Joseph A. Hall
Advises on capital markets transactions, digital asset creation and distribution, and public company governance and reporting matters. Head of ESG practice.
Joe is a corporate lawyer, a member of our capital markets group and head of our interdisciplinary ESG Risk practice. His work is company-focused, and beyond capital markets matters like IPOs and debt offerings, Joe advises on corporate governance, M&A and SEC enforcement.
Since 2014 Joe has advised numerous companies in the digital asset space. On behalf of Grayscale, Joe successfully challenged the SEC’s refusal to approve bitcoin ETFs, and today Grayscale’s GBTC is the world’s largest bitcoin ETF. An authority on crypto, Joe has testified before Congress on digital asset regulation, regularly speaks at crypto conferences, and has authored articles on crypto regulatory reform.
Earlier in his career, Joe served as a senior member of SEC Chairman William Donaldson’s leadership team.
Experience highlights
Selected Representations
- Grayscale Bitcoin Trust approved as world’s largest bitcoin ETF
- Clarivate $5.3 billion acquisition of ProQuest
- Galaxy Digital $1.2 billion acquisition of BitGo, U.S. domestication and listing
- MicroStrategy $500 million senior secured notes offering
- MicroStrategy $650 million convertible senior notes offering
- Grayscale Ethereum Trust share registration
- Registration of shares of first-of-its-kind Grayscale Bitcoin Trust
- Intercontinental Exchange $920 million block trade
- Intercontinental Exchange $6.5 billion notes offering
- Visa $3.25 billion notes offering
- Clarivate $6.8 billion combination with CPA Global
Insights
News
Credentials
Recognition
IFLR1000 – Capital markets (Debt, Equity), New York
Chambers FinTech - FinTech Legal: Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies
American Crypto Association – Top 25 Crypto Lawyers, 2020
Crain’s New York Business – “Notable LGBTQ Leaders,” 2022
Who’s Who Legal – Capital Markets – Debt & Equity
Education
- Charles Bathgate Beck Prize
- Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
- James Kent Scholar
- Notes and Comments Editor, Columbia Law Review
- with highest honors
Clerkships
Professional history
- Partner, Davis Polk, 1999-2003 and 2005-present
- Managing Executive for Policy and Market Regulation Counsel for Chairman William H. Donaldson, Securities and Exchange Commission, 2003-2005
- Corporate Counsel, Reuters America, 1994-1996
- Davis Polk, 1989-1994 and 1996-2003
Qualifications and admissions
- State of New York