Symposium 2021 Speakers
Andrew Bull
Founding Partner, Bull Blockchain Law LLP
Andrew is the founding partner of Bull Blockchain Law LLP. He specializes in technology-based transactions and represents businesses operating in the cryptocurrency industry.
After finding Bitcoin in 2011, Andrew has become a leading lawyer on blockchain and cryptocurrency. Andrew’s background in blockchain includes extensive business, legal, and academic experience. After writing a master’s thesis on the regulation of cryptocurrencies, Andrew founded a digital asset investment fund and ran one of the first cryptocurrency mining companies in the United States. Andrew started Bull Blockchain Law in direct response to the lack of legal clarity in the industry.
Andrew is a regarded speaker and author on blockchain and cryptocurrency issues. He has written several publications for legal journals, spoken at international conferences, contributed to a European Union publication on U.S. blockchain legislation, and developed some of the first blockchain-focused courses for graduate programs and law schools.
John W. Simek
Vice President, Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
Mr. Simek is the Vice President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc., is a nationally-known digital forensics, managed information technology provider and managed cybersecurity firm located in Fairfax, Virginia.
Mr. Simek has a national reputation as a digital forensics technologist and has testified as an expert witness throughout the United States. He holds a degree in engineering from the United States Merchant Marine Academy and an MBA in finance from Saint Joseph’s University.
Mr. Simek holds the prestigious CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and the CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) certifications in addition to multiple other technical certifications. He is a past chair of ABA TECHSHOW and a co-host of the Legal Talk Network podcast Digital Detectives. He is a frequent author (eighteen books published by the ABA and hundreds of articles) and speaker on legal technology, cybersecurity and electronic evidence topics.
He may be reached at jsimek@senseient.com
Sharon D. Nelson
President, Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
Sharon D. Nelson, Esq., is the President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc., is a nationally-known digital forensics, managed information technology provider and managed cybersecurity firm in Fairfax, Virginia.
Ms. Nelson is the author of the noted electronic evidence blog, Ride the Lightning and is a co-host of the Legal Talk Network podcast series called “The Digital Edge: Lawyers and Technology” as well as “Digital Detectives.”
She is a frequent author (eighteen books published by the ABA and hundreds of articles) and speaker on legal technology, cybersecurity and electronic evidence topics. She was the President of the Virginia State Bar June 2013 – June 2014 and a past President of the Fairfax Law Foundation, and the Fairfax Bar Association.
She may be reached at snelson@senseient.com
Thomas E. Spahn
Commercial Litigator, McGuireWoods
Thomas E. Spahn practices as a commercial litigator with McGuireWoods in Tysons Corner, Virginia. Tom was selected as the 2013 and the 2020 metro-Washington DC “Lawyer of the Year” for “Bet the Company Litigation” by The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White, Inc.). In 2018, Virginia Lawyers Weekly selected him for inclusion in the inaugural Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame. Tom has served on the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, and is a Member of the American Law Institute and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He has spoken at over 2,000 CLE programs throughout the U.S. and in several foreign countries. Through links on his website bio, Tom has made available to the public: his summaries of over 1,600 Virginia and ABA legal ethics opinions, organized by topic; a 300 page summary of his two-volume 1,500 page book on the attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine; over 1,000 weekly email alerts about privilege and work product cases; materials for over 40 ethics programs on numerous topics, totaling about 10,000 pages of analysis. Tom graduated magna cum laude from Yale University and received his J.D. from Yale Law School.
