Author: Horizons Law & Consulting Group
Summary
Aura will retain legal counsel for 1 year. Counsel will ensure that the DAO has legal representation advising it on the changing regulatory environment and that sensitive deliverables are handled appropriately. Additionally, Counsel will facilitate suitable legal representation for Aura in all applicable situations, making relevant referrals within Counsel’s professional network when necessary.
Motivation
Due to the unpredictable nature of DAO regulation and the severe repercussions that we have seen imposed on other DAOs and DAO contributors, Aura DAO will establish legal counsel to ensure that it is operating in a maximally compliant and decentralized manner. Horizons will also aim to ensure that relevant community members are protected in the event that individual contributors require legal representation. Horizons has considerable experience representing DAOs and is an ideal candidate for advising and representing the DAO.
Specification
Aura will offer a 1-year package of 100K USD in Aura, to be transferred biweekly from the Aura Ecosystem Fund, with an initial one month retainer of 8,333.33 USD in Aura, in order to retain legal representation from Horizons Law & Consulting Group (“Horizons”) for the DAO. The advisory will begin upon approval of this AIP.
Horizons is a crypto-native law firm focused on providing industry-leading counsel on all aspects of cryptocurrency and blockchain matters to companies of all sizes, with years of experience in cryptocurrency, blockchain/distributed ledger technology and banking, including regulatory and business issues. Having been in the space since 2016, Horizons lawyers have an in-depth knowledge about the cryptocurrency landscape, specializing in assisting emergent, early and mid-stage companies with a variety of transactional and litigation matters. Horizons is one of the first and only law firms to focus solely on blockchain technology.
Ryon Nixon, the Founding Partner of Horizons, will join Aura as Counsel on behalf of Horizons. Ryon has advised many DAOs since starting Horizons in 2016, including Olympus DAO, Synthetix DAO, Kwenta DAO, and more. He has industry-best expertise in the area of DAO operations and management. Ryon will be supported by additional Horizons attorneys as necessary.
Horizons will be available for up to 20 hours a month to review legal matters and operational ongoings, ensuring that Aura DAO is acting in the best interest of its community members. These hours will accrue in less active times should they be needed during more active periods. Additionally, should a Core Contributor or Governance member require legal representation for an issue directly related to the legality of operations, Horizons will either advise the individual or make an appropriate referral to an attorney in their professional network if necessary.
Should it become necessary, an Aura community member can write a AIP to terminate the engagement for reasonable cause and upon the showing of good faith evidence.
Voting
This vote will be a single-choice vote. You may vote “For” or “Against” this proposal, or choose to abstain from the vote. By voting “For” this proposal, you are voting in favor of retaining Horizons as legal representative and Ryon Nixon as Counsel.