Michael Selig
Counsel, Asset Management
Michael Selig is counsel in the Asset Management Department and a member of the Willkie Digital Works practice. Michael’s practice centers on the application of financial regulation to crypto and web3 technology networks and products, including blockchains and crypto assets. He advises clients on a broad range of regulatory, enforcement, transactional and legislative matters involving securities, commodities, banking and money services business law. This includes advising clients on the operation of rules and regulations promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and prudential regulators.
Michael advises clients regarding the use of blockchains, crypto assets, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and other crypto and web3 technologies. His clients have included crypto network development companies, defi protocol developers, exchanges, asset managers, proprietary trading firms, stablecoin operators, social media companies, NFT projects and marketplaces, digital artists, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and gamefi companies. Michael counsels on product design for novel blockchain implementations, protocols and instruments, the offering and sale of fungible and non-fungible tokens and stablecoins, the formation of DAOs, decentralized governance, custody arrangements, enforcement matters, commercial agreements and transactions, registration and licensing with federal and state financial regulators, regulatory compliance obligations and corporate matters.
Michael’s deep knowledge of the crypto and web3 industry enables him to advise clients at all stages of development on structuring, negotiating and implementing strategic transactions to maximize value for the client and minimize regulatory burdens. In connection with deal structuring, Michael assists clients with diligence related to financial regulatory compliance and corporate matters.
Michael is a frequent speaker on crypto regulatory matters, including on Bankless, Unchained, CoinDesk and the Law of Code, and at events organized by CoinDesk, the Chamber of Digital Commerce, the Futures Industry Association and NFT.NYC. Michael is also a regular contributor to CoinDesk.
Experience
Michael was previously counsel at Perkins Coie LLP and formerly served as a law clerk in the office of CFTC Commissioner J. Christopher Giancarlo.
Selected Publications
- What if Regulators Wrote Rules for Crypto?, Coindesk (Jan. 23, 2023)
- 2023: The Year of Regulation vs. Decentralization, Coindesk (Dec. 23, 2022)
-
How the Characteristics of Digital Assets Affect Compliance With the Custody Rule, Investment Adviser Association Newsletter (August 2020) (co-author)
Selected Speaking Engagements
- Unchained, “Is Gary Gensler on a Mission to Put Crypto Down for Good?” – Podcast Guest (Feb. 17, 2023)
- Law of Code, “Regulators and Crypto with Michael Selig” – Podcast Guest (Feb. 16, 2023)
- Bankless, “SEC Declares War on Crypto” – Podcast Guest (Feb. 14, 2023)
- CoinDesk, “After FTX, Reckoning with Regulation” – Panelist (Jan. 25, 2023)
- Bankless, “What’s the Point of Securities Laws? with Mike Selig” – Podcast Guest (Jan. 4, 2023)
- CoinDesk, “2023 Crypto Regulatory Predictions” – TV Guest (Dec. 29, 2022)
- Futures Industry Association, FIA Webinar Series, “The Future of US Crypto Legislation” – Panelist (July 2022)
- Crypto Connection 2022, “Legislative Developments in Crypto” – Panelist (June 2022)
- Entertainment Industry Conference, “NFTs and Crypto Regulations Update” – Panelist (June 2022)
- Futures Industry Association, FIA Webinar Series, “Isn’t it Just Software?” – Panelist (October 2021)
- Futures Industry Association, FIA Webinar Series, “Virtual Currency Transactions – Retail and Otherwise” – Panelist (October 2020)
- Government Blockchain Association, Webinar, “Legal Impacts of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations” – Panelist (August 2020)
- Futures Industry Association, FIA Webinar Series, “The Next Progression of Derivatives Markets – Distributed Ledger Technologies and Decentralized Exchanges” – Panelist (June 2019)
- NFT.NYC 2019, “NFT Regulation” – Panelist (February 2019)
Credentials
Education
George Washington University Law School, J.D. Florida State University, B.S.