Best Crypto Lawyers of 2024 – Who Tops the List?

Crypto lawyers are essential in the crypto world, since they can help clients follow laws, handle legal issues in ICOs, and even create secure digital contracts. On top of that, they can protect rights related to blockchain technology, advise on crypto taxes, and assist in avoiding crypto scams.

Understanding the need for expert legal advice, this article lists the best crypto lawyers available today. We talk about the services these lawyers and law firms provide, the benefits of hiring a crypto lawyer, and how they can help protect your interests.

A Closer Look at the Best Crypto Lawyers

Below we explore the services offered by three top crypto law firms, one crypto legislation specialist, and one crypto tax outfit.

1: Perkins Coie – Best of Law Firms Specializing in Blockchain Regulation

Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Perkins Coie has 1,200 lawyers spread across 17 offices in the US and 4 in China. The company was ranked 11th-biggest law firm in the US in 2020 by Law360. For 20 consecutive years, Perkins Coie has been named as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For by Fortune.

As with most top crypto lawyers, Perkins Coie offers its blockchain services as just one part of a multi-service suite of legal expertise. Alongside crypto, the firm advises on corporate law, intellectual property, product liability, real estate, estate planning, and litigation.

Top independent research firm Chambers & Partners ranks Perkins Coie ‘as the premier law firm for cryptocurrency and blockchain issues with perhaps the largest dedicated team in the country in this field.’ In fact, the Blockchain Operations Team at Perkins Coie has ten experienced attorneys dedicated to crypto, with more than 40 other lawyers adding expertise in overlapping fields of law.

• Partner Alexandra Cole, brings her expertise in real estate to blockchain property applications.
• Partner Andrew.P. Cross advises on the commodity law aspects of token sales.
• Partner J. Dax Hansen, on the other hand, is an out-and-out fintech and blockchain specialist. Recognised as a crypto legal pioneer, Hansen’s work in stablecoins, NFTs, smart contracts, coin offerings and currency exchanges goes back to the beginning of Bitcoin in 2010. Hansen helped to found and represent the Bitcoin Foundation, the Chamber of Digital Commerce and the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance.
• Equally specialized, Partner Kevin Feldis works on Perkins Coie’s blockchain enforcement and litigation group and specialises in defending companies against SEC investigations.

Perkins Coie scored a notable coup in 2020 by gaining SEC approval for the sale of VCOIN as a transferable non-security on behalf of its client IMVU Inc. VCOIN is not yet available for sale on even the best altcoin exchanges, but is available only on the IMVU metaverse platform.

2: Mishcon de Reya — One of the Best Crypto Lawyers for Asset Tracing

Mishcon de Reya has a team of 600 lawyers working from three international offices (London, Singapore and Hong Kong). Mishcon is a full-service law firm, offering hundreds of areas of expertise in areas of corporate, litigation, employment and real estate law on top of its blockchain skills.

In their capacity as cryptocurrency lawyers, Mishcon de Reya offer foundational expertise in the regulation of the ‘Internet of Things’, which is the physical network of computers that hold all the world’s data. Beyond that, the firm splits its crypto services into blockchain development and cryptocurrency fraud investigation.

The Mishcon Blockchain Group

Mishcon’s Blockchain Group helps companies to set up blockchain solutions while staying on the right side of legal and regulatory compliance. The team has worked on projects in various sectors including art, real estate, recruitment, retail and, of course, cryptocurrency.

When it comes to setting up crypto projects in particular, Mishcon advises on the various fund-raising formats including ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings) and STOs (Security Token Offerings), as well as ensuring their client complies with the necessary KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) requirements.

The Mishcon Cryptocurrency Fraud Team

This is the aggressive side of the Mishcon crypto service that aims to track down stolen crypto and return it to its owners. Tools at the disposal of the Mishcon de Reya Cryptocurrency Fraud Team include:

• Blockchain analytics software, which tracks blockchain transactions and pins down where stolen cryptoassets are being stashed.
• Disclosure Orders, which compel crypto exchanges to reveal information in order to snare fraudsters.
• Asset Freeze Orders, which shut down a business or crypto wallet in order to recover stolen cryptoassets.
• Civil Search Orders, which authorise the search for, and seizure of, key evidence of crypto fraud.

With its own venture MDR Solutions 1, Mishcon also helps clients to secure funding to pursue otherwise unaffordable litigation in the crypto world.

3: Davis Polk — One of the Best Blockchain Law Firms For Crypto Finance

Davis Polk is a big-time US law firm with 1000 lawyers spread over 7 countries including the US, UK, China, Japan, France and Brazil. Named Law Firm of the Year 2021 at The American Lawyer Industry Awards, Davis Polk provides legal advice and services to financial institutions in numerous areas inside and outside the crypto world.

On the internet, Davis Polk’s most high-profile project involves Elon’s Musk’s purchase of social media platform Twitter. Davis Polk is providing legal advice to the investment banks arranging a $6.5bn loan facility that is a part of Musk’s deal.

Within the crypto sector specifically, Davis Polk advises on regulation, structuring financial products and transactions. Clients are mainly financial institutions, fintech companies and asset managers.

One of Davis Polk’s key current crypto engagements, for example, is in representing crypto firm Grayscale Investments.

Grayscale is trying to convert its Bitcoin Trust (ticker label: GBTC) to an Exchange-Traded Fund. But the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has only been giving the green light to Bitcoin futures funds rather than spot funds like Grayscale’s which track the current price of Bitcoin. Davis Polk is lobbying the SEC on behalf of Grayscale, whose ruling is expected in July, 2022.

Other Davis Polk crypto projects include:

• Advising the Commonwealth Bank of Australia on a deal with Gemini Exchange to offer crypto direct to the bank’s customers.
• Defending blockchain firm The Tezos Foundation successfully against class actions claiming its $232m funding round for its crypto XTZ violated US securities laws. You can read where to buy Tezos Coin here.

4: Selachii – Top Bitcoin Litigation Firm

This London-based law firm makes our top list because, despite its small size, it has a proven history of success in Bitcoin litigation.

Selachii offers general services in the area of dispute resolution, intellectual property and litigation. Its digital currency work is divided between Bitcoin disputes, compliance, regulation, NFT fraud and smart contracts.

The company boasts a ‘tenacious and entrepreneurial approach often challenging convention to achieve the client’s goals.‘ And it was partner Richard Howlett from Selachii who masterminded a successful class action against the Japanese Bitcoin exchange Mt Gox, which famously filed for bankruptcy in 2014.

At its peak in the early 2010s, Mt Gox was handling 70% of global Bitcoin business. But, in February 2014, Mt Gox realised that it had been hacked. Thanks to a bug in the exchange’s software which allowed users to change transactions IDs, Mt Gox lost between 650,000 to 850,000 Bitcoin — which, at Bitcoin’s current price of just over $30,000 per coin, would be worth $19.5bn-$25.5bn today. Mt Gox filed for bankruptcy, leaving thousands of crypto investors out of pocket.

Selachii launched a class action against Mt Gox in 2014. And, after years of legal pressure, the Tokyo district court reclassified the bankruptcy in 2018 so that investors could apply for compensation in Bitcoin rather than in fiat currency. This was a key issue as between 2014 and 2018, the price of Bitcoin rose from a max of under $900 to $15.6k.

If you want to buy Bitcoin or any other crypto, the firm has partnered with trading platform CoinBurb to offer an in-house trading service.

5: Gordon Law — Top Crypto Tax Lawyers

Based in Chicago, Illinois, US, Gordon Law is a small law firm that specialises in cryptocurrency law and taxation. If you are an individual facing crypto tax issues, Gordon Law offers the sort of hands-on crypto lawyer you need. The firm services clients from the US as well as internationally.

Gordon Law prides itself on its adversarial approach. ‘Our team’ the firm says, ‘has squared off hundreds of times against the IRS, the FTC, state revenue boards, and corporate litigation opponents—so we know exactly what it takes to defeat your adversary.’

Gordon Law has been given a five-star rating from 81 Google reviews. Most reviewers have used Gordon Law to successfully file their crypto taxes. One example is happy client ‘T’ who reports that, ‘ I had a somewhat complicated crypto situation this year, but GLG helped me navigate it. I worked with Justin McCormick, who was both knowledgeable and efficient.’

Justin McCormick is an associate attorney at Gordon Law and a member of a 9-strong team of crypto tax specialists headed by company founder Andrew Gordon, Tax Attorney and CPA (Crypto Public Accountant).

The Gordon Law team focus their work on the nitty-gritty of crypto tax law as it relates to individuals. Three particular areas of expertise are:

1. Cryptocurrency Audits
   If you have been singled out for a crypto tax audit, the Gordon team will design a custom audit plan for you, as well as represent you to the IRS.
2. IRS Cryptocurrency Letter Response
   Received a nasty letter from the IRS like a CP2000, 6173, 6174, 6174-A,6323,CP90 or CP518? Head spinning? Gordon Law will tell you how to respond.
3. Reporting Crypto Taxes
   Gordon will show you to how ensure that, when it comes to your dealings with crypto exchanges, the IRS don’t over-estimate your taxable gains.

What are Crypto Lawyers?

A crypto lawyer is a lawyer who has achieved a general qualification in law and now offers particular expertise in cryptocurrency and blockchains.

Lawyers specializing in cryptocurrency are to be found working independently, working together in law firms or representing individual companies as General Counsel.

What Services Can Crypto Attorneys Provide?

Blockchain law firms cover all legal aspects of crypto, NFTs and blockchain-related business.

1. Crypto Business & Regulation

The biggest crypto lawyers tend to focus on providing big firms with guidance when it comes to a wide range of crypto business issues, like:

• Navigation data protection regulation around the ‘Internet of Things’.
• Setting up and running Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and Security Token Offerings (STOs).
• Ensuring that AML (Anti-Money-Laundering) and KYC (Know Your Customer) regulation is enforced correctly.
• Securing funding to launch crypto start-ups, including centralised and decentralised exchanges.
• Employment issues.

Any type of crypto business tends to involve numerous broader legal issues such as investment law and intellectual property, as well as specific blockchain matters.

2. Crypto Fraud Recovery

According to a recent crypto crime report by top blockchain experts Chainanalysis, a total of US$14 billion of cryptoassets was stolen worldwide in 2021. The victims number corporations and individuals alike.

Most of the best crypto lawyers handle crypto fraud. They aim to recover stolen crypto by deploying a number of investigative and legal tools in unison.

First, blockchain analysis software is deployed to track transactions between crypto wallets and find the stolen crypto, as well as identify the cyber-thieves. Then legal search orders are instituted, so that computer equipment can be confiscated and analysed. Freeze orders are used to freeze assets, to stop crypto being siphoned away. And, finally, litigation is used to get fraudsters convicted and cryptoassets returned to their rightful owners.

3. Crypto Litigation

Crypto litigation refers to legal disputes and proceedings related to cryptocurrency transactions, blockchain technology and related digital assets. It deals with issues such as:

• Disputes over cryptocurrency transactions;
• Securities litigation;
• ICO disputes;
• Regulatory Compliance;
• Fraud and scam allegations.

4. NFT Fraud

The market for Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) was valued at $25bn at the end of 2021. However, NFT fraud is increasingly a big problem.

There are two types of NFT fraud victim:

1. Artists who are cheated out of their livelihood by scammers taking an image of their work and selling it in NFT form.
2. Investors who purchase an NFT sold under false pretences.

5. Crypto Taxation

There are no hard-and-fast rules on crypto taxation yet in the US and elsewhere. Regulation is evolving. Fast. And it is serious stuff.

A key problem for US crypto investors is that the major crypto exchanges are beginning to report to the IRS — but are not presenting a balanced picture. Often, only data on sales is reported without accounting for the cost basis for crypto trading.

US crypto tax specialists Gordon Law stress the need for US crypto investors to file their own crypto accounts in order to avoid over-paying tax: ‘without sending your own crypto tax report, the IRS will see only your total sales volume and treat the entire amount as a taxable gain. In short, they’ll think you owe much more than you actually do.’

What Type of Client are You?

Lawyers specializing in cryptocurrency tend to have two distinct groups of clients:

Individuals Facing a Crypto Issue

An individual may have been lured by the promise that they can earn free crypto, but failed to check the credentials of the provider and were ripped off. As a result, the individual needs help to get their funds back, so they consult a crypto lawyer.

Companies Facing a Crypto Issue

Numerous legal issues face any company working in, or around, the blockchain ecosystem. These issues include the prevention of cyber-theft on the blockchain, compliance with Know-Your-Customer (KYC) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) protocols as well as a whole tangle of crypto start-up legalities. Like individuals, companies too have to face the nightmare of losing crypto assets to fraud, and hire cryptocurrency lawyers to trace and recover their assets.

How to Get in Touch with the Best Crypto Lawyers

Contacting a crypto lawyer is very easy. You can usually reach out via telephone or email. And often a staff member will be designated as a key contact.

To contact the Blockchain Operations Team at top crypto lawyers Perkins Coie, for example, you need to speak to Partner Wendy L. Moore.

Click on Moore’s VCARD here, and her contact details will automatically file themselves in the Contacts section of your smartphone/desktop.

If I am Based in the US, Do I Need a US Crypto Lawyer?

Not necessarily.

Although different crypto laws are evolving in different countries, crypto is an international phenomenon. Investors, after all, can make money with crypto wherever they are in the world. So it is quite normal for crypto lawyers from one country to service clients in another.

When it comes to crypto tax issues and the IRS, it is likely that a US firm will be most useful.

Will my Crypto Law Firm Offer Blockchain Services Only?

Perhaps, but unlikely.

Apart from specialist crypto tax firms, few law firms are set up as exclusive specialists in Web 3.0 and crypto only. There are exceptions, like the Crypto Lawyers based in Miami, Florida, US. But most top crypto lawyers base their crypto expertise on experience gained in other areas of finance, fintech, fraud, intellectual property, debt recovery and litigation.

Those law firms that do offer blockchain expertise often offer a diverse suite of services to suit different types of client. These services often span everything from asset tracing aimed at the individual (which means getting your Bitcoin back!) to compliance with regulation (for corporations).

Will my Crypto Lawyer Have a Legal Blockchain Qualification?

Unlikely.

In the US, your crypto lawyer will have gained a license to practise law by achieving a Doctor of Jurisprudence or Juris Doctor degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. That you can rely on.

But, when it comes to blockchain legal issues apart from taxation, there is no special qualification relating to crypto work that holds any great weight.

Companies offer online training modules — like, for example, the Certified Blockchain & Law Professional qualification offered by the Blockchain Council. But these type of qualifications are not legal qualifications per se; they simply show that the holder has completed a course relating to legal issues.

What you might find, however, is that your crypto lawyer has educated themselves in key aspects of how the blockchain works.

Conclusion

In our roundup of the best crypto lawyers, we provided an in-depth review of the top contenders in the field. We covered their areas of expertise, office locations, team size, and some of their notable cases.

In a market as unpredictables as the crypto one, having access to a skilled crypto attorney can be more than beneficial. These people/firms can help you handle any legal issues that may arise.

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