Seattle-based law firm Riddell Williams just signed two of the bitcoin community’s most prolific legal voices to chair their payments division. While the firm boasts a 100+ year history and more than 60 attorneys on staff, the decision to bring on Ryan Straus and Daniel Friedberg to lead the group makes a strong statement about the firm’s view on the future of financial law.
Friedberg has published a number of pieces related to bitcoin regulation, including guest writing for the Bitcoin Foundation. He’s often quoted as a bitcoin legal reference by major news outlets, including recent appearances in Business Insider, Tech Cocktail, and Fox Business. Those more deeply involved in the bitcoin world may recognize him as a panelist at the Bitcoin London conference or from his interview with Tech Feed at Bitcoin 2013 in San Jose.
Straus brings similar digital currency credentials to Riddell Williams, having written or been quoted on the topic in leading industry publications, including American Banker and The Hill. Like Friedberg, enthusiasts may recognize him from when he spoke about regulatory issues at Bitcoin 2013.
The two lawyers brought a number of top bitcoin companies with them to Riddell Williams, including exchanges, wallets, miners and merchants who could not be named due to standard industry confidentiality practices. As a result of their experience with those companies, they’ve directly interfaced with both federal and state regulators on nearly all matters bitcoin.
We spoke with Friedberg, who mirrored a common sentiment in the space, stating they “Generally view the regulatory developments as positive steps towards acceptance. It is far better that we are moving towards a regime of regulation rather than prohibition.” He confirmed Riddell Williams’ understanding of bitcoin’s growth potential and the need for specialized knowledge to be able to appropriately address the issues facing the industry. He even holds bitcoin of his own.
Congrats Dan and team. Much deserved.
There are a lot more attorneys than the public knows about that have been following bitcoin. I spoke with a central VA lawyer the other day whose firm is already been looking at for a long time estate planning and electronic media for a long time, to include bitcoin.