#11 - Lewis Cohen: A Masterclass on Securities, Currencies, and Building a Legal Career.

Creating a Law Firm, Building Expertise, Swimming, and Reading Sherlock Holmes.

Lewis Cohen (@NYCryptoLawyer) is a co-founder of DLx Law, where his practice is focused on the use of blockchain and tokenization across capital markets. As a former global top 50 partner with 20 years of experience, Lewis is a frequent speaker on blockchain and is recognized by Chambers Global across legal, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies in the U.S.

In this episode of Law of Code, Lewis discusses creating a law firm in the crypto space, gives a master class on securities and commodities, and discusses the role of bridging blockchain and real-world assets.

Listen and subscribe to Law of Code for weekly updates and interviews in the world of blockchain at the intersection of the law.

[01:44] What are Lewis and Jacob’s book recommendations relating to decentralization in business?

[06:09] What got Lewis into blockchain?

[07:59] With a successful career and partnership, what brought about the creation of DLx? [11:11} Tradable credits and pricing in crypto?

[16:45] What are Lewis’ recommendations for crypto regulation?

[23:59] What exactly is a security and how is a commodity different?

[35:39] How can security disclosures help and how can DAOs reduce their liability?

[39:01] What kind of DAO would Lewis like to join?

[44:32] What is the point in DAOs if the whole system isn’t decentralized?

[55:43] What does Lewis think about stablecoins?

[1:04:16] How do you build your knowledge and credibility in crypto?

[1:09:18] What is Lewis’ system for keeping on top of changes?

[1:11:41 With the constant change and iteration in crypto, what has surprised Lewis in recent years?

[1:17:24] What advice did Lewis receive early on which shaped his career?

Links:

DeFi: A Pathway Forward by Alexander Lipton and Lewis Cohen

Books:

The Starfish and the Spider by Rod Beckstrom and Ori Brafman, The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson, The Marshall Plan by Benn Steil, and the Collected works of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle.

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