Latham & Watkins has recruited a former Ketsal associate with prior experience at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a senior advisor to its emerging companies and growth practice to bolster crypto and blockchain from Am Law 10 on the West Coast.
Zachary Fallon, a partner at Ketsal from April 2018 to November 2024 and senior counsel at the SEC from July 2009 to April 2018, will be a partner in the firm’s largest fintech-related division, which as of the third quarter had more than 1,700 lawyers spread across 29 offices. .
Zachary Fallon of Latham & Watkins. (Courtesy photo)
“Most of the people in our California offices who work in crypto and blockchain are pure business and finance lawyers,” said Tad J. Freese, managing partner of the Latham California office. “Most of our regulatory expertise at Latham is located in our East Coast offices. We believed that bringing Zach on board would round out this team and create a stronger presence on the West Coast. »
Fallon said joining Latham allows him to build his global network, which coincides with a broader litigation trend he has seen in the digital assets space, stemming from increased global adoption of crypto and blockchain and the recognition by law firms of their impact.
“More than ever, there is more interest and energy in this area, both from a builder perspective and a regulatory perspective, around the world,” Fallon said. “Mainstream adoption increases oversight and ultimately the construction of legal frameworks around this space.”
Fallon, a California native, grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. His father, originally from Colombia, had his sights set on moving to the Golden State and starting a winery. That meant Fallon had a childhood job as an assistant winemaker, making wine and selling the bottles to businesses.
Fallon received her undergraduate degree in speech and drama from Trinity College London, followed by a Master of Arts degree from the Guildford School of Acting, now part of the University of Surrey in England. Fallon said acting taught him how to “handle situations on the fly” and helped prepare him to earn his juris doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley College of Law.
After graduating, Fallon joined Latham as an associate, where he shifted his focus to capital markets litigation but found himself drawn to securities laws. He joined the SEC during the Great Recession and one of his roles was to assess the SEC’s failure to spot the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, the largest in U.S. history, before it does not implode.
Fallon said his greatest achievement at the SEC was as the lead drafter of Regulation A, centered on a registration exemption for public offerings. However, after nine years at the SEC, Fallon said he wanted a new challenge and was attracted to the crypto and digital assets field as well as the ability to help companies comply with securities laws.
Fallon became a founding partner of Ketsal, a law firm and consulting agency focused on startups and financial services. Now, Fallon joins Latham as the presidential election is about to determine who will lead the country and set the regulatory agenda for federal agencies like the SEC.
“It will take a lot of work and energy on the part of the industry to focus and get the appropriate attention and input on legislative and regulatory efforts,” Fallon said. “That’s why I’m here. I want to get it right so people can build and not worry about this excess regulatory uncertainty that bogs down innovation.”
