Crypto-Asset Disputes
FinTech Guide 2025 : USA - Nationwide
Band 1
Contact number
+1 212 906 1200Chambers Review
Latham & Watkins represents major crypto projects and venture funds, including DeFi projects, NFT platforms and creators, crypto miners and exchanges, DAOs and trading firms, in commercial disputes, bankruptcy proceedings and regulatory investigations and enforcement. It has handled a significant number of regulatory investigations and white-collar matters, including SEC, CFTC and FinCen investigations, and advises on OFAC sanctions compliance.
Work Highlights
- Latham & Watkins represented Andreessen Horowitz in a securities class action in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York regarding the Uniswap protocol, one of the prominent DeFi protocols, alleging unlawful promotion, offer and sale of unregistered securities in the form of crypto transactions.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"The Latham attorneys I've interacted with are fantastic. They are attentive, understand the issues, are creative in thinking up strategies, and understand business risk."
"Latham have deep expertise in cryptocurrency regulations and technology. They have strong connections with government regulators. They are extremely responsive."
"Latham not only provide excellent advice on keeping up with the ever-changing regulatory landscape but also provide very commercial feedback rather than simply saying what our firm may not do."
"Latham brings leading expertise in a broad range of industries. They have lawyers in the FinTech space with much broader experience. You can trust they are ingrained and not merely dipping their toes."
"The Latham attorneys I've interacted with are fantastic. They are attentive, understand the issues, are creative in thinking up strategies, and understand business risk."
"Latham have deep expertise in cryptocurrency regulations and technology. They have strong connections with government regulators. They are extremely responsive."
"Latham not only provide excellent advice on keeping up with the ever-changing regulatory landscape but also provide very commercial feedback rather than simply saying what our firm may not do."
"Latham brings leading expertise in a broad range of industries. They have lawyers in the FinTech space with much broader experience. You can trust they are ingrained and not merely dipping their toes."
Notable Practitioners
Benjamin Naftalis is a former Assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he focused on securities and commodities fraud matters, and co-head of the firm's digital assets and Web3 practice. Naftalis advises major crypto clients on investigations and regulatory enforcement.
"Benjamin is a well-reasoned, logical and pragmatic lawyer who also has a good understanding of the space and is excellent to work with."
"He's great and has done a great job."
Douglas Yatter is a former Chief Trial Attorney at the CFTC. Yatter is co-head of Latham & Watkins' digital assets and Web3 practice and co-chair of its commodities and derivatives regulation and enforcement practice. Yatter advises crypto clients on investigations and regulatory enforcement matters concerning token offerings, CeFi and DeFi platforms, allegations of insider trading, money laundering and market manipulation.
"Douglas is a very effective advocate."
"Douglas is excellent - a very smart person and one of the better litigators we work with."
"He's very smart and has a very good reputation."