Attorneys Rush In: New UNH Blockchain Program Nabs Big-Name Speakers

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It is not a bear market for everyone.

"An encrypted winter for the price is a lawful summer for lawyers," said Jason Civalleri, an adjunct professor at the Law School of the University of New Hampshire. "As the price goes down, you have a great demand for legal services."

That's why UNH Law is rushing to offer a new certification program in blockchain and cryptocurrency. As he told CoinDesk exclusively, over 100 students have expressed interest in the program, which will include Hester Peirce of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the researcher at the Ethereum Foundation Vlad Zamfir and the CEO of MyCrypto Taylor Monahan.

"The law student coming out today must be technologically competent," UNH professor and program director Tonya Evans told CoinDesk, adding that university blockchain credentials will be "another way to put into practice what we preach ".

Student interest in cryptocurrency is increasing nationally, regardless of market trends.

In fact, Andrew Hinkes, adjunct professor at the law school of New York University, told CoinDesk that 80 students have already registered for the next Blockchain course at New York University, and registration is still open for another month . The application for the course is so high that it is now offered each semester.

Hinkes also receives weekly requests for academic lectures on regulation and cryptocurrency, compared to a few annual requests in past years.

"When the value of these assets goes down, there are people who have allegedly lost money and therefore may want to sue," Hinkes said. Speaking of the ICO boom in 2017, he added:

"This is a class defense action, a collective legal action and all kinds of civil and criminal disputes that emerge from this race to obtain funding in ways that may not comply, and all regulatory actions and control that we will assume will arrive ".

Hinkes emphasized that the statute of limits is often up to five years and regulators have the habit of taking their time to build cases. As such, it is expected that there will be a boom in the demand for blockchain-proof legal services for years to come.

Continuing education

Hinkes also agreed with the Evh of the UNH that lawyers will require a deep understanding of these digital systems in order to apply such knowledge between the various cases.

Evans said that to "hit that weak spot between innovation and consumer protection," lawyers in every industry will have to talk to their clients about how the law applies to various blockchain technologies, from bitcoins to smart contracts.

Although these two topics – software development and the law – may seem like outsiders, Hinkes warned that misinformation based on lack of technical expertise can be detrimental to lawyers and their clients. As such, Hinkes said it is "increasingly common" for professionals to seek continuing education programs such as UNH.

One of these UNH students, nurse and lawyer Lisa McGunnigle, told CoinDesk that he wants to start incorporating his love for bitcoin into a law firm.

"Flexibility is an important factor, even if overall the quality of courses and teachers has been crucial," he said, explaining why online courses led by technicians are so interesting for working professionals.

Just like Hinkes, McGunnigle noted in these days much stricter course options for learning blockchain technology.

"There seems to be potential to fine-tune the legal relationships surrounding cryptocurrencies," he said.

Image by Tonya Evans courtesy of the University of New Hampshire

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