The Book on Blockchain: Jones Day lawyers pen Blockchain for Business Lawyers
Lawyers from Jones Day have produced a go-to resource for legal professionals seeking practical information regarding blockchain and distributed ledger technology. Blockchain for Business Lawyers, Second Edition (American Bar Association Science & Technology Law Section, 2024) examines the challenges facing corporations, lawyers, courts, regulators, and other affected parties as the technology continues to impact business processes and transactions across industries.
More than 40 Jones Day lawyers representing multiple practices and offices collaborated to plan, write, and edit the second edition of Blockchain for Business Lawyers, which follows the first edition—also written and edited by Jones Day lawyers—released in 2018. Jones Day partners Mark Rasmussen and Sam Walling directed and edited the project, enlisting the experience, knowledge, and writing talents of lawyers from across the Firm.
"One of our objectives in publishing the second edition was to ensure that readers who might already appreciate the potential benefits of blockchain would gain a working knowledge of how the technology works, which in turn helps lead to an understanding of the potential legal challenges attendant to blockchain," said Mark Rasmussen, who also edited the first edition of Blockchain for Business Lawyers. "But beyond the technical information, we have added chapters on Intellectual Property; Taxation and Unclaimed Property; Antitrust Enforcement; and Disputes, Liability, and Jurisdiction in the Blockchain Era. We structured the book to deliver important, relevant content in an accessible manner, and we look forward to feedback from clients and colleagues."
Chapters in Blockchain for Business Lawyers include:
- Introduction to Blockchain and DLT
- Securities Laws and Regulations
- Commodities Laws and Regulatory Structure
- Banking and Related Laws and Regulation
- State Laws Addressing Blockchain Technology
- BSA-AML and Sanctions
- Taxation and Unclaimed Property
- Smart Code and Smart Contracts
- Blockchain Technology, Security, and Privacy
- Intellectual Property
- Antitrust Enforcement Involving Blockchain Technology
- Disputes, Liability, and Jurisdiction
"Six years is a significant period of time when considering an emerging technology and its potential impact," said Jay Tambe, alluding to the time since the publication of the book's first edition. Mr. Tambe, who co-leads Jones Day's Financial Markets Practice, added, "Our blockchain team has acquired significant experience and insight while advising clients, as illustrated in the updated version of the book. In addition to Financial Markets, we had lawyers involved from Cybersecurity, Business & Tort Litigation, Securities Litigation, and other practices. Blockchain technology can potentially impact many areas of a company's operations, and the book explains that very well."
"Blockchain for Business Lawyers' first edition was just under 250 pages," said Mark Rasmussen. "This edition has nearly 500 pages and 12 chapters, up from eight in the prior version, which illustrates how much has been learned and how much more valuable insight we have to share."
For more information on Blockchain for Business Lawyers, visit the American Bar Association Section of Science & Technology Law website.
