The CryptoLaw Podcast

What happens when one of the most well-known blockchain and cryptocurrency skeptics in the universe agrees to be interviewed on the CryptoLaw Podcast? No spoiler alerts here, so give a listen, as your host Adrian Cortez and attorney Gabriel Shapiro, founder of ZeroLaw, speak with journalist David Gerard, perennial skeptic and author of the book Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain.

Guests

You can’t understand Bitcoin without understanding that it was not a project to invent an interesting new payment network. It was a political project. David GerardTweet

David Gerard writes the cryptocurrency and blockchain news site Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain, and is the author of the 2017 book Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain: Bitcoin, Blockchain, Ethereum & Smart Contracts. As well as being a crypto journalist, he also works as a Unix system administrator, where his job includes keeping track of exciting new technologies, and advising against the bad ones.

It would be … naive to think that regulators and governments won’t be … interested in passing [laws that dramatically limit DeFi’s usefulness] the more that DeFi ends up becoming popular because it is an existential threat. Gabriel ShapiroTweet

Gabriel Shapiro is an experienced securities and mergers & acquisitions attorney who has been involved in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space for several years. When he last visited with us, he was practicing at DLX law, one of the highest-ranked legal practice groups in the industry. He has recently announced that he will be taking a temporary step back from legal practice to build ZeroLaw, which he describes as “blockchain deal technology.”

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With ICOs failing to serve the demand for alternative crowdfunding in crypto and STOs being too similar to the system everyone in crypto is trying to disrupt, what is left for blockchain startups wanting to tokenize the world? Introducing IEOs (initial exchange offerings), the latest hype in the crypto sphere.

Are initial exchange offerings helpful or harmful? Share your comments below or if you would like to speak with an attorney, click here to be redirected to Gulovsen Law Office.

There are an amazing 331,000 results in Google SERPs for the term “initial exchange offering.” But what does it stand for? In short, an IEO is a token generation event-fueled fundraising mechanism initiated and administered by an exchange. An IEO differs from an ICO in the following manner:

* The exchange is responsible for raising the funds for the projects, instead of the project/company itself.* The exchange manages the distribution of tokens in the case of IEOs, whereas in the case of an ICO, a smart contract created by the company/project team handles that.* The exchange is responsible for the marketing (although the project team can conduct additional marketing) for the IEO, whereas in an ICO, the marketing is conditioned by the team or external contractors, through bounty and airdrops.* The exchange handles the due diligence and filters the scams.

Read more about IEOs here. 

In this episode, Grant Gulovsen & Roxana Nasoi from the Cryptolaw Podcast discuss initial exchange offerings (the good, the bad, and the ugly sides) with our guest On Yavin, Founder and CEO of Cointelligence.

Make sure to check the latest report on exchanges and their ratings from Cointelligence!

Don’t forget to subscribe, follow us on Twitter, and drop us a review on iTunes if you like our contents.

Despite all the very bad things that happened last year that were either directly or indirectly related to initial coin offerings (or “ICOs”), your hosts at the CryptoLaw Podcast have to admit that we kind of miss all the excitement and seemingly unlimited opportunities that went along with them… ☹

If you feel the same way, then we’ve got some very good news…

Wyoming has recently enacted blockchain legislation to enable global players to conduct business within the state. Our guest Bob Cornish has played an instrumental role as member of the Wyoming Blockchain Coalition, and provides us with his take on how the least populous state in the nation is having the largest impact on blockchain-related legislation not just in the U.S., but all around the world.

Bob Cornish is a leading attorney in the digital assets arena, given his experience as in-house counsel for investment managers and for family offices. Bob’s experience on both sides of transactions provides useful insight for issuers, investors and intermediaries involved in the development, placement and compliance aspects of cryptocurrency and blockchain ventures.

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Happy New Year! The CryptoLaw Podcast team took a break over the holidays, but we are back and excited to announce the first episode for 2019. Today, your hosts Roxana and Ramy cover the topic of crypto assets across the UK, in an outstanding interview with Neil Foster, partner at Baker Botts (UK), and Toby Lewis, CEO of Novum Insights.

Background Information

Our guests Neil Foster and Toby Lewis, along with fellow members of the Crypto-Asset Group drafted a Response to The Treasury Select Committee Report on Regulation of Crypto-Assets in the UK, which includes a series of practical calls to action towards the regulatory landscape, including banking, taxation, and a comparison among crypto friendly jurisdictions.

The official reply can be read and downloaded in PDF format from the Baker Botts website, here.

Key Takeaways from the Interview

We touched on several important topics in during the interview, including:

* a comparison between the US and the UK, where we get a legal and business understanding of why US regulations might not match the UK landscape;* the need of a collective approach, inviting organizations that have input to offer in the regulatory process; and* the fact that some major aspects in the reality of the crypto space are being left out of the equation.

“Bad regulation is worse than no regulation”. Neil Foster

What do you think? Please let us know in the comments below and reach out to us on social media:

Twitter: @thecryptolaw

LinkedIn: Cryptolaw Podcast

Instagram: @thecryptolaw

Facebook: @thecryptolaw

Your host Ramy Gabal along with regular guest (and Chicago-Kent adjunct law professor) Olta Andoni interview journalist, entrepreneur and financial markets expert Michael Creadon.

Michael Creadon is the founder and CEO of 4Rev, a cryptocurrency-focused news site that provides honest, reliable, unbiased information about global cryptocurrency markets. Prior to getting involved in the cryptocurrency industry, Michael was the CEO of Traditum Group, a proprietary trading firm specializing in bonds, commodities and foreign exchange. He has also served as a writer for TIME Magazine and Bloomberg News. 
You can find him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-creadon/

Interview Topics

* “The State of the Crypto Union”* Comparing the Commodities and Cryptocurrency Markets* The Role of Regulators and Why They are Not Your Enemy* Journalistic Integrity in the Crypto Space* Coverage of Cryptocurrency in the Mainstream Media* Important Trends in the Cryptocurrency Industry* And more!

Michael Creadon is a critical thinker, a gifted writer and, most important of all, a man of integrity. He applies all of these skills on a daily basis at 4Rev and on LinkedIn and in so doing has become a highly respected thought leader in the cryptocurrency space in a very short period of t...

Your host Roxana Nasoi along with regular guest and practicing attorney Wes Williams interview Law Professor and Emerging Technology Strategist Wulf Kaal for this episode of The CryptoLaw Podcast.

Wulf Kaal is a law professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law as well as a leading expert on emerging technology applications in numerous industries, including token sales, smart contracts, private investment fund regulation and compliance. His scholarship focuses upon emerging technology applications in corporate governance and private investment fund regulation in the United States. He is one of the leading proponents of dynamic regulatory solutions for innovation, and the founder and CEO of Semada. You can connect with him on Twitter @WulfKaal.

Interview Topics

* Semada* Stability; Liquidity; Utility; Governance* Decentralized Autonomous Organizations* Stablecoins and the importance of a stable currency* Law and regulation in the United States and internationally* Importance of UI/UX for cryptocurrency adoption

Disclaimer

The information presented in The CryptoLaw Podcast is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, without any express or implied warranty of any kind, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose. It is not intended to be, and does not, constitute legal, financial, investment, trading, or any other advice. This podcast does not establish a lawyer-client relationship between you or anyone else, including any of the attorneys appearing on the podcast. All of the information presented is general in nature and is not specific to you or anyone else. Do not make any decision, legal, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented in this podcast without consulting a licensed attorney or professional financial advisor, as appropriate. You understand that you use or rely on any and all Information your hear on this podcast at your own risk.

Your host Ramy Gabal along with regular guest (and Chicago-Kent adjunct law professor) Olta Andoni interview cryptocurrency lawyer, founder and academic Drew Hinkes.

Drew Hinkes is an Adjunct Professor at both NYU School of Law and NYU Stern School of Business, a regularly-cited authority on virtual currency issues, is the General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, and co-founder of Athena Blockchain (a financial services advisory firm focused on the tokenization of investments), and was previously a Partner with the law firm of Berger Singerman LLP. You can connect with Drew on Twitter @propelforward.

Interview Topics

* Athena Blockchain* “The Tale of the Rolex and the Rabbit Hole”* The legal and regulatory framework surrounding virtual currency in the United States* Decentralized Autonomous Organizations* Tokenizing securities* “Blockchain” in the legal profession* Teaching cryptocurrency and blockchain at NYU

Drew Hinkes possesses an incredible depth and breadth of knowledge about the industry. Coupled with his skills as a storyteller, we guarantee that you will be educated and entertained by this episode!

Disclaimer

The information presented in The CryptoLaw Podcast is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, without any express or implied warranty of any kind, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose. It is not intended to be, and does not, constitute legal, financial, investment, trading, or any other advice. This podcast does not establish a lawyer-client relationship between you or anyone else, including any of the attorneys appearing on the podcast. All of the information presented is general in nature and is not specific to you or anyone else. Do not make any decision, legal, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented in this podcast without consulting a licensed attorney or professional financial advisor, as appropriate. You understand that you use or rely on any and all Information your hear on this podcast at your own risk.

Please let us know what you think of this episode and if you enjoy it, we would be grateful if you shared it with others and rated/reviewed it on one or more of the podcast subscription services available here.

As any small business owner knows, having to deal with state and federal wage and hour laws can be something of a challenge. Add to that the issue of taxes—and not just income tax but FICA (Social Security tax, the “regular” Medicare tax; and the Medicare surtax )—then things start to get a lot more onerous. So what happens when you want to pay your employees or contractors (or they want to get paid) in cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin, Ether, maybe even a blockchain project’s native token?

You’re about to find out because today we have our first ever special guests on The CryptoLaw Podcast – Patrick Devereaux and Shehan Chandrasekera, both of whom know a little something about how to deal with paying wages with cryptocurrency including the tax consequences. 

This is our first special break-out episode, hosted by Grant Gulovsen. Don’t worry, though. Your regular weekly episode is still on deck, but we wanted to get this one out pronto because it includes some exceptionally useful information for anyone trying to build a business around cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.

Our special guests this week were:

Patrick Devereaux

Patrick is an experienced consultant with a strong background in accounting and finance in the software industry. He is currently a partner at Apereum, a professional consulting firm that provides end-to-end solutions for startup companies. You can email him at [email protected].

Shehan Chandrasekera

Shehan is an entrepreneurial CPA who is passionate about blockchain and other new technologies. He speaks at Fintech and blockchain conferences and serves on the advisory board of host of companies, across industries, in addition to being a partner at JAG CPAs & Co. You can contact him via email at [email protected].

Disclaimer

The information presented in The CryptoLaw Podcast is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, without any express or implied warranty of any kind, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose. It is not intended to be, and does not, constitute legal, financial, investment, trading, or any other advice. This podcast does not establish a lawyer-client relationship between you or anyone else, including any of the attorneys appearing on the podcast. All of the information presented is general in nature and is not specific to you or anyone else. Do not make any decision, legal, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented in this podcast without consulting a licensed attorney or professional financial advisor, as appropriate. You understand that you use or rely on any and all Information your hear on this podcast at your own risk.

If you would like to hear us cover a particular topic on an upcoming episode of The CryptoLaw Podcast, leave a comment below, on our Contact Us page, via Twitter @thecryptolaw, LinkedIn CryptoLaw Podcast, or just message one of our hosts (Roxana Nasoi, Ramy Gabal, or Grant Gulovsen) via DM on social media.

In this week’s episode, your hosts (Roxana, Ramy and Grant) and our guests (attorneys Zach Smolinski and Wes Williams) cover a slew of crypto-legal topics that appeared in the news this past week.

News of the Week

Lots of major news came out this past week and we don’t hesitate to express our opinions about all of it in an animated yet civil (because we are professionals, after all) discussion:

* MasterCard files a patent for a multi blockchain network. You can find the patent information here.* Stablecoins as Crypto 3.0? multiple exchanges start listing USD backed stablecoins. Read the news here.* Failure of the Civil ICO. Does it portend the end of the ICO era?Can there ever be a viable “utility token” project? Learn more the Brooklyn Project framework upon which Civil’s ICO was basedhere.

Stablecoins Much Wow

Don’t even…

We spend a little more time than we originally planned on the topic of stablecoins, mainly because there’s a lot to cover. And if you don’t think we covered everything, fear not because we’re planning a follow up.