Ladan Stewart, the SEC lawyer who led the agency’s lawsuit against Coinbase, is leaving the agency. According to Stewart, he left the SEC to join another law firm, White & Case.
The switch to W&C is a bit of a flipping of the script for Stewart. At his new firm, the lawyer will help clients avoid SEC scrutiny and advise others under investigation by the agency, according to a press release by White & Case partner Nicole Erb.
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“Taking the expertise and the skills that I got through the four years that I worked on crypto at the SEC and the connections that I made at the SEC and what I know about how the agency approaches these issues, I think I can advise individuals and corporations that are looking to enter this space or to continue in this space,” Stewart told Blockworks in an interview.
With the SEC, Stewart worked on SEC cases pertaining to cryptocurrency, including the cases against Coinbase and Ripple XRP. Upon leaving the SEC, Stewart also gave a warning on how she expects the SEC to handle these lawsuits and cases moving forward. Stewart believes the SEC will continue moving away from cases against single issuers. Instead, the agency will shift toward cases with a broader market impact, such as a leading cryptocurrency exchange like Coinbase.
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White & Case is one of the leading law firms in the world in crypto law. Back in 2022, the firm advised Fidelity on the launch of its Bitcoin ETP in Europe.