Robert Dinan

Robert Dinan is Legal Officer for the Cambridge Blockchain Society. He has undertaken research in conjunction with the UK Law Commission on the legal status of DAOs. Robert has consulted with blockchain-based start-ups in the UK on the legal implications of their operations. He worked as a banking analyst for KPMG in Dublin, and is currently undertaking a Masters in Corporate Law at Cambridge University.

Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from University College Cork, where he received the A&L Goodbody Prize in Company Law. He has represented Ireland at the World and European Debating Championships.

• The Digital Economy: Can the Law Keep Pace?

  
  

  The advent of blockchain technology gives rise to significant opportunities and challenges for the legal system. How do we regulate inherently borderless transactions? How do we prevent fraud while facilitating innovation? Can we apply traditional corporate forms to decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs)?

  Robert Dinan will give an overview of how blockchain technology works. He will examine how different jurisdictions are trying to regulate digital assets and service providers. DAOs provide a novel means of facilitating economic activity by leveraging “smart contracts”. However, liability for DAO members poses significant problems for their development. The law must adapt to recognise this fascinating use of blockchain technology.

  This session will illustrate how blockchain interacts with the law and give practitioners an
  understanding of how the rise of digital assets will affect their work.