MY LEGAL LIFE - JP SCHMIDT 21 MAR 2022 | WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM How did your career eventually lead you to your current position as Principal of Abaris Global? I wanted to set up my own business after I learned about the profound promise of blockchain technology. Through personal contacts, I was introduced to Ethereum leadership and Vitalik Buterin. Because of my background in government regulation and board meeting procedures, I was asked to help Ethereum Foundation run its board of directorsmeeting andwith the charter for the stiftung. Shortly afterward, the Swiss financial authority, SIFMA, asked for a meeting with Vitalik and I was asked to attend and advise based on my understanding of the common concerns of government regulators. Following this, I provided a variety of legal services to Ethereum and attended the annual Devcon in Shanghai in 2016 and Cancun in 2017. I gave a presentation on insurance regulation application to blockchain developments at the first Decentralized Insurance Conference (D1Conf). The government of Mexico asked me to present at their annual International Seminar on Surety and Insurance. I co-authored a nontechnical explanation of blockchain and a review of regulation in the US and around the world in the Hawaii Bar Journal. Can you tell us anything about your plans for the firm and yourself in 2022? I will continue to consult and give presentations on blockchain regulation as well as various insurance issues. In February I attended ETHDenver, billed as the “largest ETH event in the world”. There were numerous speakers’ panels and workshops on the latest issues, as well as a retreat at Breckenridge resort. JP Schmidt is a former Hawaii state Insurance Commissioner and Maui County Corporation Counsel with two decades of experience in insurance regulation and insurer infrastructure. As Principal of Abaris Global, he advises on international, national, state and local issues relating to regulatory affairs, corporate governance, insurance, including health insurance, captives, and commercial property, casualty and liability, and government and political process. He is also highly knowledgeable in blockchain regulation with experience advising the Ethereum Foundation. JP Schmidt Principal, Abaris Global Abaris Global, E. Amherst Circle, Denver, CO 80231 Tel: +1 808-292-7999 E: jpsoahu@gmail.com www.abarisglobal..com Each paper on your desk is not just dried ink on wood pulp; it is important to the life of a person in our community.
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