Chicago-Kent College Of Law Announces Blockchain Law Event

CHICAGO, June 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago-Kent College of Law announced today that Block(Legal)Tech, the college's first daylong event dedicated to the legal aspects of blockchain technology, will be held on Thursday, August 9, 2018. Block(Legal)Tech will feature presentations and panel discussions from top experts on the law of distributed ledger systems, tokenized assets, and cryptoasset-based funding.

Moving past the typical canned pitches, the conference will include a number of talks, interviews, and debates, delving deep into the complicated issues that affect the crypto-landscape, such as the future of U.S. regulation of cryptoassets and government's role in promoting blockchain adoption. Discussions will also include minimizing the risks of crypto-litigation, the role of lawyers, the evolution of smart contracts and their impact on the legal profession, and myriad other legal issues that stem from the use and implementation of blockchain and distributed ledger technology.

No fee will be charged for attendance and CLE Credit will be available. Admission will be limited to the first 600 ticketholders. 

"With our lineup of top legal minds, current and former regulators, C-suite executives, in-house counsel, and academics, we intend for this conference to be the seminal, daylong legal-themed blockchain conference," said co-organizer Professor Dan Katz. "Rather than focusing on the basics, this conference will serve as a one-day, advanced education on blockchain and the law," added co-organizer Justin Steffen, a litigation partner at Jenner & Block LLP.

Chicago-Kent College of Law will partner with Jenner & Block and FinTEx in this first-of-its kind event.

Confirmed speakers for Block(Legal)Tech include:

Director Ken Blanco:  Mr. Blanco is the Director of FinCEN and, prior to his appointment, served as the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice.

Stephen Palley:  A partner at Anderson Kill and co-chair of the firm's Blockchain and Virtual Currency Group, Mr. Palley frequently writes and comments on blockchain technology.

Preston Byrne: A founder and the former COO of Monax, makers of the first open-sourced permissioned blockchain client, Mr. Byrne is an English-qualified structured finance solicitor, a fellow of the ASI, and an independent consultant to the distributed ledger industry. 

Angela Walch:  Ms. Walch is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Blockchain Technologies of University College London and a Professor of Law at St. Mary's where her research focuses on money and the law, blockchain technologies, governance of emerging technologies, and financial stability.

Jennifer O'Rourke:  Ms. O'Rourke is the President and Co-Founder of Attest, Inc.—a blockchain-enabled digital identity company— and recently served as the Illinois Blockchain Business Liaison and the Director of Public Engagement at the Chicago Blockchain Center.

Peter Van Valkenburgh:  A Director of Research at Coin Center and Board Member at the Zcash Foundation, Mr. Van Valkenburgh is one of the world's foremost crypto experts and has testified about cryptocurrency before Congress. 

Joshua Klayman:  Ms. Klayman is Of Counsel at Morrison Foerster, where she leads the firm's global Blockchain + Smart Contracts Group, and has been recognized by Chambers and Partners as one of the top 12 Blockchain and Cryptocurrency lawyers in the world. 

Alan Niemerg:  Mr. Niemerg is the Head of Research and Investments at DRW Trading/Cumberland, the leading OTC liquidity provider in the digital currency space (including Bitcoin).

Colleen Sullivan:  Ms. Sullivan is the CEO of CMT Digital Holdings LLC, a division of Capital Markets Trading Group, focused on emerging digital markets, assets, and ancillary technologies in the blockchain space, an advisor to Bloq, and a co-founder and Managing Member of Sullivan Wolf Kailus LLC, a boutique law firm based in Chicago that specializes in hedge fund, private equity, venture capital, digital assets, and other alternative investment products. 

Drew Hinkes: Mr. Hinkes is the General Counsel at Athena Blockchain, a blockchain professor at NYU's Stern School of Business, and a frequently cited authority on Virtual Currency issues who has published more than 20 articles on blockchain.

John Roth:  The Chief Compliance Officer at Bittrex.com, Mr. Roth was formerly the Inspector General for DHS, the Director for the Office of Criminal Investigations at the FDA, and a former federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice. 

Kevin Batteh:  Mr. Batteh is a partner with Delta Strategy Group, a senior advisor to a number of blockchain and digital currency technology companies, and a former trial attorney with the CFTC and FCA. 

Amy Davine Kim:  Ms. Kim is the Global Policy Director and General Counsel at the Chamber of Digital Commerce, the leading trade association representing the digital asset and blockchain industry, and previously advised financial institutions, blockchain-based companies, lenders, investors and innovators regarding financial services compliance laws.

SOURCE Jenner & Block