Professional Biography
Will Conley

Will Conley Associate

  • Madison

    D +1.608.294.4013

    F +1.608.663.7499

    Madison

    33 East Main Street, Suite 201

    Madison, WI 53703-3095

    +1.608.294.4013

    WConley@perkinscoie.com

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Overview

Will Conley provides counsel to clients of all sizes, advising both emerging companies and established industry leaders on matters related to entity formation, venture capital fundraising, corporate governance, litigation, and regulatory compliance.

As a member of the firm’s Blockchain, Digital Assets & Custody industry group, Will regularly guides clients through the design and implementation of business plans related to digital assets and Web3, including issuances and product counseling related to fungible and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), advising on the applicability of U.S. laws and regulations, and counseling on corporate and transactional matters. Will’s clients include companies involved in social metaverses, play-to-earn gaming, tokenized funds, DAOs, and payments.

In particular, Will regularly advises on the applicability of securities, commodities, sanctions, and money transmission laws to digital assets; he drafts and negotiates token warrant or sale agreements (on both the issuer and investor side), listing agreements, and other agreements related to the issuance, purchase, lending, or use of digital assets. He also advises on the intellectual property and licensing issues that arise for NFTs and drafts and also on client materials related to digital assets generally (e.g., whitepapers, policies, terms of use, and product plans).

Will is an experienced litigator who has represented a wide variety of clients in time-sensitive, high-stakes, complex cases. As a result, Will is experienced in all aspects of trial and appellate representation, having prevailed on claims for injunctive, monetary, and appellate relief for clients in cases across the country. Will has also dedicated a significant portion of his practice to political law work as a defender of voting rights.

Will maintains an active pro bono practice in both transactional and litigation work, serving as counsel to nonprofit organizations on issues such as formation and governance. He recently incorporated and secured 501(c)(3) status for a historical preservation association in northern Wisconsin and helped another client to achieve a first-of-its-kind agreement with the National Park Service related to the preservation and conservation of the Apostle Islands.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Will consulted and advised on models of innovation in healthcare and higher education. He also worked as a senior innovation analyst for a major insurance company, using design thinking and entrepreneurship to create new ventures focused on emerging technologies, including the use of blockchain and predictive analytics to capture unrealized value across the insurance lifecycle. Will previously served as the managing editor of The Madison Review and as an editor at McSweeney’s.

Related Employment

  • Perkins Coie LLP, Summer Associate, 2018
  • American Family Insurance, Senior Innovation Analyst, 2017  2019

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Bar and Court Admissions

  • Wisconsin
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin

Education

  • University of Wisconsin Law School, J.D., magna cum laude, 2019
  • University of Wisconsin - Madison, B.A., English; Philosophy, 2015, Phi Beta Kappa