Law Firm

LawBEAM focuses on the regulatory and compliance stack most critical for crypto businesses — FCA registration and authorisations, multi-jurisdiction token legal opinions (covering the UK, EU, USA, UAE, and Asia-Pacific), AML/KYC programme design, crypto financial promotions compliance, and DeFi advisory. The firm is a specialist boutique rather than a generalist, meaning its depth in these areas exceeds what a general practice firm typically offers.

Yes — LawBEAM is explicitly designed to serve crypto businesses from ambitious start-ups through to established global players. Its boutique structure and crypto-native focus mean founders receive senior-level attention at rates more accessible than BigLaw, making it viable for early-stage projects that need substantive regulatory guidance without the overheads of a large firm engagement.

TLA covers the full Web3 legal stack — token structuring and legal opinions, DAO formation, IP protection for Web3 projects, corporate and commercial law for crypto businesses, cross-border transaction support, and global regulatory compliance. The firm is designed specifically for Web3 founders and enterprises rather than applying general commercial law to crypto problems, which gives it practical depth in the specific challenges blockchain projects face.

Yes — TLA operates a global service model from its Cape Town base, serving international founders and Web3 companies alongside African clients. Charné Thompson's involvement in the International Blockchain Lawyers Forum and Women in Web3's global network means the firm is connected to international Web3 legal developments and can advise on cross-border matters beyond the African continent.

CMS offers one of the broadest crypto legal practices in Europe — covering digital asset regulation, token issuance, NFT projects (65+ advised), DeFi legal structures, stablecoins, blockchain-based M&A, crypto insolvency and litigation, IP disputes involving digital assets, RWA tokenisation, and MiCA compliance. The interdisciplinary practice draws on specialists across tax, insolvency, IP, banking regulation, and commercial technology across 40+ countries.

Charles Kerrigan is the Finance Partner leading CMS's UK crypto practice. He has advised on transactions worth over $5B in fintech funding, 65+ NFT projects, and 250+ cryptoasset clients including global exchanges, blockchain gaming projects, and DeFi platforms. He was named in The Lawyer's 2022 Hot 100, sits on advisory boards of the UK APPG on Artificial Intelligence and the APPG on Blockchain, serves on the Bank of England's Financial Markets Law Committee on Virtual Currencies, and authored 'Crypto and Digital Assets Law and Regulation' (Sweet and Maxwell, 2023) — the leading UK practitioner text on the subject.

Spencer West's digital assets practice covers token and SAFT issuance, DAO legal structuring, Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registration and de-registration, offshore crypto fund formation (BVI and Cayman Islands), Securities Investment Business licensing for exchanges and derivatives businesses, and cross-border crypto transactions. The firm's deep coverage of offshore financial centres — BVI, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Jersey, Bermuda — makes it particularly well-suited for the entity structuring work that underpins most token launches and crypto fund raises.

Dan Russell is Spencer West's digital assets specialist, practising BVI, Cayman Islands, and English law. Since 2016 he has practised BVI and Cayman Islands law at leading offshore firms including Ogier. His digital assets work spans token and SAFT issuance, DAO structuring, VASP registration and de-registration, and Securities Investment Business licensing for crypto businesses. Prior to law, Dan completed a two-year legal analyst programme at Goldman Sachs, covering debt and equity capital markets and derivatives — experience that informs his understanding of how traditional finance structures translate into crypto contexts.

Latham & Watkins has dedicated digital assets coverage across its 40+ offices globally, with particular depth in the US (New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC), UK (London), Singapore, and Dubai. For complex cross-border mandates, the firm coordinates multi-jurisdiction advice from a single relationship partner, making it well-suited for exchanges and protocols operating across the US, EU, and Asia simultaneously.

Latham & Watkins is primarily a premium BigLaw firm, and its Digital Assets & Web3 team tends to be most cost-effective for established businesses with complex, multi-jurisdictional legal needs. Early-stage projects with simple token structuring questions or basic regulatory queries may find the rates prohibitive — staged scoping and project-specific budgets can be arranged, but founders should request a clear cost estimate before engaging.