Home/Basic Courses for Newer Attorneys
Cryptocurrencies: Legal Issues Affecting Investing & Mining Companies
Audio program! (check our CLE Programs page for live versions)
Understanding Cryptocurrencies, Blockchain and Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) is important – if you want to be current (and SEC compliant) with this latest trend in alternative financing and currency. The huge expansion in Bitcoin & digital currencies and ICOs in states across the nation and globally has led to a significant need for attorneys proficient in the cutting-edge legal and regulatory issues.
The laws vary greatly and have been in flux with the proliferation of Fortune 500 companies, governments, and start-ups seeking to take advantage of this growing use of currency.
And the SEC is beginning to investigate and bring cases against those committing fraud – as well as provide guidance in order to avoid such prosecutions (in fact, several SEC officials as well as regulators in California felt this topic was so important they attended this seminar).
This 45 minute audio package focuses on the Legal Issues Affecting Investing & Mining Companies
It has been taken from our full day comprehensive program on Cryptocurrencies. That entire program (7 hours) can be found and ordered here.
With this audio package, you will learn about the legal issues surrounding forming a mining company and Currency Investment Funds, including regulatory and reporting challenges for private investment funds and broker-dealer requirements as you’ll hear about SEC guidance on exchanges.
In this package you will receive the audio recording of his session, as well as a printed copy of the PowerPoints, in your handout.
If you prefer our entire program instead, it will walk you through most of what you need to know to get a solid understanding of this remarkable new currency. And with the audio package you will also receive the more than 200 page Seminar Handbook and a 250 page Post-Program Resource Book full of SEC memos, articles, cases, and other great information.
Below is a description of the full-day program, which can be ordered here.
In the morning, Bhaskar Krisnamarchari, from the UCI Viterbi Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things, will teach you about the basics – how Bitcoin works, Coins v. Tokens, blockchains, and the key applications and alt-coins. And if none of that makes sense when you read it, that’s ok. It will make sense once you listen to the live recording of this excellent seminar.
After Mr. Krisnamarchari walks you through the basics, you’ll then learn about the difference between Securities and Utilities, and get a good understanding of the latest US Securities enforcement. Jennifer Post will discuss the Howey case and its progeny, as well as several SEC enforcement and receivership cases.
After that, your faculty will get into Reg S and international regulations, ICO’s, private exemptions, the JOBS Act exemptions and other jurisdictional issues.
You’ll want to take a break at that point, because you’ll next learn all about Secondary Market Trading and its myriad of rules, options and restrictions.
After that you will take a walk through the legal issues surrounding forming a mining company and Currency Investment Funds, including regulatory and reporting challenges for private investment funds and broker-dealer requirements as you’ll hear about SEC guidance on exchanges.
In the almost-to-last session, our faculty will get into other regulations affecting ICOs and discuss Wyoming’s new regulatory regime for cryptocurrency and blockchain, including how it may work with cryptocurrency laws of other countries.
The final session of the day covers launching and marketing a successful ICO.
Whew! It’s a lot. It’s intensive. And you will walk away with a much deeper understanding of this phenomenon than you thought possible.
Our esteemed faculty features several leading authorities on the subject. This comprehensive program on virtual currency law will introduce you to the most relevant issues and practical solutions in order to advise and represent your clients effectively. even more details about what is discussed can be found in the Agenda tab.
With the audio package you will also receive the more than 200 page Seminar Handbook and a 250 page Post-Program Resource Book full of SEC memos, articles, cases, and other great information.
See our testimonials tab (above) for comments about how great this program was, but here’s a sneak peak:
“Everyone presented quite well.” – John Loftus, Esq.
“It was good to understand the technical aspects of what cryptocurrencies are comprised of. As a lawyer, it was good to know the ‘Blockchain’ terms. I enjoyed Jennifer Post’s delivery and summary slides with case law. I greatly appreciated the post program resume book provided by Ms. Post. I enjoyed Jor Law’s slides and information provided with comparing Title II, III and IV. I like how he included practical issues that attorneys must be aware of. I liked the extra chart Charles Kaufman’s firm gave to the participants. His slides are great.”
“Very informative and helpful to my practice.” – Samuel Park, Esq.
“Overall, very informative.” – Steven Schmulenson, Esq.
Do you want to improve your public speaking skills? Get Faith Pincus’ newly published book Being Heard: Presentation Skills for Attorneys, from the ABA now (ABA members receive 10% off). It is also available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback versions.
What You Will Learn
This Session Discusses:
Legal Issues Affecting Investing & Mining Companies
- Forming a mining company
- Distribution of currencies
- Fundamental tax considerations
- SEC guidance
- Contract drafting issues
- Currency Investment Funds
- Regulatory and reporting challenges for private investment funds
- Understanding the application of broker dealer requirements
- Emerging SEC guidance on exchanges
If you would like the entire full-day program instead, it covers the following (including above) and can be ordered here:
Key Technical Concepts to Understand in Blockchain
- Basics of how Bitcoin works
- Ethereum and smart contracts
- Coins vs. Tokens, ERC-20
- Public vs permissioned blockchains
- When do you really need a blockchain?
- Quick survey of key applications and alt-coins
Securities vs. Utilities
- Howey & its progeny
- SEC Enforcement Cases
- SEC Receivership Cases
Regulation S and Foreign Securities Regulation
- Regulation S
- International Regulations
Exemptions for ICOs
- Securities registration & jurisdictional issues
- Characteristics of ICOs
- Private exemptions
- JOBS Act exemptions
- Other exemptions
- Concurrent offerings
Secondary Market Trading
- Distinguishing cryptocurrency and “non-dilutive equity” tokens from tokenized shares
- Newly emerging regulated blockchain trading forums: tZERO, other ATSs and commodities exchanges
- Public information and reporting requirements for secondary market trading
- SEC scrutiny on companies already public that expand into crypto
- General restrictions on resales in Reg D, Reg A, Reg S offerings
Legal Issues Affecting Investing & Mining Companies
- Forming a mining company
- Distribution of currencies
- Fundamental tax considerations
- SEC guidance
- Contract drafting issues
- Currency Investment Funds
- Regulatory and reporting challenges for private investment funds
- Understanding the application of broker dealer requirements
- Emerging SEC guidance on exchanges
Other Regulation Affecting ICOs
- USA Commodities regulations and laws in the ICO space and why it is important
- Wyoming’s new regulatory regime for cryptocurrency and blockchain, and how it may work with cryptocurrency laws of other countries
- AML, OFAC, KYC and similar regulations in USA and other countries
Launching & Marketing a Successful ICO
- KYC/AML/OFAC – Service providers and challenges
- Investor Accreditation – Service providers and challenges
- Technological Security
- Risks
- Challenges
- Solutions
- Operational Security
- Risks
- Threat model – Phishing attempts, phone porting
- Solutions
- Building versus renting versus listing on another platform
- What is a bounty campaign?
- The importance of airdrops (giving away free tokens) Treasure hunts
- Telegram management (real people answering questions)
- Social media influencers
- PR firms
- Conferences
Testimonials
“Was very informative and helpful to my practice.” – Samuel Park, Esq.
“Overall, very informative.” – Steven Schmulenson, Esq.
“Everyone presented quite well.” – John Loftus, Esq.
“It was good to understand the technical aspects of what cryptocurrencies are comprised of. As a lawyer, it was good to know the ‘Blockchain’ terms. I enjoyed Jennifer Post’s delivery and summary slides with case law. I greatly appreciated the post program resume book provided by Ms. Post. I enjoyed Jor Law’s slides and information provided with comparing Title II, III and IV. I like how he included practical issues that attorneys must be aware of. I liked the extra chart Charles Kaufman’s firm gave to the participants. His slides are great.”
“All speakers were excellent, well-presented and well-spoken.”
“All speakers were a 5/5 in all respects.”
“Power point slides were helpful to follow lecturers. I liked receiving my materials electronically one-week prior so I can print my materials for the conference. References to recent cases were helpful.”
Faculty
Faculty for the sessions in this audio package includes:
Jennifer Post, Esq.
Partner
Thompson Coburn LLP 
Jennifer Post is a Partner in the Thomas Coburn’s Corporate and Securities practice group. She serves as primary outside counsel to a variety of individuals, institutions and companies, including entrepreneurs, venture capital firms and emerging companies, as well as domestic and international public companies.
Jennifer’s practice encompasses all areas of general corporate and securities law, including private placements of equity and debt securities, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital fund formation. Jennifer advises her company clients in many aspects of their businesses including financings, acquisitions, divestitures, licensing and distribution arrangements, equity compensation and joint ventures and strategic partnerships. Jennifer also represents venture capital firms in their formation, fundraising efforts and maintenance, as well as in their investments in early and later stage operating companies and in complex transactions and restructurings. Jennifer has a unique niche representing private capital lenders including venture debt lenders and hedge funds in lending transactions in both domestic and cross-border facilities.
A prolific speaker and media commentator, Jennifer was recently profiled in the California Lawyer’s M&A Roundtable. Additionally, Jennifer has presented at Digital Hollywood, the Metropole Global’s Crowdfunding Conference, NextGen’s Entrepreneurship & Global Crowdfunding Forum, the Beverly Hills Bar Association and the American Bar Association, among others.
If you would like to order the full-day program, the faculty for the entire program includes:
Bhaskar Krishnamachari
Director
USC Viterbi Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things
Bhaskar Krishnamachari did his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering at The Cooper Union in New York City, and got his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. He is currently a Professor of Engineering at USC, and serves as the Director of the USC Viterbi Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things. He is an academic researcher working on the Internet of Things, Blockchain Technologies, Wireless Networks, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, Machine Learning and AI, Edge Computing, Network Economics, and Distributed Robotics. He has authored/co-authored two books and more than 300 technical publications, that have together received more than 23000 citations and several best paper awards. He was listed in MIT Technology Reviews TR-35 list of 35 top innovators under 35 in 2011 and Popular Science’s Brilliant 10 in 2015.
Mason Borda
CEO & Co-Founder
TokenSoft Inc.
Mason Borda is a tech entrepreneur focusing on blockchain infrastructure and security. He is currently the CEO and CoFounder of TokenSoft Inc., a crypto treasury management and white label token sale platform for launching compliant token sales. A pioneer in the space, he launched the world’s first Ethereum multi-signature web wallet platform, the most secure web-based platform for storing Ethereum at the time. As a member of the BitGo team, he created the cold storage, multi-signature wallets for Royal Mint Gold. Royal Mint Gold was a blockchain platform launched by the Royal Mint of England in conjunction with CME Group, AlphaPoint, and BitGo. As Vice President of Token Operations at doc.ai, where he designed the Neuron Network, a decentralized edge-learning network.
Robert Cornish, Jr., Esq.
Of Counsel
Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP
Bob Cornish focuses his practice on litigation, arbitration, regulatory and compliance matters for broker-dealers, investment advisers, hedge funds, commodity firms, institutional investors and family offices in the United States and abroad. He places particular emphasis on alternative investment, broker-dealer and EB-5 fund formation, compliance and governance matters, including litigation, arbitration and enforcement. Bob previously served as chief legal and compliance officer and in-house counsel for prominent investment firms, where he acquired valuable experience handling complex business management and marketing matters for investment management clients. Over his exceptional 23-year career, Bob has come to be known for his integrity and professionalism and his dogged determination in seeing cases to a satisfactory conclusion.
Recognized as one of the Top 15 Securities Attorneys in the EB-5 arena by his peers and a thought leader on broker-dealer and investment adviser compliance in the EB-5 space, Bob is often asked to speak or comment on such matters to industry participants and others. Bob is a member of the EB5 Securities Roundtable, a group of leading EB-5 securities attorneys organized to facilitate best practices in the offerings of EB-5 securities and to urge harmonization of the EB-5 program with the securities laws.
Charles Kaufman, Esq.
Shareholder
Homeier Law PC
Securities and corporation finance attorney Charles Kaufman guides growing companies and entrepreneurs raising capital through crowdfunding, including coin offerings and other cryptocurrency transactions. A shareholder of Homeier Law PC, he draws on over 20 years’ experience both at global law firms and as general counsel of a public company to advise his clients in selecting from the array of options now available for directly reaching investors over the internet, and in executing an effective and compliant raise. Within the crowdfunding and coin offering space, Charles represents companies seeking capital through Title II (Rule 506(c)), Title III (Reg CF), and Title IV (Reg A+) of the JOBS Act. For companies already public or seeking to use JOBS Act crowdfunding as an entry to the public capital markets, he advises on registered and hybrid offerings, securities law reporting and compliance, corporate governance and global compliance. Also a member of Homeier Law PC’s industry-leading EB-5 group, he has assisted U.S. companies in obtaining hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign direct investment. Charles earned both his J.D. and B.A. degrees at the University of California at Los Angeles. He is a member of the State Bar of California and serves on the editorial board of its International Law Journal.
Jor Law, Esq.
Co-Founder
Homeier Law PC and VerifyInvestor.com
Jor Law practices corporate and securities transactional law in Los Angeles and is a founding shareholder of Homeier Law PC. Jor maintains a broad-based general corporate legal practice with an emphasis on mergers & acquisitions and finance.
He is most well-known for his expertise in alternative finance, including cryptocurrency ICOs, EB-5 finance, and crowdfunding, all industries where he is one of the most influential transactional attorneys in the world. Jor received his J.D. from Columbia University and his B.A. from UC Berkeley. Jor is licensed to practice law in California and New York.
Jor Law is also a co-founder and the principal architect of VerifyInvestor.com, the resource for accredited investor verifications trusted by broker-dealers, law firms, companies, and investors who insist on safety and reliability. These verifications are required by federal laws for generally solicited Regulation D, Rule 506(c) capital raises.
Josh Lawler, Esq.
Partner
Zuber Lawler & Del Duca
Josh Lawler’s practice focuses on mergers & acquisitions, securities law and technology transactions. Mr. Lawler’s M&A clients include private equity groups, public and private companies, fundless sponsors, family offices and sellers of large assets. Many of Mr. Lawler’s clients are domiciled outside of the United States and require expertise in execution of international transactions.
Mr. Lawler also leads the Firm’s New Technology Group with a particular emphasis on Blockchain (distributed ledger), artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, virtual/augmented reality, internet of things, cybersecurity, and related technologies. In this capacity, Mr. Lawler counsels clients in respect securities and regulatory matters, including in respect of ICO/TGE projects; as well as development, licensing, commercial use, acquisition and disposition of all manner of intellectual property.
Mr. Lawler is a dedicated futurist and brings enthusiasm and excitement to cutting edge projects. In addition to legal counsel, Mr. Lawler provides clients with extreme problem solving skills and practical business advice. Many of Mr. Lawler’s clients rely on him as outside general counsel. Prior to joining Zuber Lawler & Del Duca LLP, Mr. Lawler practiced as a corporate securities and M&A attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
Jennifer Post, Esq.
Partner
Thompson Coburn LLP
Jennifer Post is a Partner in the Thomas Coburn’s Corporate and Securities practice group. She serves as primary outside counsel to a variety of individuals, institutions and companies, including entrepreneurs, venture capital firms and emerging companies, as well as domestic and international public companies.
Jennifer’s practice encompasses all areas of general corporate and securities law, including private placements of equity and debt securities, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital fund formation. Jennifer advises her company clients in many aspects of their businesses including financings, acquisitions, divestitures, licensing and distribution arrangements, equity compensation and joint ventures and strategic partnerships. Jennifer also represents venture capital firms in their formation, fundraising efforts and maintenance, as well as in their investments in early and later stage operating companies and in complex transactions and restructurings. Jennifer has a unique niche representing private capital lenders including venture debt lenders and hedge funds in lending transactions in both domestic and cross-border facilities.
A prolific speaker and media commentator, Jennifer was recently profiled in the California Lawyer’s M&A Roundtable. Additionally, Jennifer has presented at Digital Hollywood, the Metropole Global’s Crowdfunding Conference, NextGen’s Entrepreneurship & Global Crowdfunding Forum, the Beverly Hills Bar Association and the American Bar Association, among others.
Frideric Prandecki
Co-Founder, Director of Operations
BountyPlace.com
Frideric Prandecki is the Co-Founder & Director of Operations of BountyPlace.com. He is also the Co-Founder and CEO of BobsRepair.com. Frideric has helped ICOs raise millions dollars through bounty campaigns; which are coordinated efforts by thousands of people to promote ICOs through social media, article posts and community engagements.
Fees
Audio Recording & Materials Package – CD or Download: $69
For CDs please add $8.50 shipping and, in CA, sales tax.
Available now!
CLE Credit
CA General: This program is approved for .75 units of general CLE in California.
This program is approved for CLE in the states listed above. Upon request, Pincus Pro Ed will provide any information an attorney needs to support their application for CLE approval in other states other than what is listed above.
Terms and Policies
Recording policy: No audio or video recording of any program is permitted.
Seminar Cancellations: Should you be unable to attend for any reason, please inform us in writing no later than 14 days prior to the event and a credit voucher will be issued. If you prefer, a refund, less a $50 non-refundable deposit, will be issued. No refunds or credits will be given for cancellations received within 14 days of an event. However, if you notify us within 14 days of an event, and wish to convert your in-person attendance registration to an Audio CD package (with handout), we can do so. A small additional shipping charge, and sales tax in CA, will be incurred. No shipping charge is incurred for downloads. We will also issue a voucher for the amount paid if you notify us within 14 days and prefer not to have the audio recording.
Substitutions may be made at any time.
Webinars, Tele-seminars and Webcast Cancellations: Once log-in codes and passwords are issued for a webinar, tele-seminars or webcasts, a refund is not possible. If for any reason you cannot attend the event after you have received the codes, we will automatically convert your registration to an instant streaming/instant download or CD format and provide you with the information you need to access the recording after the program concludes and the recording is available. Conversions to CD require a $8.50 shipping fee, and in CA, 9% sales tax.
Downloads/CDs/DVDs – Refund policy:
Downloads are non-returnable/non-refundable once purchased and received. Tapes, CDs and DVDs are returnable for a full refund or replacement if defective, within 90 days of purchase.
Reminder: The room temperature at hotels and other seminar locations are notoriously hard to control. Please bring a sweater or jacket in case it gets cold and/or layer as if you are going to the movies so you are comfortable.
