Cahill Gordon & Reindel Beefs Up Crypto Practice, Adds 3 Crypto-Native Lawyers Including Lewis Cohen

Lewis Cohen, a co-founder of crypto-centric law firm DLx Law, is set to join Cahill as a partner and take on the role of co-chair for the rebranded practice, named CahillNXT. Former prosecutor Sam Enzer, previously with the Southern District of New York (SDNY), will also serve as a partner and co-chair. Two other attorneys from DLx Law, Gregory Strong based in Delaware and Sarah Chen in New York, will become partners within Cahill’s expanded practice.

One of the prestigious law firms on Wall Street, Cahill, has been expanding aggressively into the cryptocurrency industry. This development underscores the increasing demand from conventional finance institutions for legal expertise in crypto matters.

“Growing up, the Chicago Bulls were the dominant NBA team for me,” Enzer explained, “And this group here is considered the top team in crypto legal circles.”

Ex-SDNY Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force senior member Enzer joined Cahill in November 2021 and subsequently set up their digital assets practice. This practice now counts notable figures like Bitfinex’s alleged launderer Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein, and significant crypto companies such as Coinbase, among its high-profile clients.

When it came to resolving disputes, whether through litigation or dealing with government enforcement actions, Enzer was confident in his abilities. However, he acknowledged that when it came to regulatory matters, he frequently sought the counsel of Cohen and his team.

“For many years, we have collaborated effectively,” Enzer explained. “Given the surging need for what we provide as a team and the increasing request for the specialized counsel of Lewis [Cohen] and his group, we decided merging was the logical next step.”

As a legal analyst, I believe that the collaboration between Enzer and Cohen holds great potential for simplifying the process of obtaining extensive cryptocurrency-related legal guidance for both present and future clients.

Clients often express their disappointment that there isn’t a single legal firm they can turn to for all their crypto-related needs. Instead, they encounter experts in tax law for cryptocurrencies here and there, crypto litigators at different places, and securities experts specialized in digital assets – making it complicated and costlier as they must hire multiple law firms to cover various aspects of their requirements.

Crypto-native knowledge

As a crypto investor, I can appreciate the importance of having legal expertise specifically tailored to the unique challenges and complexities of the cryptocurrency space. Cohen and Enzer, being seasoned crypto-native lawyers at Cahill, emphasized how their addition to the team would not only make things smoother for clients but also significantly enhance the firm’s ability to provide well-informed counsel in this rapidly evolving industry.

“Cohen expressed concern over the number of lawyers who grapple with concepts such as multi-signature wallets, roll-ups, and bridges in the context of providing legal advice. Our firm places great emphasis on education and upholds the open source blockchain philosophy by integrating this mindset into our legal practice.”

At DLx Law, a computer programmer without a legal background, named Enzer, was announced by him to be joining CahillNXT as a consultant. This addition, according to Enzer, will aid Cahill and its clients in overcoming the divide between the intricacies of law and programming code.

“Enzer noted that numerous large corporations encounter challenges in this field due to a lack of proficiency in the related language and technologies. Consequently, they fail to seize optimal opportunities for their clients. If you’re unable to grasp these complexities, it becomes difficult to guide clients through the intricate regulatory landscape.”

For several years, Cohen has held a notable position in the field of crypto law. In the year 2022, a scholarly paper was co-authored by Cohen, Strong, and Chen, presenting the case that cryptocurrencies should not be classified as securities.

The future of DLx Law

DLx Law will carry on its operations following the departure of Cohen, Strong, and Chen, as stated in a recent press release. The firm remains committed to vigorously representing its current clients while also welcoming new ones.

Co-founder Angela Angelovska-Wilson has been named Managing Partner of the firm.

I wholeheartedly endorse her perspective and am thrilled to witness the continued achievements of DLX in its existing configuration.