Senior Enforcement Counsel for Virtual Assets

• Division of Economic Justice
• Investor Protection Bureau—New York City
• Senior Enforcement Counsel for Virtual Assets
• Reference No. IPB_NYC_SEC/VA_3550

Application Deadline is May 26, 2023

The Office of the New York State Attorney General (OAG) is seeking an experienced attorney to lead virtual assets investigations conducted by the Investor Protection Bureau (IPB). Virtual assets include cryptocurrency, nonfungible tokens (“NFTs”) and other digital assets. IPB, which has both regulatory and enforcement authority, protects the public from fraud and misrepresentation in the offering and sale of securities, commodities and other investment products. IPB evaluates complaints, conducts civil investigations and litigates matters pursuant to New York’s securities fraud statute, the Martin Act, and New York’s Executive Law. The Senior Enforcement Counsel for Virtual Assets (SEC) position is located in New York City and reports to the Bureau Chief and Deputy Bureau Chief.

The SEC will be responsible for identifying, investigating and litigating virtual assets-based fraud and deceptive practices, including pump and dump schemes, market manipulation, insider trading, wash trading, romance scams, rug pulls, false statements, misleading marketing, fraudulent fundraising and related scams.

Qualifications for the SEC position are as follows:

• A minimum of ten (10) years of legal experience with at least two (2) years of experience investigating and/or litigating matters related to virtual assets. Interested attorneys with less experience may apply to be considered for an Assistant Attorney General position.
• Knowledge of the Martin Act and state and federal securities and commodities laws, including knowledge of state and federal registration and licensing requirements for virtual asset businesses.
• Experience in fintech, financial services or technology.
• Demonstrated experience researching, investigating and tracing blockchain transactions and using blockchain analysis related products, services and vendors.
• The ability to both conduct and supervise the analysis of blockchain, trading and financial data and navigate the dark web, chat rooms and social media, including Discord, Reddit and other relevant online sources.
• Excellent analytical, research and legal writing skills.
• Demonstrated familiarity with most/all of the following:
  • Virtual asset offerings
  • Virtual asset platforms
  • Virtual asset lending products
  • Staking
  • Decentralized (“DeFi”) platforms
  • NFTs
  • General understanding of air drops, web3 technologies and the metaverse
• Prior experience supervising, coaching and mentoring attorneys and support staff is a plus.
• Experience managing and participating in multi-state, multi-agency or multi-party investigations is also a plus.

Applicants must reside in (or intend to soon become a resident of) New York State and be admitted to practice law in New York State. In addition, the Public Officers Law requires that OAG attorneys be citizens of the United States. A two (2) year commitment upon being hired is a condition of employment.

The final salary for this position will be set after a complete evaluation of the selected candidate’s qualifications. To learn more about attorney compensation at the OAG, please click here. As an employee of the OAG, you will join a team of dedicated individuals who work to serve the people of our State through a wide variety of occupations. We offer a comprehensive New York State benefits package, including paid leave, health, dental, vision and retirement benefits, and family-friendly policies. Additionally, the OAG offers a robust Workplace Flexibilities Program with multiple options for employees, including telecommuting (up to two days per week) and alternative work schedules.

Per Office of the Attorney General policy, confirmation of vaccination status is a condition of employment for this position. If you are not fully vaccinated, you may be required to provide regular negative COVID-19 PCR test results at a frequency determined by the agency. The agency will consider religious and reasonable accommodations. For more information, please contact [email protected].

How to Apply

Applications are being received online. To apply, please click the following link: .

To ensure consideration, applications must be received by close of business on May 26, 2023.

Applicants must be prepared to submit a complete application consisting of the following:

• Cover Letter
  • You may address to Legal Recruitment.
  • Indicate why you are interested in working for the Investor Protection Bureau and what makes you a strong candidate.
• Resume
• Writing Sample
  • A sample blockchain analysis is preferred.
• List of three (3) references
  • Only submit professional references, supervisory references are preferred.
  • Indicate the nature and duration of your relationship to each reference.
  • Include contact information and email addresses for each reference.
  • Please note, your references will not be contacted until after you interview for the position.

If you have questions regarding a position with the OAG and the application process or need assistance with submitting your application, please contact Legal Recruitment via email at [email protected] or phone at 212-416-8080.

For more information about the OAG, please visit our website: ag.ny.gov.