This post contains information about our Leadership Board for the 2021-2022 school year. Positions are available for HLS students only at this time. If you are a 1L, 2L, or incoming LLM interested in getting involved, please continue reading for more information about HLSBFI, positions available, and application instructions! Applications are due this Friday, April 2nd, 2021.
We can’t wait to have you aboard!

ABOUT HLSBFI:
Harvard Law School Blockchain & FinTech Initiative (HLSBFI) was organized in 2018, and since then has grown dramatically. Blockchain & FinTech have gained significant attention as a major component of a financial revolution throughout the world. And, even though there are many blockchain clubs in universities around the world, there are very few (if any) that focus exclusively on legal challenges like we do. We are truly in a unique position to be the most prominent legal blockchain club in the world.

We regularly invite speakers from industry, academic, and judicial backgrounds to share insights about new use cases and where development is headed. We have an annual conference each year, usually at the beginning of March, with dozens of speakers discussing a variety of topics. This year, we opened our conference to the public, and had several hundred people in the audience. Feel free to visit our website and see for yourself: http://hlsblockchain.com.

We also have an increasingly large alumni network working in all aspects of blockchain and fintech. We regularly reach out to them for career advice, and they regularly reach out to hire our members as interns or for full time positions. This industry is thirsty for legal professionals, and there are plenty of fantastic opportunities for recent HLS grads to get involved.

As we start to recruit next year’s board, we invite all incoming and current HLS students interested to apply – whether or not you have prior experience in HLSBFI!

Positions Available:

For all positions on the board, you will have the opportunity to work closely with pioneers in the fintech industry, collaborating with talents and entities that are building the most cutting edge technologies, businesses, and networks around the globe. With our broad platform and close relationship with (as well as delegated votes of) some of the nation’s leading fintech companies, you may also get to practically impact and even help shape the future and corporate governance of these entities. We would love for you to join our team next year!
President(s) (alumni, annual conference, twitter)

As President(s), you will be responsible for overseeing the entire organization, leadership board, and each individual committee of HLSBFI. You should ensure that everything is running properly, and serve as a support for the various programmings that we offer. You will also take charge in planning and organizing the annual conference, which usually takes place in March before the spring break. As part of our organizational promotion initiatives, you should plan to tweet our recent news or developments on twitter/LinkedIn on a regular basis.

VP – DeFi Governance (Uniswap/Compound/Aave)

We are currently a vote delegate for several Decentralized Finance platforms, which means we get to vote on governance proposals. The DeFi Governance VP will solicit feedback from the rest of the board, stay current with proposals, and execute our votes however we decide to use them. You will also be responsible for broadcasting publicly (via twitter or otherwise) the decisions we make and provide a short explanation for why we decided to vote in a particular way.

VP – Communications (Newsletter, website, design, marketing, cross advertising)

As VP of Communications, you will be responsible for leading our marketing initiatives and sending out weekly newsletters (and reminding the board to submit items for the Newsletter on a weekly basis). You will also be updating our website (e.g., for annual conference).

VP – Professional Relations (advertise job offers, sponsorship, fundraising, BEN/Encode liaison)

As VP of Professional Relations, you will be responsible for all our external relations with companies, student organizations, and other public organizations. You will work closely with companies for fundraising and promotional purposes, and will collaborate with other student or public organizations (e.g., BEN/Encode) for events promotion. Some other tasks (less frequent) may include forwarding job descriptions from companies.

VP – Research (articles, blog, academic pursuits)

As VP of Research, you will have the opportunity to encourage our members to pursue academic endeavors, such as soliciting blog entries for our website, writing papers with professors for journals, and helping the DeFi Governance VP with tricky governance questions. You may also want to partner with the Cyber Law Clinic if they have any projects. Staying current with new developments is key, and the ability to act quickly to put out novel and interesting legal literature about the legal consequences of new developments in blockchain and fintech.

VP – Events (reading group, logistics, scheduling, calendar master, student org co-events)

As VP of Events, you will be responsible for making sure the organization has plenty queued up for the coming weeks. Calendar management is important to make sure speakers come frequently and consistently throughout the year, and to avoid conflicts with other events if possible. You are the only one with authority to reserve rooms and submit items to the official HLS student calendar. You will be in charge of organizing and scheduling coffee chats, reading group meetings, and lunch talks, although other members of the board can help find interesting guests. You will also be in charge of co-sponsoring events with other student orgs.

Treasurer (finances)

You will have the responsibility to keep track of our funds and help move money when needed. Our organization is quickly growing, and there are immense opportunities for fundraising. You will also be responsible for making suggestions on how we can effectively and efficiently use our money for the good of the student org.

Application Information:

Applications are due Friday, April 2nd. To apply, write a brief message that includes:
(1) the position(s) you are interested in
(if you are open to multiple, please rank your top 3 choices),
(2) why you are interested, and
(3) any relevant background experience you might have (good, but not required!).

As we review applications on a rolling basis, we encourage you to apply early. Email your application to thopkins@jd21.law.harvard.edu and mli@jd22.law.harvard.edu.  Results will be determined by Wednesday, April 7th. Only current or incoming HLS students may apply. Thank you!