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“The opportunities and legal considerations raised by blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies are vast and implicate nearly every legal content area. From capital raising and initial token offerings, to digital currencies and payment systems, to intellectual property and technology transactions, to data privacy and security, to banking and leveraged finance, to mergers & acquisitions, venture capital and private equity investments, to tax and general corporate law, to litigation and beyond, blockchain and smart contracts technologies pose novel legal questions and present new legal challenges and possibilities. Blockchain is a truly exciting emerging space, and I am deeply honored to chair the WSBA’s Legal Working Committee.”
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Joshua Ashley Klayman, Of Counsel in the Finance + Projects Group at Morrison & Foerster / Chair, WSBA Legal Working Group

LEGAL 
WORKING GROUP

Lawyers need to be knowledgeable about blockchain technology, distributed ledgers and smart contracts in order to be able to advise clients on what risks may be associated with them and to help them strategize on their utility across multiple market segments. 

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Our Mission

The Legal Working Group comprises lawyers that have an interest in distributed ledger and smart contract technology, recognize the potential they offer for the financial markets, and understand the challenges they pose. The specific goal of the group is to promote legal thought leadership about distributed ledgers/smart contracts and to act as an educational forum to discuss some of the challenges we are seeing now, or that we expect we will be seeing in the future. 

Noteworthy reads:

CoinDesk: 
​Blockchain Pros Debate 'Looming Challenges' for Smart Contracts
http://www.coindesk.com/blockchain-smart-contracts-looming-challenges/

FinOps Report:
Blockchain's Smart Contracts: What's Smart, What's Not
http://finops.co/operations/blockchains-smart-contracts-what-smart-whats-not/
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LegalTech News:
Financial Counsel Prepare for Blockchain Heading Into 2017
​http://www.legaltechnews.com/id=1202773989973/Financial-Counsel-Prepare-for-Blockchain-Heading-Into-2017?slreturn=20170030190327