Block [Legal] Tech

Patrick Daugherty of Foley & Lardner in Chicago will conduct a one-on-one fireside chat with SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce about the broad range of legal and policy issues involved in crypto asset creation, distribution, trading, exchange and management. Their dialogue also can be expected to touch upon blockchain-enabled financial instruments  such as Facebook’s planned “Libra” currency, other so-called “stablecoins” and tokenized securities. The conversation also may include lessons learned from recent SEC law enforcement actions, danger spots where private industry ought not to tread, and possible avenues for private development of fintech businesses with government approval. Commissioner Peirce was appointed to the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2017 from the Financial Markets Working Group at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center. Daugherty’s 38 years of law practice include four years at SEC headquarters as legal counsel to Commissioner Edward Fleischman, now retired. He is Foley’s senior corporate securities law partner.