photo of Tung Chan

Tung Chan

General Counsel
DAV Foundation

Tung is the General Counsel for the DAV Foundation, a startup developing an open source decentralized network on the blockchain for drones and other autonomous vehicles. She was the former General Counsel for the Ethereum Foundation, advising Ethereum in the early days starting from the launch of its genesis block in July 2015 through its meteoric rise to a market capitalization of over $150 billion in early 2018. Prior to Ethereum, Tung was the Commissioner of Securities for the State of Hawaii, regulating securities and franchises for the State and leading a team of attorneys and investigators. She also oversaw the State's corporate registration filings.

An experienced lawyer who has advised both public and private Fortune 100 companies, Tung has expertise in aviation, start-up, Fintech, securities and corporate matters. She was associate general counsel for Hawaiian Airlines, assistant general counsel for New York Life and an associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen and Hamilton in New York City. In addition to her work at DAV, she also runs her own successful private practice, focusing on Fintech and start-ups.

But her early interest in law was in aboriginal title and other principles of human rights. She began her law career clerking for the Honorable Stephanie K. Seymour, Chief Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, and subsequently, the Honorable Richard J. Goldstone on the Constitutional Court of South Africa, during the early adoption of the new post-Apartheid Constitution. At the time, many of the Justices were original framers of the Constitution and leaders in the anti-Apartheid movement.

From the days of being a law clerk under a new South African Constitution to the launch of Ethereum and DAV, she has had the privilege of being part of thoughtful disruption and has seen the power it has to advance humankind. Tung holds an A.B. from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

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Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.

Events featuring Tung Chan
Events featuring Tung Chan