2022-2023 Symposium: the Future of
E-Commerce: Is it on a Blockchain?
To be held in the Millhiser Moot Court Room and broadcasted virtually on Friday, March 17th, 2023
Digital ownership, cryptocurrencies, and new uses for blockchain technology have surged in popularity in the last several years. The aim of the Symposium is to offer a critical vehicle for discussing how the law should prepare for the impact of these new technologies. Panel discussions will include analyzing Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs); examining regulatory developments on cryptocurrencies and blockchains; and debating how to ensure the legal regime can effectively handle digital ownership. The keynote speaker for the event is Sultan Meghji, Senior Advisor at Reciprocal Ventures and a professor at Duke University. Sultan previously served as the inaugural Chief Innovation Officer at the FDIC.
Schedule:
9:00 – 9:15 AM: Welcome and Introductory Remarks
9:15 – 9:45 AM: Keynote Opening Address
9:45 – 10:00 AM: Break
10:00 – 11:30 AM: Digital Ownership Panel
11:30 – 11:45 AM: Break
11:45 AM – 1:15 PM: Regulatory Panel
1:15 – 2:15 PM: Lunch Break
2:15 – 3:45 PM: DAO Panel
3:45 – 4:00 PM: Break
4:00 – 4:15 PM: Tax Presentation
4:15 - 4:45 PM: Wrap Up & Closing Remarks
Panels
Keynote Speaker:
Sultan Meghji, Founder and Executive in Residence at Reciprocal Ventures
Digital Ownership Panel:
• Niloufer Selvadurai, Professor at Macquarie University Law
• Aaron Perzanowski, Professor at University Michigan Law
• Christine Kim, Professor at Cardozo Law
• Jared Greenfield, Associate at DLA Piper
Regulation Panel:
• Tuongvy (Vy) Le, Partner and Head of Regulatory Policy at Bain Capital
• Dina Rochkind, Counsel at Paul Hastings
• Michael Mosier, General Counsel at Espresso Systems
• Carole House, Executive in Residence at Terranet Ventures
DAO Panel:
• Brian Avello, Chief Legal Officer at Universal DeFi Holding Company
• Matt McGuire, General Counsel at Violet Protocol
• Michael Fluhr, Counsel at DLA Piper
• Chris Cameron, Delegate at GFX Labs
For questions regarding the event, contact John Coffron at coffron.j23@law.wlu.edu.
The Lara D. Gass Symposium is named in honor of Lara Gass, a member of the Law Class of 2014 who passed away in an automobile accident in March of 2014. Gass served as Symposium Editor for the Washington and Lee Law Review, organizing the Law Review’s 2014 symposium focused on the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Lara was active within the Women Law Students Organization and also served as a Kirgis Fellow, the law school’s peer mentoring group, during the 2012–21013 academic year. In January 2014, Lara received recognition for her academic achievements, her leadership abilities, her service to the law school and university community, and her character when she was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society.
