Carlton Fields’ Blockchain and Digital Currency Co-Leader Bolsters Los Angeles Office

Los Angeles, California – Justin Wales, co-leader of Carlton Fields’ industry-leading Blockchain and Digital Currency Practice, has moved from the firm’s Miami office to its growing Los Angeles office.

The move augments the ongoing growth of the Los Angeles office while providing Wales with the opportunity to expand Carlton Fields’ tech practice in the industry’s “home state,” leveraging his cutting-edge expertise on behalf of the firm’s blockchain, fintech, and financial services clients.

“There aren’t many lawyers who have Justin’s holistic understanding of the technology of cryptocurrency as well as the quickly evolving law that governs it,” said Mark Neubauer, Carlton Fields Los Angeles office managing shareholder. “His expertise will be an invaluable asset for Southern California and beyond.”

A recognized leader in the burgeoning cryptocurrency industry and an early cryptocurrency adopter himself, Wales provides business and technical product counseling for the firm’s clients, as well as advice regarding domestic and international corporate formation options, intellectual property protection, and other general corporate matters.

“As thought leaders in both technology and cryptocurrency practices, our Los Angeles expansion promises increasingly broader and deeper legal service for innovative California businesses,” Neubauer said. “Having Justin here ensures dynamic new growth for Carlton Fields here in California.”

Wales represents a wide range of blockchain, financial technology, and financial services clients on fundraising and regulatory matters, especially the execution of compliant token offerings.

He also represents clients in constitutional and intellectual property disputes, First Amendment and trade secret litigation, matters involving access to government-held information claims, and financial services and cryptocurrency litigation. 

“I’m excited to join the West Coast team and be a part of Carlton Fields’ growing California legal practice,” Wales said. “In a time of cutting-edge technological advancements and increased interest in cryptocurrency, I am confident our LA office will continue to serve the community with second-to-none strategic counsel and expertise.”

Carlton Fields’ national Blockchain and Digital Currency practice boasts a distinguished line up of lawyers based throughout the U.S., including in Los Angeles, Miami, and New York, who advise clients ranging from new ventures to multinational insurance and financial companies. The firm’s multidisciplinary team is committed to embracing and maximizing the transformative potential of this technology.

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