Contact: ​info@CogentLaw.co 
202-641-5084 
 
 

FinTech Practice  
 
Overview 
The Cogent Law Group Financial Technology (FinTech) Practice is a 
multi-disciplinary group of attorneys, legal and industry 
professionals providing market-leading financial regulatory, 
technology and transactional experience to clients worldwide. Our 
FinTech team leverage years of expertise in Corporate Law, Digital 
Payment Processing, Financial Institutions, Tax Compliance and 
Reporting Issues, Transaction Structuring, Data Security and 
Privacy, Intellectual Property and more.  
 
Why Cogent Law Group 
● Cogent provides trusted advisors who understand the 
financial technology space, including blockchain/distributed 
ledger technology, in both legal and technical terms.  
● Years of experience in blockchain/distributed ledger 
technology, cryptocurrency, and banking, including business 
and regulatory issues. 
● Direct connections to regulatory environments in foreign 
jurisdictions that are friendly to FinTech companies, including 
businesses working with, transacting in, or developing 
cryptocurrency. 

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 ● Cogent attorneys have held high-level positions in large 
international law firms, multinational corporations, and/or 
government agencies and have served as start-up CEOs/ 
CTOs/ COOs and general counsel. Cogent attorneys have 
been on both sides of the attorney and client table.   
● Cogent partners with FinTech industry leaders; banks, 
governments, NGOs, and countless other private innovative 
practices. 
● We are a one-stop shop for any and all FinTech matters 
providing full scale support from corporate formation, fund 
formation, funding, M&A, ICOs, IPOs, to regulatory 
compliance AML/KYC, employment disputes, litigation, smart 
contracts, intellectual property and technology transactions, 
cyber security and privacy, finance, capital markets, and tax. 
 
Clients 
Our clients range from Bitcoin ATM operators to some of the 
largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. We advise our 
clients on a wide range of FinTech related matters including: 
● Blockchain and distributed ledger technology  
● ICOs 
● Corporate formation 
● Fund formation  
● M&A and joint venture transactions 
● Securities  
● IPOs 
● Regulatory and compliance matters including the Bank 
Secrecy Act and state money transmission laws 
● Employment disputes 
● Data security and privacy  
● Intellectual property and patent litigation  
● Tax considerations including tax reporting of cryptocurrency 
transactions, structuring a new business, and operating in a 
foreign jurisdiction 
● Code auditing 
 

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Team 
Adella Toulon-Foerster 
Adella is the Director of our FinTech Practice and has more than a 
decade of experience in financial services and digital currencies. 
Adella has expertise in the Banking Secrecy Act ("BSA"), Anti-Money 
Laundering ("AML"), and Know Your Customer ("KYC") rules. She 
also specializes in Financial Crimes Enforcement Network 
("FinCEN") requirements and guidance, written and ongoing AML 
compliance programs, state-by-state money transmitter laws and 
licensure requirements, as well as Bitcoin and Blockchain-like 
platforms. 
  
In 2001, Adella co-founded an innovative company which built 
gold-backed payment systems; the second of its kind for 
immediate clearance and settlement of digitally backed 
micro-payments. She is both a legal and financial professional 
interested in Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, the blockchain, and the 
budding legislation and regulation surrounding these new 
technologies. As a result of Adella's passions, cutting-edge financial 
services has been the focus of her career since her work with 
digital coin currencies in the early 2000s. 
 
Jason Seibert 
Cogent is proud to partner with Jason Seibert. Jason’s practice 
includes securities law, intellectual property rights (trademark and 
trade secret infringement), cryptocurrency regulatory compliance, 
ICOs (legal, development, and strategy) and various contractual 
disputes. Jason has handled qui tam issues, arbitrations, 
administrative law matters, state court and federal court issues, 
and acted as special master to judges regarding securities law and 
cryptocurrency matters.  
 
Before law school, Jason spent over a decade as a data engineer in 
both the Air Force and in the private sector. He has advised 
governments on securities laws issues, cryptocurrency issues, 
written and delivered CLE’s on securities law and cryptocurrency 

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and delivered that training in Oregon and California. He has taken 
on state pension funds for imprudent investments, and helped 
create new law when Bitcoin was first thrust on the scene in 
federal court. He spent two and a half years on a pro bono 1983 
case to help a convicted felon retain his right to a lifesaving 
medical treatment because he believes that community service is 
vital to an attorney’s life. In addition to serving as Of Counsel to 
Cogent, Jason runs FJ Seibert, LLC his own boutique practice in 
Texas which focuses primarily on complex Crypto Securities issues. 
 
Evan Smith 
Formerly the head of the IP practice group for the main technology 
office of a large international law firm, Evan has advised executives 
on worldwide IP protection and enforcement and built valuable 
patent portfolios for major U.S. and international companies. His 
experience includes patent prosecution in the medical, electronic, 
computer, and mechanical arts industries and successful 
industry-wide enforcement of several patent portfolios, including a 
key power-over-ethernet patent that ultimately generated $38 
million in royalties.  
  
Evan was general counsel for Autoscribe Corporation, CEO of Eye 
Controls LLC, General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer of 
EyeTicket Corp., a Partner at Greenberg Traurig and Sixbey 
Friedman Leedom & Ferguson, and senior counsel at Blank Rome 
and Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox. 
 
Cameron Heaps Ippolito 
Cameron is a former Assistant United States Attorney with more 
than 20 years’ litigation and investigation experience. She has 
tried over 70 jury trials in state and federal courts. Cameron h ​ as 
additional expertise in the Banking Secrecy Act ("BSA"), Anti-Money 
Laundering ("AML"), and Know Your Customer ("KYC") rules due to 
her participation on a monitorship team for the New York 
Department of Financial Services.​ A seasoned investigator herself, 
Cameron interfaces with state and federal regulators and 

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investigators on behalf of financial services and digital currency 
clients.   
 
Cameron has conducted trademark infringement, licensing 
disputes, and other civil litigation, as well as AAA and international 
arbitration. She is an expert in handling large amounts of data for 
electronic discovery. She is licensed in Virginia. 
 
James Markwood 
Jim is a tax attorney with more than 30 years of experience 
working at a large international law firm, a Big Four accounting 
firm, and a Fortune 500 corporate tax department. He is also a 
former Congressional Legislative Assistant experienced in drafting 
and advocating for tax legislation before the U.S. Congress. 
 
Jim has a wealth of experience working with corporations, 
partnerships, entrepreneurs and private equity clients to solve 
their tax issues. He provides tax and structuring advice on 
corporate, partnership and cross-border transactions. In addition 
to advising on tax issues raised in transactions, James reviews and 
assists in drafting transactional documents, including Rep and 
Warranty insurance policies. He also assists clients with tax 
compliance and audit issues.  
 
Evgenia Sorokina 
Evgenia is an experienced corporate and business transactions 
attorney with more than 15 years of experience in complex 
financing transactions and domestic and international mergers 
and acquisitions. Evgenia has earned law degrees and worked as 
an attorney in both Russia and the United States. She has handled 
matters involving corporate structuring and organization of 
businesses around the world.   
 
She has experience in advising FinTech companies on regulatory 
issues involving state money transmitter laws and FinCen 
requirements. Prior to joining Cogent, Evgenia worked at several 

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large international law firms, including Orrick, Herrington and 
Sutcliffe, Baker and Hostetler, and Pepper Hamilton. Evgenia is 
licensed in the District of Columbia and New York. She is fluent in 
Spanish, French, Russian and English. 
 
Joshua Radbod 
Josh is an attorney and an entrepreneur. He is licensed in 
Maryland and has advised FinTech entrepreneurs and other 
early-stage companies on corporate formation, intellectual 
property protection, negotiating and closing joint development 
and marketing agreements, licenses, sales and service 
agreements, leases, and capital investment transactions. Josh also 
communicates with state and federal regulators regarding client’s 
money service business status. 
 
Maureen Murat  
Maureen is an attorney and entrepreneur with over a decade of 
legal experience. Prior to and during law school, Maureen was a 
paralegal with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of 
Columbia and with the U.S. Attorney’s Officer for the District of 
Columbia. Her practice focuses on corporate matters, 
crytptocurrency regulation compliance, and securities and taxation 
matters.  
 
She has experience in advising startups on equity crowdfunding 
strategies and other compliance issues related to raising funds to 
grow a business. In addition to serving as Of Counsel to Cogent, 
Maureen is Chief Advisor at Crowdie Advisors, LLC, a business 
consulting firm.