Share this article
SEC's Top Crypto Cop Joins Coinbase's Law Firm
Robert A. Cohen will join corporate law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell as partner after 15 years with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
By Daniel Kuhn
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 11:21 a.m. Published Aug 20, 2019, 4:00 p.m.
The former head of the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Cyber Unit is moving to private practice.
Robert A. Cohen will join the corporate law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP as partner. The firm is known for representing several crypto firms including Coinbase, as well as large legacy financial institutions, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Cohen tendered his resignation in July, after 15 years of government service with the SEC. His departure reportedly leaves the cyber unit without a leader.
As head of the Cyber Unit, Cohen oversaw the precedent-setting lawsuit against Kik Interactive for allegedly engaging in an unregistered $100 million securities offering. In a recently published rebuttal of the lawsuit, Kik denies the agency’s core complaints.
The cyber unit was founded in 2017 as a way to manage the development of the blockchain ecosystem and protect investors. The agency's mandate includes investigating financial violations involving digital assets, as well as policing cybersecurity issues. Cohen made a name for pursuing several actions against allegedly fraudulent initial coin offerings.
In an interview with WSJ, Cohen said the watchdog carefully weighed which actions to pursue.
“We brought some high-profile cases pretty quickly and we got the message out,” he said. “But the industry should have a chance to adapt to it. If the goal is to send the message, you should give people a chance to get the message and adjust.”
In his new role, Cohen will be barred from speaking with SEC officials for a year, per “revolving door” regulations.
Robert A. Cohen Former Chief of Cyber Unit Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Enforcement panel speaker Consensus 2018
Більше для вас
Що варто знати:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
Більше для вас
Tom Lee responds to controversy surrounding Fundstrat’s differing bitcoin outlooks
A debate on X over seemingly conflicting bitcoin forecasts from Fundstrat analysts drew a response from Tom Lee, highlighting differing mandates and time horizons.
Що варто знати:
- X users flagged what appeared to be conflicting bitcoin outlooks from Fundstrat’s Tom Lee and Sean Farrell.
- Lee endorsed a post arguing the views reflect different mandates and time horizons, not internal disagreement.
- The episode highlights how public commentary can blur distinctions between short-term risk management and long-term macro views.
Top Stories
