Brian is partner at the Los Angeles-based litigation boutique Baker Marquart. He is an accomplished trial attorney who has extensive experience representing financial technology companies, entrepreneurs, and early adopters (including those involved with cryptocurrency and ICOs). Chambers has recognized Brian as “the leading cryptocurrency trial attorney in the USA.”
He has handled some of the first and most prominent cases in the space before state and federal regulators (like the SEC and CFTC) and in federal courts around the country. As an example, he represented Bitcoin pioneer Erik Voorhees in his landmark SEC settlement. Brian is currently defending over a dozen clients in the space who are the subject of SEC, CFTC, and DOJ investigations throughout the country, many involving allegations that they engaged in unregistered securities offering or violated various criminal statutes.
In addition, Brian regularly represents clients in the space engaged in high-stakes civil litigation in state and federal court. This includes handling the first antitrust matter, pending in federal court in Miami, and the first reported bankruptcy case, which was in federal court in San Francisco. In addition, he represents Charlie Shrem in his dispute with the Winklevoss twins in federal court in NYC, and he represents Arthur and Kathleen Breitman, as well as their company, in connection with securities class action lawsuits in federal and state court in San Francisco involving the Tezos crowdfunding, which raised over $230 million.
Brian founded and chairs the American Bar Association’s blockchain technology, digital currency, and ICO national institute. He formerly volunteered as the outside general counsel and chair of the legal advocacy committee for the Bitcoin Foundation.