Carol Van Cleef Joins Bradley in Washington, D.C. as Virtual Currencies and Blockchain Technology Leader

Bradley is pleased to announce that Carol R. Van Cleef, an internationally recognized authority on and pioneer in legal issues involving cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, has joined the Washington office to lead the firm’s virtual currencies and blockchain work to help clients navigate the complex, dynamic and rapidly evolving issues in these areas.

With a focus on regulatory, compliance, and enforcement matters, Ms. Van Cleef has built a global reputation as a leading attorney, counselor and problem solver working with fintech companies, blockchain developers, virtual currency exchanges and wallets, payment processors, prepaid access programs, and other business ventures. Her clients also include banks, securities firms, insurance companies, and money services businesses.

“We are thrilled that Carol has chosen to bring to Bradley her track record as a leading attorney and thought leader in the blockchain and cryptocurrency arena,” said Bradley Washington, D.C., Office Managing Partner Douglas L. Patin. “Carol is a ‘go-to’ attorney for fintech companies and innovators, and she also will be a great asset to other clients embracing these evolving technologies across a broad range of industries.”

Bradley Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner Jonathan M. Skeeters added, “Carol brings a wealth of experience and knowledge about virtual currencies and blockchain technology to Bradley’s Financial Services, Fintech, and Cybersecurity and Privacy teams, as well as other interdisciplinary practices covering areas such as corporate and securities, healthcare, and entertainment, among others. The addition of Carol reflects the firm’s commitment to serving our client’s needs in response to these dynamic issues.”

Ms. Van Cleef said, “I am extremely excited to join Bradley, which offers exceptional synergies with my work with virtual currencies and distributed ledger-based technologies. The firm has an outstanding reputation and track record of success representing clients in federal and state investigations, prosecutions and enforcement actions, advising on anti-money laundering, Bank Secrecy and OFAC (sanctions) compliance as well as consumer protection, lending and other regulatory issues before the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general. I look forward to working with the Bradley team in responding to the issues facing clients in today’s ever-evolving, technology-driven economy.”

In addition to her work involving virtual currencies and blockchain technology, Ms. Van Cleef advises clients on structuring and operating business models to address key legal and regulatory considerations; developing and enhancing anti-money laundering (AML) compliance programs; preparing for examinations by federal banking regulators, the Internal Revenue Service (for money services businesses), and the CFPB; and addressing federal and state regulatory enforcement actions.

A certified AML specialist (CAMS), Ms. Van Cleef created a series of AML compliance training programs sponsored by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors and attended by state regulators, executives from domestic and foreign banks, securities firms, money services businesses, and other entities. She also developed an AML Compliance Bootcamp and other training programs for virtual currency businesses and companies working with blockchain-based technologies. She is the founder of BlockChainge, which offers blockchain-related training and educational programming. She participated in the Uniform Law Commission's efforts to draft a model legal code for virtual currencies. She is a frequent speaker and a founding member of Collective Future.

Ms. Van Cleef received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law and her Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.