Meet Ignacio Celis-Aguirre
Key member of Siglo’s legal advisory team

Ignacio is an associate at Ross & Shulga a law firm that is focused on representing SaaS and Software development companies in digital advertising and mobile application sectors. The boutique firm is part of Siglo’s legal advisory team, which is led by partner Gary Ross. Ross & Shulga has extensive experience both in corporate and securities law, advising startups and funds, and particularly with crowd funding. Siglo engaged Ross & Shulga in 2017, and they act as general counsel for US business and provide general oversight on token issuance in conjunction with legal counsel in other jurisdictions. In a quick interview Ignacio talked to us about the firm, blockchain and Siglo, keep on reading to know more.
1. When did you become interested in blockchain? Was it before or after you finished law school at the University of Pennsylvania?
While in law school I became very interested in the intersection between law and technology and in the various ways that laws and legal frameworks, which have historically developed slowly and meticulously, deal with the rapid explosions of new technologies. This curiosity naturally led me to become interested in blockchain.
2. What kind of customers do you have at Ross & Shulga? What percent of your work is related to token issuances, token funds, and blockchain? What percentage are international projects involving multiple jurisdictions?
At Ross & Shulga we specialize in corporate and securities law. Our clients include emerging tech companies, investors, and investment funds. Given the rapid adoption and increased popularity of blockchain technology in these industries, more of our work has become blockchain-related. However, the majority of our work does not involve blockchain projects. I believe almost all of our blockchain projects involve multiple jurisdictions — the character of blockchain makes it a global phenomenon.
3. Based on what you’ve seen happening in the space with ICO’s, TGE and token sales, how is Siglo unique?
Many blockchain projects out there are just a couple of people, a white paper, and a dream. Siglo actually has a product, and it is a product that lends itself well to blockchain. Also, their focus is on helping people in emerging markets gain access to the internet, and they have worked hard to develop and to continue to develop a useful product that lets them achieve that, instead of just raising as much as they can as soon as they can.
4. During your engagement with Siglo, there have been numerous occasions where your Spanish fluency was invaluable. How did your learn Spanish?
My family is from Mexico, and I spent most of my childhood in Mexico before immigrating to the US permanently. I am glad it has proven useful while working with Siglo. It has been meaningful to work with a client trying to better my home country.
5. It seems like the regulatory and legal environment in blockchain is changing so quickly. How do you keep up?
By the nature of our work we need to keep track of the evolving regulatory and legal framework of blockchain. Every fresh development in the blockchain space has new implications on what we do for clients. On an almost daily basis the latest SEC release, legal article or news article discussing a new argument or interpretation about some aspect of blockchain will be circulating around the office. I would also recommend listening to webinars or attending panels to learn more about the evolving landscape.

