This exciting topic will include a detailed explanation of what Blockchain is. A conversation discussing that it is not just Bitcoin and digital currencies, but a big coming “wave” of “smart contracts.” Will lawyers have a place in the “new world” of smart contracts? Will Arizona lead the nation with its Fintech “Sandbox” law to lift certain regulatory burdens and fears to come and “tinker” and develop Fintech technologies in Arizona?
Mike Patterson is an accomplished business attorney with extensive experience helping clients navigate corporate issues, mergers and acquisitions, securities, contracts, compliance, joint ventures, strategic alliances, market entry strategies and general business issues in domestic and international matters. He spent more than 10 years living and practicing law as a U.S. attorney in Latin America, and regularly advises U.S. and foreign clients in connection with the establishment, structuring, and compliance of their international operations, including Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. He is the immediate past Chair of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Arizona, and serves on the Executive Council of the State Bar’s Securities Regulation Section. He was awarded the Greater Phoenix 2018 “Ambassador of the Year” for the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.
Will Munsil is an attorney working as Ecosystem Designer and Strategy Architect at Sweetbridge. At Sweetbridge, Will works on government relations projects, corporate law matters, and business strategy and partnerships. Previously, Will worked at the Maricopa County Attorney's Office as a felony prosecutor and government liaison. In that role, he drafted legislation, managed policy, and testified in committee numerous times at the Arizona Legislature. He has an extensive background in writing, editing, and thinking on big ideas from his time teaching at a classical charter school and at the university level.
Will received his Juris Doctor from Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. Prior to that he earned his B.A. from Colorado Christian University. He is a fourth-generation Arizonan and lives in Phoenix, AZ, with his wife and two daughters.
Adalberto Elías is a Supervising Research Attorney at the Kozolchyk National Law Center(NatLaw). Mr. Elías has been involved in some of the major secured transactions reforms in Latin America, particularly in Mexico. He was the Project lead on a legislative reform project in Mexico focused on the modernization of the legal framework for warehouse receipts, which involved distributed ledger technology (i.e., blockchain technology), working very closely with the Mexican Ministry of Economy, the MIT Media Lab and a London-based blockchain solutions company specialized in the field of trade finance. As part of that project, Mr. Elías advised the Mexican government on how to transition from a paper-based warehouse receipts system into an electronic system for purposes of, among other, eliminating fraud and improving access to agricultural financing for farmers. He has also advised the Mexican government on the reforms to Mexico’s secured lending system, particularly on possible reforms to Mexico’s collateral registry- Registro Único De Garantías Mobiliarias (RUG). Equally, Mr. Elías led NatLaw’s research of warehouse receipt system (WRS) practices in Ukraine, with a view to making actionable recommendations for improving the WRS by enabling the efficient trading and collateralization of electronic warehouse receipts in a commodities exchange environment. Mr. Elías is a member of the Advisory Committee on Private Commercial Disputes established under Article 2022 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He is also a delegate to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group I (MSMEs). Outside the commercial law field, Mr. Elías has advised the U.S. Department of State on how to improve the amount of child support funds that children in the U.S. receive from parents in Mexico and vice-versa through instruments such as the 2007 Hague Child Support Convention. Mr. Elías holds law degrees from academic institutions in Mexico and the U.S., including a Juris Doctor and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law.
*The State Bar of Arizona does not approve or accredit CLE activities for the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education requirement. This activity may qualify for up to 1.0 hour toward your annual CLE requirement for the State Bar of Arizona, including 0 hour(s) of professional responsibility.
When you register, you will be asked to indicate your meal choice: simply type REGULAR or VEGETARIAN. If you require a special meal due to dietary restrictions, please type in your requirements.
Regular and Gluten Free: Chicken Roulade Stuffed with Mushrooms, Yellow Pepper Coulis Sauce Served with Roasted Red Potatoes & Roasted Cauliflower Florets
Vegetarian: Grilled Mushrooms Served with Roasted Potato, Roasted Cauliflower Florets & Yellow Pepper Coulis
All meals served with White Bean & Avocado Salad with Italian Dressing and Fruit Tartlet for dessert.
Share the fun! Invite a friend to experience the networking, social and educational opportunities of the Scottsdale Bar Association! Current members may invite a prospective member to attend an upcoming lunch for free. Here are the rules:
1. The guest must be eligible for membership in the Scottsdale Bar Association. See www.scottsdalebar.org, click on Membership Information, then Membership Categories.
2. The guest cannot be a former Scottsdale Bar member.
3. The guest cannot have attended lunch for free in the past.
4. The member must attend the luncheon with the guest.
5. The member must register him/herself for the luncheon, then contact Paige Martin at paigemartinesq@aol.com with the guest’s name and email address, and choice of regular or vegetarian meal, so that she can register the guest. Member registration and the request for guest registration must be completed before the registration cut-off on the Friday before the luncheon, at noon.
6. The member can only invite one guest to any luncheon.
7. The member is responsible for following up with his/her guest after the luncheon to invite the guest to join Scottsdale Bar.
8. The Board of Directors reserves the right to limit the number of guests attending each luncheon.