SEC Wells Notice Lawyer for Crypto Companies
A Wells notice means SEC staff intend to recommend enforcement. Astraea Counsel prepares Wells submissions and defends crypto issuers, exchanges, and founders. Brandon Orewyler handles the enforcement defense and the parallel civil exposure; Chanté Eliaszadeh handles the securities analysis, drawing on the law-school summer she spent as an honors intern in the SEC's Cyber Unit.
Lead attorney: Brandon Orewyler, Founder & Principal
- Licensed in California · State Bar No. 324391 — verify
- Consultations scheduled directly with the attorney, not an intake desk
Where you might be right now
- You received a Wells notice and the response window is already running
- You received an SEC subpoena or a voluntary document request about a token offering
- Your testimony, or a founder's, has been scheduled
- Staff assert your token is an unregistered security
- You expect parallel exposure — CFTC, state regulators, or class-action plaintiffs
How we defend you
- Decode the staff's theory: which statutes, which transactions, and what the realistic exposure is
- Draft the Wells submission — the advocacy document that can persuade the Commission not to authorize charges
- Negotiate with staff on settlement posture, undertakings, and charge framing
- Manage parallel proceedings so a statement in one forum does not sink another
- Brief boards and investors on exposure with lawyer-grade candor
Recognition
- Astraea Counsel ranked in Chambers USA: Spotlight 2026 — Fintech (Los Angeles)
- Lawdragon 500 X — The Next Generation: Crypto Regulation, Disputes, Blockchain (2026), Chanté Eliaszadeh
- 2024 Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award, The Burton Awards — Chanté Eliaszadeh, co-author (White & Case)
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America — Commercial Litigation (2027), Brandon Orewyler
- Summer honors intern, Cyber Unit, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (2018), Chanté Eliaszadeh
- Invited speaker: American Bar Association Business Law Section, Korea Blockchain Week (BIF25), ETHDenver, GRR Live, Blockchain Law for Social Good Conference, Art Basel Miami, and Berkeley Law; keynote, Computational Law & Blockchain Festival
Common Questions
How long do I have to respond to a Wells notice?
The window is short — typically measured in weeks, with extensions sometimes negotiable. Engage counsel immediately; the submission's quality depends on how early the defense analysis starts.
Does a Wells notice mean charges are certain?
No. It means staff intend to recommend charges. The Wells submission exists precisely because the Commission can decline, narrow, or resolve the matter — that is the fight worth having.
Should I talk to SEC staff without counsel?
No. Anything you say can be used against you and can shape the staff's recommendation to the Commission. Route all contact through counsel from the first call.
Book a Call With Brandon Orewyler
Pick a time that works for you — a 15-minute introductory call, no forms, no waiting.
Pick a date and time
Prefer to send a message instead?
Get Wells notice counsel today
The response window is running. Schedule an enforcement defense consultation now.
Talk to an AttorneyAttorney advertising. Each case result described on this page was dependent on the facts of that case, and the results will differ if based on different facts. No attorney-client relationship is formed by visiting this page or submitting the contact form.