Kari Larsen boosts digital assets business of Wilkie, Farr & Gallagher

Kari Larsen boosts digital assets business of Wilkie, Farr & Gallagher

The crypto lawyer was previously working with Perkins Coie

Willkie Farr & Gallagher has hired Kari Larsen to boost the business of its digital in New York. She has over two decades of experience in private practice, in-house and government work, advising fintech, digital asset, crypto and blockchain businesses.

Hired as a partner and co-head of the Wall Street firm, she will jointly lead with existing co-head Christopher Giancarlo and newly appointed co-heads Aliceson (Kristy) Littman, who joined early this year from the Securities & Exchange Commission, and asset management partner Justin Browder.

Giancarlo commented, "With the additions of Larsen and Littman, along with Browder taking on a leadership role, our team combines a highly-skilled focus on digital assets akin to a boutique fintech firm with the rigor, discipline and reach of one of the world's premier international law firms."

Larsen said, "The digital asset space is rapidly expanding and evolving, and Willkie is at the forefront of advising clients across the globe on novel and critical issues related to cryptocurrency and digital asset transactional, regulatory and enforcement matters."

Her practice will focus on a range of digital asset-related legal services beyond regulatory and compliance matters, including commercial and capital raising transactions for crypto businesses, token issuance, enforcement, and class action defence work.

Larsen previously worked for nearly four years at Seattle-based Perkins Coie as a partner and co-lead of its blockchain, digital asset and custody group. Prior to that, she worked as a counsel with Reed Smith.

She was also a general counsel, chief regulatory officer, and chief compliance officer at the crypto trading platform LedgerX (now acquired by FTX). Larsen also had stints in-house at Noble 4 Advisors and Green Exchange. Having started her career in private practice at McDermott Will & Emery, she also worked as counsel at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.