Crypto-Asset Disputes - USA - Nationwide
What the team is known for
Latham & Watkins represents major crypto projects and venture funds, including DeFi projects, NFT platforms and creators, crypto miners and exchanges, DAOs and trading firms, on commercial disputes matters, 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.
Strengths
"Latham & Watkins has an outstanding team, with relevant experience and expertise to cover a number of practice areas. They are able to react quickly and adjust tactics and strategy based on developing legal and factual situations. The team exercises extraordinary judgement and skill."
"Latham has outstanding knowledge in all areas; the team has an expert for everything, and they are incredibly responsive."
"Latham & Watkins is a major player."
Work highlights
Latham & Watkins acted as lead litigation counsel for the joint liquidators of Three Arrows Capital, a crypto hedge fund.
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. "Ben is brilliant and highly skilled; he has excellent judgement." "Ben is very strong in this area. He is very strong on the enforcement side and has real engagement in this area."
Douglas Yatter is a former Chief Trial Attorney in the CFTC, and is co-head of the firm's 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. "Doug Yatter is a really sharp thinker." "Doug comes from a CFTC background which is helpful. He is really smart." "Doug is an extraordinary advocate and counsellor. He is able to handle issues at all levels of complexity in a number of practice areas. Doug is brilliant and is a true standout."
