Clifford Chance‘s offering is noted by clients as having ’unbelievable breadth and depth’ in fintech. In Washington DC, Steven Gatti is a disputes specialist with expertise in financial regulatory enforcement and tech matters, including those relating to securities trading and markets. Megan Gordon is another notable practitioner in DC with a specialism in risk management, internal investigations, and due diligence, while New York’s Jesse Overall is ‘dedicated to the digital assets space’ and complex transactions. Clifford Cone departed the team in January 2026.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The fintech practice at Clifford Chance is particularly strong on complex regulatory matters.'
- 'A key strength of the team is its multidisciplinary approach, combining regulatory, capital markets, and technology expertise. This is essential in a sector like fintech, where legal issues rarely fall within a single area and where projects often sit at the intersection of different matters.'
- 'Clifford Chance has been at the forefront of the growing and complex digital assets space for many years. They were one of the first firms to build out dedicated expertise, and it shows in the quality of the counsel.'
- 'What makes working with them unique is that their fintech group has unbelievable breadth and depth, and can tackle time-sensitive, nuanced issues. In digital assets, their ability to bring in counsel that has been focused on digital assets for years, then pair it with securities lawyers who can make parallels to traditional financial precedents, is a powerful combination.'
- 'They are on the pulse of our industry and ongoing regulatory changes, and draw from expertise working at regulatory bodies. They are business-oriented and understand the goal of providing risk-weighted advice, so that we can assess the best path forward given traditional analogues. They have an understanding of the current climate, how things are likely to evolve, and where our risk lies.'
- 'I leverage them especially for their focus on our tactical opportunities. These are high-ROI, often first-of-their-kind initiatives that require a blend of business and legal perspectives, to take a view on the best way forward. I have always found them to be very considerate.'
- 'Jesse Overall is probably the best counsel in the digital assets space I have encountered.'
- 'Jesse Overall has been dedicated to the space for seven or eight years, longer than most firms have been around, and his depth of subject-matter expertise is unparalleled. Importantly, he has a strong business lens, is able to provide guidance that considers our business context, and has a risk-weighted approach.'
Key clients
- BlackRock
- VanEck
- The Digital Chamber
- Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC)
Work highlights
Advising BlackRock in connection with the iShares Bitcoin Trust, which has amassed over $90 billion of assets under management in the 18 months since inception; the team has been involved in all aspects of the structuring, formation, launch, SEC approval, and ongoing operation of the ETF to date, such as SEC disclosure filings and complex negotiations with counterparties and service providers.
Assisted Van Eck Digital Assets LLC (together with its affiliates, VanEck), on the registration and launch of the first spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the US, which on January 10, 2024 received approval from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to list the shares for trading.
Advised OCBC on the establishment of its $1bn digital US Commercial Paper Programme, a transaction which enabled OCBC to issue tokenized US commercial paper on J.P. Morgan’s blockchain, marking a significant step forward in the evolution of digital assets and capital markets.
Practice head
Steven Gatti
Other key lawyers
Jesse Overall; Megan Gordon