James Williams is a financial services partner with decades of experience advising on digital assets and venture capital, including securities and venture finance, with a particular focus on blockchain and fintech innovation.  

James has an extensive background in domestic and international regulatory issues affecting token issuers, digital asset exchanges and asset managers. He counsels his clients through all aspects of capital formation, on- and off-shore project structuring, and token modeling. James routinely acts as global coordinating counsel for international projects and is one of a handful of go-to U.S. lawyers called upon to design and advise on public distributions. He represents domestic and foreign crypto asset issuers, exchanges, market makers, investors and developers as they navigate the challenges and opportunities within the digital asset industry, offering guidance on commercial, transactional and regulatory matters.   

Also an experienced advisor in the Web 3.0 space, James is trusted by some of the leading global consumer brands, film studios, professional sports teams and entertainment companies. Prior to joining Manatt, he held executive and leadership roles representing cryptocurrency stakeholders in all aspects of their business and growing companies to a global scale. He also served as an independent consultant for venture capital and crypto fund clients, as well as spent a decade as CEO of a leading fashion company with experience counseling brand and lifestyle companies.