Latham & Watkins LLP‘s lawyers are ‘able to opine not only on “nuts and bolts” legal issues, but also market trends and norms where legal clarity is lacking‘. The firm has built up an excellent track record on fintech transactions and their regulatory implications, where it represents a mix of established technology companies, startups, and investment funds. The transactional side ranges from IPOs and M&A, through to joint venture agreements, data protection and broker-dealer arrangements. Coupled with this is an increasingly strong track record in blockchain and cryptocurrency. Yvette Valdez  jointly leads the team with fellow New York partner Stephen Wink  who is praised for his ‘great experience and depth of knowledge‘. Barrie VanBrackle, a recent high profile recruit from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, ‘really understands the intersection of fintechs and banking‘. Clients also rate Mitchell Rabinowitz  and Jenny Cieplak  (New York) for their ‘deep expertise’. Todd Beauchamp is another well regarded partner. All partners are based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.

Mayer Brown‘s fintech practice is ‘extremely knowledgeable about applicable laws, regulations, and IP considerations’. The firm represents a broad mix of payment processors, banks and credit card companies including Square, PayPal, American Express and Goldman Sachs, who regularly use the firm on domestic and cross-border transactional and regulatory matters. This extends to capital markets, cybersecurity, data privacy, M&A and venture capital, as well as outsourcing and partnership agreements. Regulatory and enforcement partner Steve Kaplan and David Beam (‘extremely client-focused and has an encyclopedic knowledge of relevant laws and regulations‘) in Washington DC jointly lead the team with technology transactions head Brad Peterson. Other key partners include New York-based banking expert Amanda Baker, and Palo Alto’s Rohith George, who handles a range of transactional and licensing matters. Joe Pennell is also considered ‘a great drafter who understands what rights Fintech companies need to protect in transactions’. All partners based in Chicago unless otherwise stated.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP‘s already strong reputation for fintech work, particularly on the technology company and investor side, was given a major boost following its takeover of the law firm Buckley, a firm which had built up an enviable reputation for representing a broad range of banks and payment providers. The combined forces now offer a comprehensive service that caters to all corners of the fintech market. Legacy Buckley partners include Christopher Witeck, who now co-leads the global strategic advisory and government enforcement unit, John Kromer, a leading consumer financial services specialist, and Clinton Rockwell in Santa Monica, who now co-lead’s the firm’s financial and fintech advisory practice. They work alongside legacy Orrick partners such as the ‘intelligent, patient, prudent‘ Josh Pollick in Santa Monica, who co-heads the global technology companies group.  Other key partners include New York corporate partner Robert Moyle, crypto and blockchain specialist Joseph Perkins  in Silicon Valley, and litigator David McGill. Daniel Forester in New York heads the global fintech group. All partners based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is well regarded for its expertise at the intersection of technology and finance. The New York-based team offers a strong combination of transactional and regulatory expertise and is regularly used by major banks and fintech companies. The firm is also noted for its ‘understanding of complicated blockchain technology and how to translate this into legal advice‘. Transactional support, including capital markets and M&A is a clear sweet spot for the firm, but the lawyers are also regularly involved in high profile securities related disputes, such as its support to Dfinity in a class action securities litigation concerning its Internet Computer Project master governance tokens. On the corporate side, the firm advised Afterpay on its $29 billion takeover by Block by way of a scheme of arrangement. David Kappos  leads the highly rated team, which includes corporate partner Scott Bennett, who has ‘a superb understanding of blockchain technology‘, and banking regulatory head David Portilla.

DLA Piper LLP (US)‘s fintech practice offers clients a broad range of expertise and is noted for its ‘deep understanding of the metaverse, blockchain, cryptocurrency, securities regulations‘. The firm handles a range of issues for its fintech, payments, banking and blockchain clients, including financings, M&A, data privacy, IP, regulatory and litigation. Washington DC’s Margo Tank has ‘stand out expertise in the regulation of electronic transactions‘, and together with fellow practice co-chair Jeffrey Hare, also in DC, has ‘exceeded every expectation‘. The firm added to its Web3.0 capabilities through the recruitment of James Williams from ArentFox Schiff in Los Angeles, who is noted for his ‘deep understanding of this every-evolving industry‘. In Silicon Valley, the ‘very experienced‘ Curtis Mo  is a top choice for related corporate matters, while recently promoted partner Edmund Mokhtarian is singled out for his experience in the digital assets space. In Silicon Valley, senior counsel Mark Radcliffe remains a highly experienced figure in the team.

Goodwin has a strong focus on fintech, blockchain and digital currencies, with a comprehensive offering that includes transactional, regulatory and litigation advice. Clients consider the firm ‘extremely adept at working with the fintech startup world‘ and is able to ‘distil complex regulations into tangible actions‘. This extends to the crypto space, where it has  ‘the rare ability to act as the generalist corporate counsel as well as to advise on all regulatory matters‘. The firm is also seeing a growing amount of insurtech and metaverse-related work. Lead partners include Mitzi Chang  who co-chairs the fintech group with Scott Joachim  in Silicon Valley, and the ‘always positive and helpful‘ Mike Whalen  in Washington DC. Other key partners on the digital currency and blockchain side include Grant Fondo  (Silicon Valley) and Karen Ubell, who is ‘among the most experienced, thoughtful, and versatile cryptocurrency lawyers in the nation‘. DC-based counsel Juliana Gerrick is ‘consistently able to distill complex and proprietary processes‘. In Boston, Kimberly Monty Holzel holds the distinction of having previously worked at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. All partners based in San Francisco unless otherwise stated.

Morrison Foerster is noted for its ‘strength of knowledge across multiple areas,’ including technology, regulation, and business. The firm has a longstanding track record for representing major clients in the technology industry, including fintech disruptors and payments companies, who benefit from its strong cross-border capabilities. The firm’s well regarded regulatory and enforcement team includes Maria Earley, alongside practice co-chairs Crystal Kaldjob  and the ‘exceptional‘ Jeremy Mandell in Washington DC. Clients also reserve ‘specific praise‘ for the team co-chair Jeffrey Silberman in New York, who has strong credentials for advising on bank and fintech partnerships, and whose ‘level of care is extraordinary and hard to find‘. Haimavathi Marlier in New York is  noted for her experience in SEC enforcement proceedings, having previously been a former SEC Senior Trial Counsel, and also co-chairs the firm’s fintech and cryptocurrency task force. Of counsel Evan Minsberg has also developed a good name on the technology transactions and regulatory front.

The well regarded fintech team at Perkins Coie LLP is noted for its ‘practical advice in complex regulatory areas‘ such as digital assets, cryptocurrencies and blockchain. The firm’s offering extends to broader corporate, litigation and enforcement issues, with clients including a range of digital asset exchanges, payments providers, investors and blue-chip corporate brands venturing into the digital assets space. The team is led by Joseph Cutler in Seattle, who is also extremely experienced in fintech-related compliance and enforcement issues, as demonstrated by his advice to the global payments platform, Stripe. Other key individuals include James Walker in New York, for regulatory, enforcement and investigations, and Dax Hansen in Seattle, for blockchain and FT-related technology transactions. Dana Syracuse left the firm in June 2023.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP provides its fintech clients with ‘deep domain expertise‘ and ‘highly pragmatic deal skills‘. The multi-faceted team’s ‘effective and efficient‘ service levels also attract praise, with lawyers always delivering in ‘a very timely manner, and their level of response time to any and all communication is unmatched‘. The firm has invested heavily into the practice in recent years, and in 2022 it enhanced its crypto offering through the recruitment from Perkins Coie LLP of Kari Larsen who now co-heads the digital works team with regulatory expert Christopher Giancarlo, a former chairman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, as well as Washington DC-based regulatory partner Justin Browder and DC-based litigation partner A. Kristina Littman, another arrival who previously served as Chief of the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit at the SEC. Other key individuals include Georgia Bullitt (‘the best of the best‘), who co-chairs the firm’s financial institutions and regulatory practice group. Private equity co-chair Jeffrey Poss is also noted for his ‘fantastic and knowledgeable team‘. All lawyers are based in New York unless otherwise stated.

Ballard Spahr LLP has ‘a wealth of knowledge and experience in various areas across licensing, regulations, arbitration, litigation and privacy protection, making them a special one-stop shop for fintech companies‘. The firm has long had a strong focus on the fintech and payments industry, assisting a range of start-ups, banks and investors on the full range of issues. Ronald Vaske in Minnesota jointly leads the team with Lisa Lanham  in Philadelphia, who joined in 2022 from Alston & Bird LLP alongside of counsel, Rinaldo Martinez. Other key individuals include John Socknat in Philadelphia, who co-heads the firm’s consumer financial services group, and New York litigator Marjorie Peerce who is ‘an asset on any team‘.

Clifford Chance has an experienced team that builds upon the firm’s market leading edge in global financial services. The firm represents a broad range of major banking institutions, insurers and fintech companies, and is also taking on an increasing number of mandates in cryptocurrencies, blockchain and digital assets. The comprehensive service includes transactional, regulatory and contentious support on domestic and cross-border matters. The firm has recently been involved in several matters linked to the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) movement, and also assisted a crypto exchange on financings backed by Bitcoin. Washington DC-based regulatory partner Steven Gatti  heads the team, which also includes fellow DC partner Megan Gordon, who assists with regulatory, compliance and internal investigations. New York partner Clifford Cone and Jason Myers  respectively handle related investment funds and corporate finance matters.

Dechert LLP has made good headway into the market with a combination of expertise in cryptocurrencies and digital assets, and traditional finance products. The firm has developed a good niche in related investment fund work, with clients such as Franklin Templeton instructing the team to assist with the launch of its tokenized money market fund. Lead partners include Timothy Spangler in Los Angeles, who works at the crossover between fintech and alternative investment management. Respectively based in San Francisco and Washington DC, Mark Perlow and Susan Grafton are highly experienced in regulatory matters, while Karen Neuman (Washington DC) and Brenda Sharton (Boston) are lead contacts for data privacy and cybersecurity. The firm also recruited New York partner Jay Southgate from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, who has a strong focus on consumer lending and fintech.

Dentons has developed strong credentials for domestic and cross-border fintech work where it represents a mix of startups, growth companies, banks and financial services companies. The cross-practice group has lawyers on hand to handle a wide range of matters, including corporate finance, IP, regulatory and litigation. The firm is also increasingly active in the crypto space and has a dedicated blockchain, digital assets and cryptocurrency team. Key partners include New York-based Victor Boyajian, who leads the firm’s global venture technology practice, and is particularly experienced advising startups. Washington DC partner John Holahan and Matthew Yoon in New York are both active on the blockchain and regulatory front. In Washington DC, Allison Bender leads the privacy and cybersecurity side of the practice, while New York disputes partner Douglas Henkin co-chairs the firm’s global financial institutions sector group.

Eversheds Sutherland‘s experienced fintech practice has a strong focus on regulatory and transactional work. Clients include major payment solutions providers, banks, digital commerce and credit card processing companies. Recent activity included advice on electronic payments and digital wallets, as well as support on the launch of joint venture and strategic partnership agreements, and cloud-based technology platforms. The cross-practice group also includes lawyers such as Washington DC’s Michael Bahar, who co-heads the global cybersecurity and data privacy team. Robert Pile leads the team from Atlanta, where corporate partners Brian Murphy and David Phillips are also based. In the New York office, other key partners include Brian Barrett for transactional, regulatory and compliance issues, John Pruitt for insurtech, and Sarah Paul, who heads the corporate crime and investigations practice and has strong experience in blockchain and cryptocurrencies.

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP has a multi-faceted practice with strong credentials for representing banks, financial services and wealth management companies, while also doing an increasing amount of work for emerging and established fintech companies. The team’s capabilities cover the full spread of related issues, from compliance, regulatory, cybersecurity and data privacy matters, through to corporate financings, M&A, outsourcing and partnership agreements. The team is led by Erin Fonté, who co-chairs the financial institutions, corporate and regulatory practice from Austin. Another key partner is New York’s Lisa Sotto, global head of the firm’s privacy and cybersecurity practice. The firm is making a push into the blockchain and distributed ledger space, with Washington DC partner Scott Kimpel a lead contact. The Dallas office hosts several top partners, including Peter Weinstock, who is active on the financial institutions side, and Jarrett Hale, who co-chairs the firm’s financial services litigation and compliance group.

K&L Gates fields a strong spread of regulatory and transactional lawyers with deep expertise in fintech matters. The client base includes an array of start-ups and emerging growth companies, payments and e-commerce companies, banks, software developers and investors. The firm also acts for wealth management and robo-advisors and an increasing number of players in the crypto, digital assets and blockchain space. Recently the firm has been involved in several high value financing rounds for both start-ups and investors, as well as advising clients on product launches, and day-to-day regulatory and compliance matters. Lead partners include Judith Rinearson  who divides her time between London and New York, and corporate partner Rick Giovanelli  in Charlotte. Washington DC’s Jennifer Crowder and Linda Odom are respectively strong on regulatory and licensing matters, while Andrew Hinkes in Miami has developed a good name in digital assets and blockchain.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP offers its fintech clients strong cross-practice support at both the domestic and cross-border level. This is reflected in the broad spectrum of clients it represents, including major financial institutions, private equity and VC investors, funds, technology companies and exchanges. Regulatory and compliance advice is a core area of focus, in addition to broader corporate finance, M&A, outsourcing, IP, data privacy, blockchain, cryptocurrencies and digital payments. Key partners within the team include Andrew Ray  (Washington DC) and John Filippone  (Los Angeles) for corporate matters, Christine Lombardo (Philadelphia) on the regulatory and investment management side, and Cory Barry (Washington DC) for structured finance. DC-based partner Robin Nunn is one of the firm’s leading banking litigators.

White & Case LLP has an experienced fintech team which represents a mix of financial institutions, corporations and technology companies. This includes support to banks and payments companies on transactional and licensing matters, as well as advising fintechs on bank charters and partnerships. The corporate finance side advises on M&A, SPAC mergers, and other forms of equity and debt listings. Another core focus is digital assets and cryptocurrency, both in terms of new ventures such as major corporates moving into NFTs, but also insolvency work. Washington DC-based practice head Prat Vallabhaneni and his team are considered ‘unique by their expertise on the subject (particularly in themes related to crypto/DLT), and have a hands-on and practical approach that are key to clients‘. Financial services regulatory head Douglas Landy and fintech transactions partner Burr Eckstut (both New York) are also key team members.

Allen & Overy LLP has made strong inroads into the US fintech market with several highly astute senior level recruits in the past few years. Lead partners such as technology transactions specialist Adam Chernichaw have created a team that works ‘seamlessly’  with clients. Legacy clients also appreciate the ‘consistency of team members‘ with ‘the same people working on our matters year after year‘. The practice offers a strong combination of regulatory, finance, and technology support, with complimentary services in IP licensing. Key team members include Dario de Martino, who co-leads the firm’s global blockchain and fintech group, Washington DC regulatory partner Barbara Stettner, and San Francisco-based IP and technology partner, Alex Touma. Lawyers are based in New York unless otherwise stated.

Arnold & Porter represents a mix of investment funds, banks, fintech companies and strategic investors. Cryptocurrency and digital assets-related work is a growing area of focus, and the firm recently represented Inter-American Development Bank on its two-year $10 million blockchain-based bond issue. On the startup and venture capital front, it advised Revolution Ventures as an investor in the $125m Series E financing of Policygenius, an online insurance marketplace. Financial services chair David Freeman  leads the team, which includes regulatory expert Christopher Allen (both Washington DC), who has a strong track record on investigations and compliance. New York partners Lawton Camp and Michael Penney are both active on the corporate finance side.

Greenberg Traurig, LLP has a wide-ranging fintech and digital assets group with expertise across a broad mix of products including cryptocurrencies, blockchain, third-party payment systems, mobile payments and online lending. The team’s legal strengths are equally diverse, including advice on corporate finance, shared service agreements, regulatory, litigation, cybersecurity and IP. Corporate and regulatory partner Barbara Jones  (Los Angeles) jointly leads the US team with corporate partner David Greenberg in New York. In Washington DC, Benjamin Saul has developed a good reputation for financial regulatory and compliance work, while the ‘exceptional‘ Will Turner in New York is especially active in blockchain transactions and token offerings.

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP has a ‘diverse, experienced, strategically recruited‘ team of lawyers with a ‘deep knowledge of their field and industry‘. The firm advises on the full range of transactional, business consulting, litigation, regulatory compliance and enforcement matters.  The client base encompasses major banks and financial institutions, and also emerging and startup technology companies. This includes support on new technologies, such as advising Centrifuge in launching its fully decentralized Tinlake financing protocol that operates across different blockchains. Practice head Brian Korn is highly rated for investment structuring and compliance work. Chicago’s Bryan Schneider is noted for his regulatory and enforcement expertise. Clients also rate the ‘honest, available, and responsive‘ Los Angeles-based regulatory partner, Scott Pearson.

McGuireWoods LLP has a well regarded fintech team that covers many corners of the industry. This includes consumer and business lenders, payment processors, data aggregators, crypto and blockchain technologies and alternative finance. The lawyers advise on the regulatory and transactional aspects of new product launches and partnership agreements, as well as broader corporate M&A and financings. Compliance, litigation, investigations and regulatory advice also feature heavily on the agenda. The team co-chaired by Charlotte-based technology and securities partner, Rakesh Gopalan , who has good experience in capital markets and outsourcing deals, and litigator, Molly White , in Los Angeles, who is a former SEC prosecutor. Sarah Zielinski in Chicago is experienced in class action disputes and compliance matters.

Norton Rose Fulbright has ‘excellent depth,‘ offering lawyers and clients a ‘one-stop shop‘ with ‘access to resources across a wide range of specialties and geographies‘. The lawyers have strong expertise across banking, insurtech, payments, and increasingly digital assets and blockchain, and provide a full range of services, from corporate and M&A through to compliance, cybersecurity and disputes work. The growing digital assets practice is increasingly advising clients on centralized and decentralized exchanges, tokenization and crypto derivatives. New York regulatory and disputes partner Stephen Aschettino leads the team, whereas Dallas-based litigation partner Ronald David Smith is a leading figure in the firm’s global distributed ledger and blockchain practice group. New York senior counsel Santo Manna is praised for his ‘unparalleled understanding of the needs of technology companies‘.

Ropes & Gray LLP is particularly active in fintech-related corporate M&A and private equity, with lawyers acting on a regular flow of high profile deals. In addition to banking and payments-related fintech businesses, the firm is also increasingly involved in transactions in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space, where a team led by San Francisco-based Melissa Bender is assisting on digital asset launches, fund formations, web3 technologies, and related regulatory and enforcement work. This can be seen through some of the clients the team represents, with traditional funds increasing their involvement, such as Bain Capital Crypto. Other key partners include TMT co-heads Edward Black (Boston), Andrew Thomases (Silicon Valley), and Los Angeles-based litigation and enforcement partner Amy Jane Longo, who joined in 2022 from the SEC.

WilmerHale is praised for bringing ‘deep industry experience from traditional financial services and the securities and futures sectors across a range of issues’, which combined with the firm’s deep bench strength, ‘puts it in a position to advise on cutting edge legal issues related to fintech, blockchain and crypto’. The well regarded group embraces a broad mix of disciplines, including regulatory and government affairs, technology transactions, securities and financial services, IP and litigation. The practice is jointly led by corporate partner Robert Finkel in New York and financial regulatory partner Franca Harris Gutierrez in Washington DC. New York partner Tiffany Smith is also singled out for her ‘critical advice on cutting edge issues that often have no clear answer or even legal basis‘.