U.S. Legal Database and Compliance Assistant

[GENERAL] Name and Surname of Main Applicant

Jorge Alvarez

[GENERAL] Email address of Main Applicant

JorgeAlvarez@ufl.edu

Additional Applicants

N/A

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

8

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

No

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

Yes

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.” in this field.

This project is dependent on the U.S. legal system. The information involved within this research will be influenced by current high profile U.S. trials and their judgements.

[GENERAL] Will your project outputs be fully Open Source?

Yes

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.” in this field.

Project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of Proposal

Standards and Regulation

[METADATA] SDG rating

This project will address multiple UN SDGs, including but not limited to:

• Quality Eduction: Provide inclusive and equitable education to promote compliance and business growth for blockchain technologies that are subject to U.S. Law.
• Decent Work and Economic Growth: Promote compliancy within U.S. jurisdictions, ultimately increasing productivity, employment, and business.
• Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Assist foreign and domestic companies by educating them on how to operate within the United States in compliance with U.S. law.
• Responsible Consumption and Production: Help educate blockchain professionals on how to responsibly operate their businesses within the United States.
• Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: Promote legal compliance within the United States and analyze past, present, and future cases from a just standpoint.
• Partnerships For The Goals: Help grow the blockchain community, with a focus on legal professionals and Cardano entrepreneurs.

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

The problem is confusion surrounding U.S. Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Law. The solution is develop a legal database surrounding U.S. Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Law that is easy to use, highly educational, cited and verifiable, and available in multiple languages.

This project provides multiple avenues towards educating the Cardano community about U.S. law and building a U.S. legal database including:

• Crypto Law News Blog: A crypto news blog that provides in depth analysis into the U.S. regulatory framework, climate, and environment.
• Case briefs and timelines regarding past, present, and future U.S. legal cases in the crypto space.
• Investigation of Legal Frameworks including the past and present treatment of blockchain technologies within the SEC, U.S. Tax Law, Anti Money Laundering, KYC laws, Employment law, Gambling law, and other relevant U.S. legal frameworks.
• Future U.S. Regulatory Predictions: Provide educated predictions into the future of U.S. regulations.
• Diverse Content Creation: Produce a slew of content in the form of podcasts, youtube videos, tik toks, news articles, journal entries, case briefs, and independent research that is designed to educate the world on U.S. blockchain compliance.
• Multilingual Publications: Make all our written publications accessible in multiple languages.
• 1694 legal analysis
• Trial updates: Up-to-date trial news regarding the ongoing high profile trials. Including but not limited to Binance, Coinbase, FTX, Ripple, etc.
• Step by step guides on how to set up your crypto company in the United States in compliance with U.S. Law.
• Legal DAOs: Educate the community on how to develop DAOs within the United States in compliance with U.S. law.
• Onboard new professionals: legal and otherwise, into this venture and the Cardano community.
• Bootstrapping Affordable Legal Counsel and Free Research Tools: a legal effort with the goal of offering the blockchain community affordable legal counsel, free education, and an easy to use legal database.

By combining these components, our one stop shop will become a vital resource for blockchain companies operating in the U.S., empowering them to stay compliant with the ever-changing legal requirements while fostering a responsible and legally informed industry.

To simplify my solutions think of this project as four separate products intertwined into one information hub. I have ordered each solution by level of difficulty to produce:

• U.S. Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Law News Blog & Trial Breakdowns
• U.S. Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Law Content (Podcast on Youtube & Tiktoks)
• U.S. Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Law Journal
• Legal Database containing all things relating the U.S. Law and Cryptocurrency. (The perfect search bar for legal questions about the blockchain, cryptocurrency, and U.S. case law and regulations.)

I hope to use project catalyst as a bootstrapping mechanism towards my own blockchain focused law firm that serves the Cardano community by assisting foreign and domestic companies in developing their business in the United States in accordance with U.S. Law.

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

My proposed solutions directly address the ongoing uncertainty surrounding U.S. law by educating the world on the issues at hand and providing the community with legally verifiable answers on how the U.S. views blockchain related activities. My efforts will help the Cardano community overall by providing a comprehensible education about U.S. regulations. In acting as an information hub and eventually an affordable legal support group, this venture has the ability to revolutionize the ease at which foreign and domestic companies can operate in compliance with U.S. law. Ultimately this project will develop into a world class crypto law newsletter, legal database, and blockchain focused legal team.

The proposed solutions will impact the Cardano community directly by:

• Onboarding law students and legal professionals into the Cardano community.
• Publish Cardano focused solutions in The Journal of Technology Law & Policy and on our site.
• Regulatory impact assessment geared towards the Cardano community surrounding U.S. regulations.
• Helping Cardano DAOs feel more comfortable operating within the U.S.
• Easing the worries of foreign blockchain companies to have activity within U.S. jurisdiction.
• Provide affordable and pro-bono legal assistance to Cardano focused ventures and research efforts.
• Assist in the research, development, implementation, and infrastructure of the U.S. regulatory framework as it relates to the blockchain and cryptocurrency.
• Provide easy to understand analysis and insight into the U.S. regulatory framework in multiple languages.
• Keep the Cardano community up to date on the ongoing high profile cryptocurrency related trials in the United States.
• Allow the Cardano community free access to an extensive legal database in multiple languages.
• Viewable Youtube and Tik Tok content regarding U.S. Law, Cardano, and the future of cryptocurrency from a legal perspective.
• Promote Cardano at The University of Florida Levin College of Law and other top ranked universities around the world.
• Grow the Cardano community and provide a catalyst for blockchain focused companies to operate in the U.S. in compliance with U.S. Law. The growth opportunities are monumental.
• 1694 analysis

A cool feature I want to highlight is the 'ask the community page.' Here, I will be meeting with other members of project catalyst to gather a variety of legal questions they might have. I will then provide cited responses. This way, I am directly using legal research to answer their specific questions at a doctorate level.

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

The success of this project can be measured in a variety of ways including but not limited to:

• The amount of law students and legal professionals I am able to collaborate with. (So far I have been shown an extraordinary amount of interest within The Journal of Technology Law & Policy, my law school professors, and The University of Florida Levin College of Law alumni.)
• The amount of site traffic our newsletter and legal database accumulates.
• The amount of scholarly articles published regarding U.S. blockchain regulations.
• The quality of podcasts I am able to produce.
• Social media engagement on Youtube, Tik Tok, and Twitter.
• The functionality of the legal database.
• The growth potential into a full fledged law firm with the ability to assist foreign and domestic companies in operating within the United States in compliance with U.S. law.
• Most importantly, the amount of people within the Cardano community that are assisted in growing their businesses compliantly within U.S. jurisdictions.

The innovation this project will deliver directly affects Cardano's productivity and growth expanding knowledge to the community about the ongoing legal issues in the United States which will ultimately help integrate Cardano based businesses in the United States.

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

I plan to share my outputs publicly in a variety of ways on our site including but not limited to:

• Web Development highlights and accessibility metrics.
• Provide weekly site traffic statistics.
• Active news page
• Continuously publish scholarly articles on our site and within prestigious Law Journals.
• Constant updates surrounding current high profile cryptocurrency trials within the U.S.
• Highlighting all legal professionals that participate in this project with a profile spotlight.
• Podcasts surrounding how blockchain technologies fit within the U.S. regulatory framework.
• Youtube, Tik Tok, and Twitter content.
• Providing a free legal research tools in multiple languages regarding U.S. law.
• Polling how many organizations have used our product and services.
• Engaging with the Cardano community and synthesizing with other Cardano focused business and research efforts.

The timescale I have assigned is reasonable in the sense that many U.S. law students are doing doctorate level legal research and writing for free. Frankly, we're work horses. With funding, I have the ability to pay Doctors of Jurisprudence to complete work that is tailored towards Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Law in the U.S. I am surrounded by J.D. candidates and PhDs, and many have expressed an interest in joining me. I modeled my schedule around this project so that I am continuously being productive towards my efforts regardless of funding.

I plan to use the results generated from this project as a bootstrapping device towards a constantly evolving legal database, an affordable blockchain focused law firm, and the #1 Crypto Law news source in the world.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

The Community should trust that I have the ability to execute this plan because:

• I am a J.D. Candidate at The University of Florida Levin College of Law, the top rated law school in Florida.
• I have access to an extraordinary legal network for free.
• I was recently selected to join The Journal of Technology Law & Policy. JTLP is a prestigious law journal that only accepts the most qualified legal writers and researchers.
• Multiple editors on The Journal of Technology Law & Policy have expressed interest in joining my efforts.
• I will be conducting an independent research study surrounding U.S. blockchain regulations under the supervision of Jiaying Jiang starting January 2024.
• I have been in contact with a dozen attorneys around the United States that are willing to assist me in my research efforts.
• I have over 10 years experience managing both people and budgets.
• Every dollar spent will be recorded.
• Literally just talk to me, I'm easily accessibly.

About me:

I'm Jorge. I'm 30. I was born and raised in Valhalla, New York. I chose to attend law school with the goal of assisting technologists in research and development of new emerging technologies. After I received my B.A. in philosophy at Arizona State University, I attended The University of Amsterdam in pursuit of my M.A. in philosophy. While there, I focused on the computational mind and new emerging technologies while working closely with the Institute of Logic, Language, and Computation. During my time in The Netherlands I was chosen to be a conference delegate at The Unmanned Systems Expo at The World Forum in The Hague. There, I worked alongside the U.S. military and NATO to discuss the future of airspace regulations and defense issues surrounding unmanned systems. During that time I realized how outdated current regulatory frameworks are in comparison to the current state of technology. I decided that my destiny as an entrepreneur was to provide legal assistance to technologists. While in law school, I chose to switch my focus from defense to the future of financial services, hence my research efforts surrounding law and the blockchain. I'm having more fun than I've ever had before participating in project catalyst and I'm not going anywhere. The fact of the matter is I got lucky because this is the most pivotal time for Blockchain and Cryptocurrency regulation in history and I am just capitalizing on the opportunity.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

The main goal of this project is to provide the Cardano community with an education and top notch legal resources about U.S. law. This goal is feasible and I have the ability to accomplish it at a high level with a low budget. This legal research, writing, and podcasting effort will assist both foreign and domestic blockchain companies by educating them on how to compliantly operate within U.S. jurisdictions.

Goals include:

• Developing a legal database including all things relating to Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Laws in the U.S. (Think Westlaw but solely for Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Law with an easy to use interface in multiple languages.)
• Become the #1 New source for U.S. Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Laws.
• Brief every single U.S. case that involves the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency since it's inception.
• Create a visualized timeline regarding how the U.S. has treated Blockchain technologies.
• Launch a successful podcast with a focus on the Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and U.S. Law.
• Publish over 100 scholarly articles regarding U.S. Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Laws.
• Become a one stop shop for all things regarding the Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and U.S. law.
• Onboard at least 3 dedicated equity partners heading into next funding round.
• Grow an in-house legal counsel into a full fledged Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Law Firm.

My ability to reach these goals is highlighted by my environment and work colleagues.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Phase 1: Site Launch (1 month)

• Launch website.
• Onboard one more J.D. candidate to publish articles surrounding U.S. law and the blockchain.
• Publish 5 articles.
• Publish at minimum 5 case briefs.
• Breakdown 5 current ongoing trials.
• Provide weekly updates surrounding high profile trials impacting U.S. law and the blockchain, in multiple languages.
• Consult with two attorneys.
• Doctorate level CIP 1694 analysis.

Phase 2: Data and Content Expansion (2 months)

• Publish 15 scholarly articles surrounding the U.S. regulatory framework and the blockchain in multiple languages.
• Launch weekly podcast discussing U.S. law and the blockchain. This podcast will be a one hour interview format with legal professionals about U.S. law and the blockchain.
• Continuously provide weekly updates surrounding U.S. trials that will have an impact on blockchain regulations in the U.S., in multiple languages.
• Publish at minimum 30 case briefs.
• Begin organizing a database including all U.S. legal cases and laws from a state to a federal level.
• Collaborate with at least 3 other J.D. candidates.
• Consult with two attorneys.

Phase 3: Database Development & Research Tool Optimization (5 months)

• Collaborate with at least 5 J.D. candidates.
• Consult 20 attorneys
• Publish 50 scholarly articles surrounding the U.S. regulatory framework and the blockchain.
• Produce 30 podcasts.
• Polish legal database including all past and present U.S. cases and regulations that involve or implicate blockchain technologies. (Think Westlaw but crypto focused and easy to use in multiple languages.)
• Create a visualized timeline surrounding how the U.S. has treated blockchain technologies from a legal standpoint.
• Make the database accessible in over 10 languages.

Phase 4: Expand

• Secure more funding.
• Structure equity partnerships.
• Develop into the #1 U.S. Crypto law database and law firm in the world.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

Phase 1: Site Launch

• Deliverable: U.S. law news and updates, U.S. case briefs, ongoing trial breakdowns, & journal formation.
• Output: Free to use site.
• Outcome: U.S. legal brand synonymous with educating the Cardano community about U.S. law.

Phase 2: Data and Content Expansion

• Deliverable: Evolution from a crypto law news hub towards a easy to use legal database.
• Output: Free to use legal database.
• Outcome: Go to spot for the Cardano community to research U.S. case law & their exact legal questions. Video content launch.

Phase 3: Database Development

• Deliverable: Exponential growth in amount of blockchain and cryptocurrency law information and content available from our site and social media.
• Output: Extensive U.S. Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Law database.
• Outcome: Grow Cardano in U.S. jurisdictions by educating the community about U.S law.

Phase 4: Expand

• Deliverable: Top quality legal research service.
• Output: Continually evolving legal database.
• Outcome: The global blockchain community gains access to a wide variety of research tools and a team designed to assist in all areas of U.S. blockchain and cryptocurrency law. Expand into other jurisdictions outside the U.S.

We will produce a legal database focused on U.S. Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Law including:

• A plethora of scholarly articles regarding the past, present, and future state of blockchain law.
• A complete breakdown of all U.S. court cases involving the blockchain and/or cryptocurrency since it's inception.
• A list of state and federal regulations
• A podcast discussing blockchain regulations in the U.S.
• How-to guides
• A visualization tool surrounding blockchain adoption and adaptation within the United States.
• An active and constantly evolving U.S. Law news and information hub.

As a result of our work, we will ultimately help develop and integrate blockchain technologies in the United States in compliance with U.S. law. Our legal database will be a fun and easy to use research tool to help educate people about cryptocurrency law in the U.S.

The metrics used to measure the success of this project are:

• Quantitive amount of verifiable legal information
• Site Traffic
• Podcast Views
• Legal Team
• Community Engagement

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Budget broken down in USD

Labor: $20k (30.8% of budget in ADA)

• This part of the budget will go to myself as payment for the amount of hours worked doing; Legal Research, Writing, Consulting, Podcasting, Operational Development, and Project Management. Over the course of 6 months I estimate my time spent working to exceed 575 hours but since this is my first round, to play it safe I am assigning myself 34.78/hr for 575 hours.
• Time spent doing legal research: Legal research alone will easily exceed 250 hours. Reading cases, legal reports, legal publications, U.S. legislation, etc.; is exhaustive and tedious work that requires a lot of time. I’m estimating 250 hours.
•  Time spent writing: I will be writing case briefs, publishing papers, writing blog posts, news articles, etc. I plan to publish over 50 works myself including: scholarly articles, case briefs, journal entries, and research papers. Time estimated at 200 hours. 
•  Assisting in web development: 25 hours. 
• Consulting: I estimate to discuss this project with over 20+ practicing attorneys and 20+ law students, and 10+MBAs. I will be interviewing in two forms. First from a recruitment standpoint. This will require me to interview, hire, read, grade, and manage law students in assisting me in legal research in the form of blog posts, legal memorandums, case briefs, etc. Estimated time: 55 hours. 
• Podcasting: I will be doing a podcast about U.S. law. The format is discussing law with professionals in the space to hear their insights on the ongoing issues and legality of blockchain technologies, and launching a U.S. based crypto company and/or launching a U.S. based operation for a foreign crypto company. I imagine this to be an ongoing discussion and is great networking and brand recognition for Cardano. 45 hours. 
• Estimated time: 575 hours. $34.78/hr. (Like many big law attorneys, I will be logging my hours to keep the community up to date on exactly how I am allocating my time and resources. If I was a betting man I’d say I far exceed the 575hour mark.)

Attorney Consultations: $20k (30.8% of budget in ADA)

• I would like the ability to offer Attorneys, JDs, MBAs, and PhDs, compensation for their consultation services. For a pennies on the dollar, I will consult with established professionals in the space. The average hourly rate for an attorney’s services varies by state but is estimated between $200-$750 in the U.S. Due to my J.D. candidate status, and my legal network, I have access to free legal consultations and discounted rates. In order to execute this endeavor to its fullest potential, I would like the ability to offer just compensation to qualified individuals and onboarding bonuses for assistance in future development. By design, these rates will be varied and kept fully transparent throughout this process. 

Law Student Bounties: $10k (15.4% of budget in ADA)

• I plan on paying law students on a bounty type structure to assist me in my research by providing legal memos on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency law. I estimate each bounty will start at roughly $100 and increase incrementally based on performance. I am fully confident and hyper aware that this part of the operation will flourish and I plan to onboard, at minimum, the top 3 performers to my team. The top candidates will receive a full time onboarding bonus. The hours worked here are dependent on the J.D. candidate's pace. By design, these rates will be varied and kept fully transparent throughout this process. Research areas and projects for this program include but are not limited to:
• Dao recognition in the U.S.
• How can a DAO be established in compliance with U.S. regulations?
• Securities and Commodities: How these concepts have developed over time in the United States.
• Cryptocurrency Fraud 
• Blockchain Company formation
• Foreign Blockchain operations within U.S. jurisdictions.
• Know Your Customer and the blockchain
• Tax Law and Cryptocurrency
• Employment Law and Cryptocurrency
• Cryptocurrency in Sports
• Cryptocurrency and Contracts
• Gambling and Cryptocurrency
• Binance and The SEC
• Coinbase and The SEC
• FTX Scandal
• Luna Scandal
• Celsius Scandal
• SEC v. Ripple

Web Development: $5k (7.7% of budget in ADA)

• This aspect of the budget will go towards web development costs. Specifically, to hire an outsourced developer to help build the website. There is currently a website template, but I plan on adding an experienced web developer to help assist me in going from having a basic website to a cool, easy to use, database. I estimate this to take about 14 weeks to be complete. $5000 for 14 weeks. Roughly $35/hr for 140 hours to provide compensation to an experienced web developer.

Marketing: $3k (4.6% of budget in ADA)

• I will allocate this part of the budget towards marketing and promotional activities that will help the database gain traffic. Marketing activities include: 
• Social Media Promotion,
• Youtube
• Tik Tok
• Twitter
• Advertisements
• Merch
• Translators

Podcast Equipment and Editor: $2k (3.1% of budget in ADA)

• I only need to buy a mic and the rest will be paid to an editor that will edit roughly 30 podcasts.

Miscellaneous: $5k (7.7% of budget in ADA)

• Pocket fund for increased overhead allocation needed for extraordinary legal, web, or marketing help. Fully transparent usage.

Total Cost: 65k

• Low budget for high quality work. Lawyers are expensive and at the end of the day I can get this done for pennies on the dollar. Law students are already working tireless hours doing legal research and writing and not getting paid for it. Once I have the ability to pay, I can assign specific assignments that are designed to benefit the blockchain community. This means access to doctorate level legal research for cheap. All practicing attorneys were once law students and many are very quick to help a law student. Thus, my ability to plan, pitch, consult, and onboard attorneys is valuable because I have access to their knowledge and resources for free or at an extremely discounted rate.

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

It's simple. American lawyers are expensive, legal research is exhaustive, and companies are scared of U.S. law. Business is deterred away from operating within the United States. This is bad for Cardano's development and integration within the United States.

This project will provide a free U.S. legal database and legal research tools to the Cardano community.

Funding will allow me the ability to develop this database and compensate other qualified legal professionals in helping me do so. Long term I hope for this project to grow into a brand synonymous with blockchain and cryptocurrency law and a blockchain focused law firm.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.

I Accept