The 15 Lawyers and Firms Fighting Crypto’s Biggest Legal Battles

2 weeks ago 22

Ananda Banerjee

Fri, April 17, 2026 astatine 11:01 AM CDT 4 min read

Every large regulatory victory, landmark tribunal ruling, and each portion of authorities that shaped the crypto manufacture has a lawyer down it. They’re a large operator down the mainstream acceptance of integer assets. But 15 firms and idiosyncratic lawyers person carved retired their spot successful modern fiscal history.

They wrote briefs, argued cases, testified earlier Congress, and built the ineligible frameworks that enabled organization superior to participate crypto with confidence.

From the landmark Ripple Vs SEC case, the regulatory triumph of Coinbase, to argumentation papers that present look successful Senate testimony, present are the 15 biggest lawyers warring crypto’s ineligible battles.

Rank

Nominee

Type

Base

Landmark Case

Credentials & Track Record

Why connected the List

1	Sullivan & Cromwell	Firm	New York, USA	FTX bankruptcy pb counsel	Major SEC defense; $180M+ approved FTX fees; Chambers Band 2 Crypto-Asset Disputes	Led the largest crypto bankruptcy to date. The FTX restructuring stands arsenic the astir analyzable ineligible mandate the manufacture has seen.
2	Davis Polk & Wardwell	Firm	New York, USA	Block.one EOS securities settlement	Chambers Band 1 successful Crypto-Asset Disputes and FinTech Blockchain; Robert Cohen (ex-SEC Crypto Unit head)	The lone steadfast ranked Band 1 crossed some halfway crypto ineligible categories. Deep regulatory ties and top-tier organization mandates.
3	Latham & Watkins	Firm	Los Angeles, USA	Global DeFi, DAO, and NFT defense	Chambers Band 1; Multi-agency matters (SEC, CFTC, FinCEN, OFAC)	Handles much DeFi and DAO mandates than immoderate peer. Strong cross-border execution crossed US, EU, and Asia.
4	Debevoise & Plimpton	Firm	New York, USA	Ripple SEC defense	Chambers Band 1; Andrew Ceresney (ex-SEC enforcement director)	Played a cardinal relation successful the Ripple lawsuit that reshaped however courts dainty secondary-market token sales.
5	Cleary Gottlieb	Firm	New York, USA	Garlinghouse & Larsen SEC defense	Chambers Band 2; Matthew Solomon (ex-SEC litigation chief)	Led the idiosyncratic defence of Ripple’s executives, a parallel lawsuit with large ineligible implications.
6	Fenwick & West	Firm	Mountain View, USA	Crypto SEC investigations and M&A	Chambers 2026 ranked successful 4 FinTech categories; Partner Michael Dicke individually ranked for Crypto-Asset Disputes	Core ineligible spouse to Silicon Valley crypto builders. Broadest seat crossed crypto, fintech, and securities law.
7	Cooley LLP	Firm	Palo Alto, USA	Early Bitcoin institution advisory	Chambers FinTech ranked; Brian Klein (Band 1) joined 2025	Involved since the earliest Bitcoin firm formations. Continues to counsel founders and funds shaping the sector.
8	Brown Rudnick (Digital Commerce)	Firm	Boston / DC, USA	FTX Bahamas counsel; BlockFi recovery	Stephen Palley (Chair); Chambers & Legal 500 ranked	Built a starring crypto signifier done strategical hires. Delivered landmark DAO rulings and afloat BlockFi creditor recovery.
9	Paul Grewal	Individual	San Francisco, USA	Coinbase SEC lawsuit dismissal (2025)	Coinbase CLO; Former US Magistrate Judge	Led Coinbase’s ineligible defence to a large triumph against the SEC. Influential dependable successful argumentation and regulatory debates.
10	Stuart Alderoty	Individual	San Francisco, USA	Ripple summary judgement & 2025 settlement	Ripple CLO; President of National Cryptocurrency Association	Delivered a defining tribunal result for crypto markets. Now starring industry-wide nationalist acquisition efforts.
11	Lewis Rinaudo Cohen	Individual	New York, USA	US Senate Banking grounds (2025)	Co-Chair, CahillNXT; Chambers Band 1	Key ineligible thinker shaping US crypto legislation. His “ancillary asset” model influenced argumentation design.
12	Miles Jennings	Individual	United States	SEC Task Force decentralization framework	CLO, Castle Island Ventures; Former a16z argumentation head	Developed 1 of the astir cited frameworks connected decentralization successful regulatory discussions.
13	Jake Chervinsky	Individual	Washington DC, USA	Hyperliquid Policy Center CEO	Founder & CEO; Former Blockchain Association argumentation head	Now starring a DeFi-focused argumentation radical with beardown funding. Active successful shaping US regulatory direction.
14	Amanda Tuminelli	Individual	New York, USA	DeFi patent challenges	Executive Director & CLO, DeFi Education Fund	Led palmy ineligible challenges against patents affecting halfway DeFi protocols. Key fig successful pre-enforcement strategy.
15	Marisa Tashman Coppel	Individual	United States	SEC Dealer Rule lawsuit	Senior Product Counsel, Phantom; Former Blockchain Association ineligible head	Led a large manufacture situation against SEC rulemaking. Helped framework law arguments for crypto firms.