Allison E. Raley

Allison is a partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice. She serves as co-chair of the Emerging Technologies industry team and AGG’s Women in Tech Law initiative. She is also a member of the Payment Systems & Fintech industry team. A former global tech general counsel and chief compliance officer, she brings a distinct business-focused approach to her client representation.

As an authority in the enforcement defense and regulatory compliance space with a deep tech stack understanding, Allison’s work primarily involves emerging technologies either at rapid-growth companies or new product offers for public companies. With her diverse background focused on emerging technologies, financial services, securities, payment processing, ecommerce, and card platforms industries, Allison works closely with her clients to reach their revenue and product goals while ensuring compliance and consumer safety. She serves clients in spaces related to the blockchain ecosystem, AI, payments and fintech, traditional banking and financial services institutions, medical technologies, and industries regulated by the SEC.

She has advised businesses around the world with a particular focus on U.S., EU, Asian, and South American markets. Allison’s New York Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) experience includes BitLicense maintenance, consent order defense, examination and remediation response, material change representation, and licensure pursuit experience, which is a unique trait among private practitioners. She has also defended NYDFS, Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and SEC enforcement matters, as well as handled matters related to IRS Title 31, BitLicense Part 200 and Part 500, the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (“MiCA”), Digital Operational Resilience Act (“DORA”), General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), and the Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”).

Allison also leverages her experience as both outside and in-house counsel to help businesses manage U.S. and global licensing, regulatory audit response, and risk assessments. Additionally, she assists companies with managing, scaling, and training legal, compliance, risk, audit, cybersecurity, and IT departments. Her dual background shapes her perspective when speaking to regulators and representing her clients in new product launches and enforcement defense. As Allison is deeply familiar with the challenges her clients face internally, her advice and program builds are always tailored to achieving business and revenue goals, while minimizing enterprise and regulatory risk. Further, Allison’s private practice experience includes complex commercial and enforcement defense litigation for Fortune 5 to rapid growth and emerging phase companies.

To keep current on the ever-evolving fintech landscape, Allison maintains a number of certifications as a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist, Certified Global Sanctions Specialist, Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator, and Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager. She is also a frequent speaker on cryptocurrency and payment systems issues, having presented topics such as the merchant’s guide to accepting crypto, the difference between centralized and distributed ledger financing, assessing risk in emerging markets, and more.

While earning her J.D. from Baylor Law School, Allison was an articles editor for the Baylor Law Review and a Texas Young Lawyer’s State Moot Court Champion. She received her B.A. from Drury University, where she was an NCAA Academic All-American Golfer.

Outside of her practice, Allison is a leader in Northwest Arkansas community organizations. She is a member of the Fund Development Committee for the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas and dedicates her time to supporting the International Justice Mission in their mission to end global slavery. She also serves as an ornithological consultant for the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and is a charter member of TechGC, an industry group for general counsels at high-growth technology companies and venture capital funds.