DeFi
Uniswap Labs appoints Minarik as Chief Legal Officer
Uniswap Labs has named Katherine Minarik, former head of legal at Coinbase, as its new chief legal officer (CLO). Minarik on Monday assumed the top legal position at the startup behind popular decentralized exchange Uniswap.
THANKS, @ammori! Yes, I have officially completed almost four incredible years at Coinbase and today I begin a new chapter in crypto as the next General Counsel of Uniswap. 1 time https://t.co/zrEaLVGCHm
– Katherine Minarik (@MinarikLaw) June 10, 2024
In a post on X, she expressed her enthusiasm for the role, declaring“It’s impossible to spend time in crypto and not be inspired by DeFi’s potential to change the world.”
Minarik’s appointment comes as Uniswap Labs is likely to face a legal battle with federal regulators in the United States. In April 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a Wells Notice to Uniswap Labs, signaling its intent to take legal action against the startup for allegedly violating federal securities laws.
Minarik replaces former Uniswap Labs CLO Marvin Ammori, who announced Monday that he plans to move to a part-time role at the startup in November.
As an attorney for over three years at Coinbase, Minarik certainly has her hands full handling the complex regulatory issues surrounding decentralized finance (DeFi) and digital assets. The SEC accused Uniswap Labs of operating an unregistered securities exchange and violating regulations.
Recently, Uniswap’s native token, UNI, has demonstrated resilience and performance in the market with the release of privacy-focused update and delays in governance voting on delegation and staking rewards.