Practice Areas / Blockchain

Blockchain & Smart Contracts

Legal structure for code that moves value, from the smart contract to the organization that governs it.

The Practice

Code executes. The contract decides what happens when it fails.

A smart contract moves assets on its own, but it can’t pick governing law, fix a bug or decide who absorbs a loss. We pair the code with legal terms that can, so the deal still holds when something breaks.

escrow.sol

function release() external {

1require(block.number > end);

2require(oracle.ok(delivery));

3token.transfer(seller, amt);

}

1Who can change the deadline, pause or upgrade the code?
2What if the data feed is wrong or goes offline?
3Which law governs the transfer, and where are disputes heard?

What we handle

Smart contracts

Drafting the legal terms that sit alongside the code, and checking that the two say the same thing.

DAOs & governance

Legal entities, governance rules and liability protection for decentralized organizations and their members.

Digital assets & records

Transferring, holding and lending against on-chain assets, and keeping corporate records on a ledger.

Enterprise adoption

Vendor, consortium and data agreements for companies moving payments, supply chains or records on-chain.

Code disputes

Exploits, failed transactions, forks and contract bugs, in court or in arbitration.

Worth knowing

Smart contracts can be binding.

Federal law bars denying a contract legal effect just because it is electronic. Whether code alone forms an agreement depends on the terms around it.

15 U.S.C. § 7001 →

DAO members can be personally liable.

Federal courts have let claims proceed that treat an unincorporated DAO as a general partnership. A legal entity limits that exposure.

Samuels v. Lido DAO →

On-chain assets have their own rules.

UCC Article 12, adopted in more than 30 states, governs how blockchain-based assets are transferred and pledged as collateral.

UCC Article 12 →

Consultations

Putting something on‑chain?

Book a consultation by video, wherever you’re building.

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