Our client, a Series B crypto company, faced significant challenges scaling their legal function. With the appointment of General Counsel Lindsay Haswell, a seasoned executive who previously joined MoonPay, the company recognized the need to rapidly build a high-performing legal team capable of navigating complex regulatory landscapes and supporting growth in a volatile industry.
At the time, the company had no formal internal recruitment process. All applications, including direct ones, were funneled to leadership for review, requiring an overhaul of their approach to talent acquisition.
Scope of the Search
The client needed to hire three Deputy General Counsels (DGCs) with highly specialized skills:
- DGC, Commercial and Corporate: A leader to oversee commercial contracts and corporate governance.
- DGC, Corporate and Regulatory: A legal expert with deep regulatory experience to address evolving compliance needs.
- DGC, UK/EU Regulatory: A specialized regulatory lawyer based in the UK to navigate EU crypto regulations.
Challenges
The search presented multiple challenges unique to the crypto industry:
- Industry Perception: Crypto was not seen as an attractive career move for many candidates due to market volatility and skepticism about the industry’s longevity.
- Regulatory Complexity: Candidates needed experience in both corporate and regulatory law, with a proven ability to navigate highly dynamic and often ambiguous compliance requirements.
- Startup Environment: The ideal hires needed to thrive in a scrappy, early-stage, venture-backed startup environment—comfortable “building the plane while flying it.”
- Talent with Crypto Experience: Few candidates possessed both relevant regulatory experience and prior exposure to the crypto industry.
Our Approach
Our strategy combined targeted sourcing, relationship-driven outreach, and process optimization to deliver results:
- Leveraging Existing Networks: Key hires came through a combination of proactive outreach and network activation. For example, Rahul Sharma, who had leadership experience at LedgerX, was already within our extended network. Recognizing his potential fit, we re-engaged him early in the process.
- Industry Mapping and Sourcing: We targeted candidates from fintech, financial services, and adjacent crypto companies, focusing on individuals with experience in regulated environments and venture-backed startups.
- Managing the Entire Pipeline: With no internal recruitment structure, we ran the process end-to-end, acting as a trusted advisor to both the client and candidates. This included:
Pipeline management and targeted outreach.
Scheduling and coordinating interview loops.
Conducting detailed assessments to ensure technical fit and startup adaptability.
Streamlining communication between candidates and the leadership team. - Storytelling and Industry Positioning: Given candidate hesitancy around crypto, we emphasized the company’s growth trajectory, leadership vision, and the unique opportunity to build a legal function that would influence the future of a rapidly evolving industry.
Results
Our approach successfully delivered three exceptional hires, enabling the client to build a robust and agile legal function:
- DGC, Commercial and Corporate: A proven legal leader with experience managing large-scale commercial agreements and corporate governance.
- DGC, Corporate and Regulatory: An expert in navigating complex regulatory frameworks, bringing deep experience in fintech and crypto compliance.
- DGC, UK/EU Regulatory: A UK-based regulatory lawyer with specialized knowledge of EU crypto regulations and proven startup experience.
Impact
With a fully built legal leadership team in place, the client is now well-positioned to:
- Navigate the evolving global regulatory landscape with confidence
- Support commercial growth through efficient contract management and governance.
- Establish a scalable legal framework to drive long-term success in the crypto market.
This case highlights our ability to execute complex, multi-role searches while acting as a strategic partner in building critical teams for high-growth, venture-backed companies.