This month, solicitors Gary Broadfield (@GaslanB) and David Cook (@CyberSolicitor) (full bios below) will be discussing legal issues surrounding Bitcoin. They have experience in court with both high-tech “cybercrime” (for example filesharing) as well as regularly defending serious allegations of financial crime and regulatory investigations, so they have a good perspective on how Bitcoin and the law might (or might not) fit together.
PLEASE SEND IN YOUR IDEAS! Gary and David already have a selection of topics but they are eager to discuss things that specifically interest the Bitcoin Manchester group. You can contact them by replying here on the mailing list, by email direct at gbroadfield@garstangsburrowsbussin.com, or cook.david@hotmail.co.uk or on Twitter via their usernames above.
Some topics they have suggested for the talk include:
- Where might Bitcoin show up first in legal cases?
- Do Bitcoin’s attributes make it an attractive option for potential criminals?
- If it is, what is the likely response from the authorities?
- How will retail and consumer protection laws cope with Bitcoin payments?
Gary Broadfield is a partner at Garstangs Burrows Bussin and has been involved in defending some of the most serious and complex criminal cases prosecuted in recent years, with an emphasis on high value fraud and white collar crime.
David Cook is a Solicitor Advocate at Pannone, part of Slater and Gordon, and is recognised as an expert in cyber crime and data security. He successfully defended clients in prosecutions for online file sharing and has acted for both Richard O’Dwyer and members of Anonymous with regard to allegations of hacking in both the US and UK.
As always we’ll have sponsored pizza provided by one of the Bitcoin-accepting Takeaway.com vendors. Finally we’ll head to the pub.
We’re at MadLab as usual.