Crypto, Digital Assets and Blockchain

Crypto, Digital Assets

& Blockchain.

Practitioners with experience in fund formation, market and blockchain research, systems implementation, strategic execution, and risk management — with direct industry and testifying experience in crypto and digital assets matters.

PRACTICE AREA · EXPERT WITNESS & CONSULTING

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About this practice

PRACTICE OVERVIEW

Our team brings experience in fund formation, market and blockchain research, systems implementation, strategic execution, and risk management. Additionally, our experts have co-founded an alternative asset fund centered on a cryptocurrency portfolio, managing areas like research, strategy execution, yield farming, protocol staking, and overseeing investor relations and fund administration.

Our experts have handled multiple different civil and criminal matters and have testifying experience in crypto and digital assets related matters — including exchange operations, custody disputes, DeFi protocol failures, token offering liability, and market manipulation claims.

We provide rigorous analysis grounded in direct operational experience, enabling credible and authoritative testimony on rapidly evolving crypto and digital asset disputes.

WHY SEDA

Co-founders of alternative asset funds centered on cryptocurrency portfolios — direct operational experience in research, strategy execution, yield farming, protocol staking, and fund administration.

Handled multiple civil and criminal matters and have testifying experience across crypto exchange operations, DeFi protocols, token offerings, and custody arrangements.

Deep knowledge of blockchain infrastructure, smart contracts, regulatory frameworks, and the evolving compliance landscape for digital asset businesses globally.

SUB-PRACTICE AREAS

Areas of expertise

Exchange Operations & Custody

Related: Investigation & Regulatory Enforcement

DeFi Protocols & Smart Contracts

Related: Securities & Derivatives · Risk Management

Crypto exchange operations, order matching, custody arrangements, segregation of assets, and liability for exchange failures and hacks.

Expert opinions on token offering structures, Howey test analysis, disclosure obligations, and liability for alleged unregistered securities offerings in ICO and IEO contexts.

Token Offerings & Securities Law

Related: Capital Markets · Investigation & Regulatory

Analysis of decentralized finance protocols, automated market makers, liquidity pools, yield farming, and smart contract vulnerabilities in the context of disputes and regulatory investigations.

Market Manipulation & Fraud

Related: Damages, Forensics & Fraud · Algorithmic Trading

Forensic analysis of wash trading, spoofing, pump-and-dump schemes, and other forms of market manipulation in crypto markets.

Related Experts

Dawn Stump

Bio

Managing Director

Dawn Stump is a seasoned financial executive and regulatory leader, recently serving as a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Her work has spanned all asset classes, with a focus on business continuity, supply chain disruptions, cyber risk, emerging assets including crypto, data protection, and climate-related market risks.

Former

U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) - Commissioner

Futures Industry Association - Executive Director Americas’ Advisory Board

Peter U. Vinella, Ph.D.

Bio

Managing Director, Advisor to the Board

Peter U. Vinella has more than 35 years of experience in the financial industry as a consultant and as an executive with leading financial institutions and government agencies. Mr. Vinella has extensive testifying experience acting as an expert for both plaintiff and defendant over more than 40 engagements.

Former

Berkeley Research Group - Managing director

Wilmington Trust Conduit Services, LLC - President and CEO

Sameer Govil

Bio

Managing Director

Sameer Govil has over 30 years experience in payment network platforms, emerging electronic commerce solutions and consumer banking across diverse geographies. During his career, Sameer has served on the executive leadership team at Visa and led areas of high strategic and financial importance to the company.

Former

Visa Inc. - SVP, Global Head USA; Country Manager, Dubai; Country Leadership, South Asia

ANZ Banking Group - General Manager, Consumer Finance, Australia

Mark McKendry

Bio

Managing Director

Mark McKendry has over 25 years of global experience in capital markets, global treasury and digital assets. His areas of expertise include the trading of fixed income in the UK, Europe and Australasia. In addition, he has considerable experience in treasury risk management and bank governance.

Former

Auswide Bank Ltd - Group Treasurer

RBC Capital Markets - Head of AUD Rates Trading

RBS Financial Markets - Head Trader, Frequent Borrower Group Liquidity Trader, Global Treasury

J.P. Morgan - Liquidity Trader, JPM Treasury

Colin L. Schmitt

Bio

Managing Director

Colin Schmitt is a seasoned investigator and fraud examiner with over 25 years of experience, including senior roles at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, specializing in complex financial and healthcare fraud, public corruption, civil rights enforcement, and counterterrorism.

Former

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Special Agent-Senior Fraud Investigator, Supervisory Senior Resident Agent

Fidelio Tata, Ph.D.

Bio

Managing Director

Dr. Tata is an internationally recognized expert in financial markets and the investment industry with nearly thirty years of experience. He is a full-time Professor of finance at the International School of Management in Berlin. He is also a publicly appointed and sworn expert for German courts, providing independent opinions on securities, derivatives, and digital assets.

Former

Berlin School of Economics and Law - Professor of Finance

Zeb Consulting - Senior Consultant

Société Générale - Managing Director, Head of U.S. Interest Rate Strategy

RBS - Managing Director, Chief Rates Derivative Strategist

HSBC - Senior Vice President, Head of Interest Rate Derivatives Strategy

George Clayton

Bio

Managing Director

George Clayton is a seasoned cryptocurrency expert with extensive interaction on numerous blockchains. Within the crypto arena he has experience in Fund Formation, Market Research, Blockchain Research, Systems Implementation, Strategy Execution and Risk Management. He is a former trader of FX, bonds, equities, commodities and their associated derivatives.

Former

Cryptanalysis Capital - Managing Partner

Saxon Financials Ltd. - Head Of Energy Trading

William A. Badia, CPA

Bio

Managing Director

William Badia worked twenty-five years in Goldman Sachs's Credit Department; he was the only Senior Risk Manager to have been stationed in all four of the Firm's major offices: New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and London. He was the Chief Credit Officer overseeing Goldman Sachs Asian Credit Risk in the 1990's and European Credit Risk during the 2000's.

Former

Haymarket Financial - Chief Risk Officer

Goldman Sachs Credit Department - Head of the European Credit

Benedict Roth

Bio

Managing Director

Benedict's expertise spans counterparty credit risk, market risk and financial engineering, with a focus on traded risk, emerging infrastructures, and the interaction between risk, regulation and business strategy.

Former

Zodia Markets - Chief Risk Officer

Bank of England - Chief Risk Officer, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Robert MacLaverty

Bio

Managing Director

Robert MacLaverty provides financial, economic, and testifying expert services to leading law firms, investment banks, pension funds, endowments, and foundations.

Former

Berkeley Research Group, LLC - Managing Director

Credit Suisse - Vice President

Gary DeWaal

Bio

Managing Director

Gary DeWaal is a seasoned expert in the law and regulation of futures and related exchanges. He additionally has expertise in securities, derivatives, digital assets, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

Former

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP - Senior Counsel

Commodity Futures Trading Commission - Senior Trial Attorney

Matt Sekerke, Ph.D.

Bio

Managing Director

Matt Sekerke focuses on economic litigation, financial economics, and regulatory issues in financial services. He specializes in valuation models, risk management systems, econometrics, and the application of AI and machine learning, with expertise across fixed income, derivatives, and structured finance.

Former

Hiddenite Capital Partners - Senior Macro Advisor

PwC - Director

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Crypto, Digital Assets and Blockchain

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