Boutique counsel for token issuers, DeFi protocols, DAOs, and the venture funds backing them. I work closely with a select group of venture funds and venture studios across the US and Asia, sitting at the intersection of on-chain architecture and federal securities law. High-touch, high-context, no assembly line.
I go by Law Bro. I run a boutique securities practice focused exclusively on crypto. I went deep into the rabbit hole in 2017 and never came back. I started advising early ICO projects on how to not get demolished by the Howey test, and I've been in the trenches ever since: through the 2018 enforcement wave, the DeFi summer of 2020, the DAO LLC experiments, and now the evolving MiCA and FIT21 landscape.
My practice is deliberately small. I work closely with a handful of venture funds and venture studios across the US and Asia, advising both the funds themselves and their portfolio companies on token structures, regulatory strategy, and compliance architecture. The relationship is embedded, not transactional. I sit in on technical calls, review protocol designs before they're finalized, and flag regulatory landmines before the code is written, not after.
I read Solidity. I audit tokenomics models. I've reviewed hundreds of smart contract architectures not just for legal risk, but to understand what the code actually does versus what the whitepaper claims. That fluency is the difference between a lawyer who tells you "don't do that" and one who tells you exactly how to structure the mechanism so it works.
I operate pseudonymously because my work is about the analysis, not the personal brand. My track record speaks in clean no-action letters, token structures that have survived regulatory scrutiny, and protocols that launched without looking over their shoulder.
When I'm not advising clients, I'm writing about the collision of code and regulation, running a node, contributing to governance proposals, and obsessing over mechanism design. I believe programmable finance is the most important development in capital markets since electronic trading, and I want to make sure it survives contact with the regulatory apparatus.
Full-spectrum analysis of whether your token is a security under Howey, Reves, or the SEC's evolving framework. I structure token launches that thread the needle between utility, governance, and investment contract law. From SAFTs to airdrops to points-to-token conversions, I've seen every permutation and know where the lines are drawn.
Structuring the legal wrapper around protocols that have no CEO and no office. I work with teams to design governance systems, foundation structures, and operational frameworks that satisfy regulators without destroying the decentralization thesis. This means understanding both the legal entity stack and the on-chain power dynamics.
When the Wells notice arrives, you need counsel who understands both the regulatory playbook and your protocol's architecture at the bytecode level. I prepare Wells responses, negotiate with enforcement staff, and build arguments grounded in the technical reality of how the protocol functions - not how a regulator assumes it does from reading a blog post.
Bringing real-world assets on-chain is the frontier of securities law. I advise on the tokenization of treasury bills, real estate, private credit, and equity - structuring compliant issuances under existing securities frameworks while leveraging smart contracts for automated compliance, transfer restrictions, and dividend distribution.
Whether you're running a centralized exchange, a DEX aggregator, or something that the SEC might argue is an unregistered ATS, I help you map your architecture against the regulatory definitions. I've advised on order book designs, liquidity pool structures, and bridging mechanisms with an eye on broker-dealer and exchange registration triggers.
Tokens don't respect borders. I help projects navigate multi-jurisdictional launches, structuring distributions that comply with U.S. securities law, EU MiCA requirements, and the patchwork of Asian regulatory regimes. This includes geofencing strategies, KYC/AML architecture, and entity structuring that isolates regulatory risk across jurisdictions.
The first post on the Law Bro Substack. On the slow, deliberate consolidation happening across crypto securities regulation, and why the builders paying attention now will be the ones still standing when the dust settles.
Initial consultations run 45 minutes. Come with your whitepaper, tokenomics docs, and smart contract architecture. I'll come with questions. No billing for the first call. I need to understand your system before I can tell you whether I'm the right counsel for it.
April 2026