialize [37:00] 

- Dealing with the pressure to specialize [41:00] 

“Recognizing when you hit diminishing returns in your job, and when it’s time to move on” - Jake 

- Imposter syndrome in the legal industry [44:00] 

- Do crypto lawyers need to learn to code? [49:00] 

- One important piece of advice for professionals beginning their careers [63:00] 

“Come join the revolution with us” - Rebecca 

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the podcast, please share and review. You can follow me, Jacob Robinson, on Twitter @jacobrobinsonjd. For the latest updates from Law of Code - subscribe to our newsletter.