Partner, Steptoe LLP
Shannen W. Coffin is a partner in Steptoe’s Washington office, where co-chairs the firm’s appellate practice and is a member of the regulatory litigation practice group. He frequently represents clients in trial and appellate courts in matters involving constitutional and administrative law challenges to state and federal government regulatory action.
Mr. Coffin previously served as a senior lawyer in the Executive Branch. He was Counsel to Vice President Cheney in the Office of the Vice President of the United States, where, among other things, he served on the White House’s judicial selection committee. Before that, Mr. Coffin served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the US Justice Department’s Civil Division, where he was responsible for overseeing and coordinating trial litigation on behalf of the federal government for constitutional challenges to federal statutes, statutory and constitutional challenges to agency programs, and defense of national security and anti-terrorism programs.
General Counsel, TRM Labs
Sujit Raman joined Sidley Austin after nearly a dozen years as a federal prosecutor, culminating in his service as Associate Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). In that role, he personally advised the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General in their oversight of the nation’s cyber-related criminal and national security investigations and prosecutions. Sujit also led DOJ’s policy formulation in a number of critical areas, including cybersecurity, cross-border data transfers and protection, 5G/supply chain security, and emerging technologies such as facial recognition, cryptocurrency, and encryption. He brings clients a deep understanding of substantive and procedural issues involved in white collar defense, corporate internal investigations, cyber/data protection, and national security matters.
Sujit was a lead U.S. representative in high-profile international data-sharing negotiations with the United Kingdom, Australia, and the European Union. He also coordinated DOJ’s response to the Schrems II decision of the EU Court of Justice and, from 2018–2020, chaired the Attorney General’s Cyber-Digital Task Force, leading formulation of DOJ’s policy and operational response to transnational cybercrime, nation-state-sponsored malign cyber activity, and online foreign influence operations. Sujit was instrumental in drafting the legislation for the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act and led the team that worked with industry and Capitol Hill to secure the legislation’s bipartisan passage.
In addition to his extensive experience in cybersecurity, data protection, and national security issues, Sujit served for over eight years as an Assistant United States Attorney in Maryland where he led numerous complex white collar fraud and public corruption investigations, and tried six cases to jury verdict. He also served as the office’s chief of appeals, supervising the appellate work of over 80 federal prosecutors across the spectrum of federal criminal law, arguing 20 cases in the federal court of appeals, and personally litigating matters of first impression in areas as diverse as export control and economic sanctions compliance; the RICO statute; the border search doctrine and the third-party doctrine as they apply to electronic evidence; and other leading issues at the intersection of law, technology, and privacy.
Sujit is a sought-after speaker and thinker on international regulatory and geopolitical issues and has appeared in national media and testified before the U.S. Senate on these topics. His professional achievements and service to the legal community have earned him public recognition, including the “Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service” (2018), the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association “Best Lawyers Under 40” Award (2015), the National South Asian Bar Association “Cornerstone Award” (2015), and the U.S. Secret Service “Director’s Award” (2013).
A term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Sujit is a graduate of Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and the University of Bristol (UK), where he studied as a Marshall Scholar and served as head coach of the women’s varsity rowing program.
Head of Risk, cLabs
Jai Ramaswamy is the Head of Risk, Compliance and Regulatory Policy at cLabs, working on Celo, an open source, distributed ledger protocol designed to support the global development of financial tools to create a more accessible financial system. Before joining cLabs, Jai was the Head of Enterprise Risk Management at Capital One and the Global Head of AML Compliance Risk Management at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch.
Jai served in the United States Department of Justice for over a decade before moving to the private sector, most recently as the Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section in the Criminal Division. In that role, he oversaw the criminal enforcement of the Bank Secrecy Act and federal money laundering laws. He also investigated and prosecuted complex white collar crime as the Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York and pursued cybercriminal syndicates and supported the government's critical infrastructure protection efforts with DOJ's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
Jai has an undergraduate degree in government and economics from Harvard University, a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a doctorate in social and political science from Cambridge University, U.K.
Partner, Fusion Law, PLLC
Paul is the founding partner of Fusion Law, PLLC. He has extensive experience with state, federal, and global regulators building coalitions and implementing policies to promote innovation in financial services. He is responsible for designing and implementing the first state (Arizona) and federal (CFPB) FinTech sandboxes in the United States. He also designed the CFPB no-action letter and trial disclosure policies. He helped found the first global regulatory innovation coalition (Global Financial Innovation Network) and led the founding of the first U.S. regulatory innovation coalition (American Consumer Financial Innovation Network). He served on the Financial Stability Oversight Council subcommittee on digital assets. He also has drafted state-level laws on blockchain and utility tokens.
Paul also has significant enforcement and litigation experience. He led many multi-state consumer protection enforcement matters as Civil Litigation Division Chief at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
Prior to his government service, Paul practiced law in the areas of securities litigation and transactional work for approximately six years at two well-known law firms. He also clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Partner, Fusion Law, PLLC
Paul is the founding partner of Fusion Law, PLLC. He has extensive experience with state, federal, and global regulators building coalitions and implementing policies to promote innovation in financial services. He is responsible for designing and implementing the first state (Arizona) and federal (CFPB) FinTech sandboxes in the United States. He also designed the CFPB no-action letter and trial disclosure policies. He helped found the first global regulatory innovation coalition (Global Financial Innovation Network) and led the founding of the first U.S. regulatory innovation coalition (American Consumer Financial Innovation Network). He served on the Financial Stability Oversight Council subcommittee on digital assets. He also has drafted state-level laws on blockchain and utility tokens.
Paul also has significant enforcement and litigation experience. He led many multi-state consumer protection enforcement matters as Civil Litigation Division Chief at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
Prior to his government service, Paul practiced law in the areas of securities litigation and transactional work for approximately six years at two well-known law firms. He also clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Partner, Fusion Law, PLLC
Paul is the founding partner of Fusion Law, PLLC. He has extensive experience with state, federal, and global regulators building coalitions and implementing policies to promote innovation in financial services. He is responsible for designing and implementing the first state (Arizona) and federal (CFPB) FinTech sandboxes in the United States. He also designed the CFPB no-action letter and trial disclosure policies. He helped found the first global regulatory innovation coalition (Global Financial Innovation Network) and led the founding of the first U.S. regulatory innovation coalition (American Consumer Financial Innovation Network). He served on the Financial Stability Oversight Council subcommittee on digital assets. He also has drafted state-level laws on blockchain and utility tokens.
Paul also has significant enforcement and litigation experience. He led many multi-state consumer protection enforcement matters as Civil Litigation Division Chief at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
Prior to his government service, Paul practiced law in the areas of securities litigation and transactional work for approximately six years at two well-known law firms. He also clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Virtual Currencies and the Rule of Law
Shannen W. Coffin, Sujit Raman, Jaikumar Ramaswamy, Paul N. Watkins
During the last weeks of the Trump Administration’s Treasury Department, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network...
Regulatory Federalism
Paul N. Watkins
Financial Services & E-Commerce Practice Group Teleforum
Emerging technologies in highly regulated areas like financial services give states a unique opportunity to...
Courthouse Steps: Cyan v. Beaver County Employees Retirement Fund
Paul N. Watkins
Corporations, Securities & Antitrust Practice Group Teleforum
The Cyan v. Beaver County Employees Retirement Fund case examines whether state courts have subject...