Washingtonian·May 2026
DC's 500 Most Influential People of 2026
Named to Washingtonian's annual list of the 500 most influential people in Washington, D.C., described as “a primary architect of the Digital Markets Restructure Act.”
Bellementis PLLC · Washington, D.C.Powered by SophieLex
Experts in law
across legacy
and tech.
One Market. One Counsel.
A full-service boutique law firm advising institutions, companies, funds, founders, and market participants across corporate, litigation, regulatory, transactional, AI, and digital asset matters.
Built for the convergence of traditional finance, emerging technologies, and on-chain infrastructure.
/01 Regulatory & Compliance
/02 Investigations, Enforcement & Litigation
/03 Business & Transactions
/04 Policy, Congressional Investigations & Sovereign Advisory
Powered by SophieLex
SophieLex, a legal intelligence platform built by the same founding team, gives the firm a distinctive operating model: lawyers who advise clients at the intersection of law, technology, financial markets, and emerging regulation will work with purpose-built legal AI infrastructure designed for primary-source grounding, citation-aware analysis, attorney oversight, and high-sensitivity legal environments.
Bridging legacy & techWhere capital markets
Where capital markets
meet code.
Bellementis is a full-service boutique built to operate at the seam between traditional financial markets, the digital asset economy, and the regulators that govern both.
/ Traditional finance
Banks, broker-dealers, capital markets.
Decades of SEC, CFTC, and FINRA experience advising regulated institutions through examinations, enforcement, and complex transactions.
/ Disputes & investigations
Litigation, enforcement, congressional inquiries.
High-stakes litigation, internal investigations, white-collar defense, and congressional investigations across financial markets, technology, and policy.
/ Digital & AI
Tokens, exchanges, AI, Web3.
Counsel for issuers, custodians, DeFi platforms, AI builders, and DAOs navigating regulatory frontiers in real time.
About Bellementis
One Market. One Counsel.
A full-service law firm advising innovators, institutions, companies, funds, and market participants across litigation, regulatory, transactional, congressional investigations, AI, and digital asset matters.
Built for the convergence of finance, technology, and modern regulatory systems, the firm combines sophisticated legal judgment with deep fluency in emerging technologies, digital infrastructure, and evolving markets. From complex disputes and investigations to corporate transactions, policy strategy, and next-generation financial systems, we operate at the intersection of law, markets, and technological change.
We do not simply respond to evolving legal and regulatory environments; we are built to shape them.
A U.S. law firm practice engineered from the ground up to operate across one integrated financial market—traditional and digital, centralized and on-chain—not two.
Competencies · 17 disciplines
A step above the rest.
From AI governance to capital markets to congressional investigations: under one roof, with one team that talks to each other.
/ 01
Digital & Financial Markets
The flagship practice. One integrated team across securities, commodities and derivatives, banking and payments, and digital asset markets.
Read more/ 02
Securities & Capital Markets
SEC registration, capital markets transactions, '40 Act funds, investment adviser counsel, and enforcement defense.
Read more/ 03
Artificial Intelligence
AI governance, model-risk management, training data, regulatory compliance, and transactional counsel.
Read more/ 04
White Collar, Enforcement & Investigations
White-collar defense, internal investigations, and SEC, CFTC, DOJ, and congressional inquiry counsel.
Read more/ 05
Mergers & Acquisitions
Buy-side and sell-side M&A for buyers, sellers, boards, and special committees, with depth in fintech, digital asset, and bank-partnership deals, plus SPAC and de-SPAC transactions.
Read more/ 06
Policy & Legislative Affairs
Federal and state advocacy, legislative drafting, comment letters, exemptive relief, and multi-agency engagement—shaping the rules clients actually live under.
Read morePeopleSerious legal work,
Serious legal work,
handled properly.
We advise across corporate, commercial, regulatory, and investigations matters. Clear guidance, practical execution, no unnecessary complexity.
/ Managing Partner
Teresa Goody Guillén
Architect of the Digital Markets Restructure Act · Former SEC · Crypto Pioneer
Teresa Goody Guillén is the founding Managing Partner of Bellementis PLLC. A former attorney in the SEC’s Office of the General Counsel, she has been ranked by Chambers, named to Securities Docket’s SEC Enforcement Elite, and honored as Litigator of the Week by The Am Law Litigation Daily.
In May 2026, Washingtonian named her one of DC’s 500 Most Influential People, describing her as “a primary architect of the Digital Markets Restructure Act.” Reportedly considered by the Trump transition team for Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, she now leads Bellementis PLLC.
- DC's 500 Most InfluentialWashingtonian · May 2026
- Chambers RankedBlockchain & Cryptocurrencies
- Enforcement EliteSecurities Docket · multiple years
- Litigator of the WeekAm Law Litigation Daily · July 2024
- Legal 500 RecognizedDisputes & Corporate Investigations
- Former SECOffice of the General Counsel
In the press
View full media archiveA voice the markets read.
The Wall Street JournalThe New York TimesFinancial TimesReuters / APPoliticoBloombergCNBCFox BusinessCoinDeskThe BlockCointelegraphWashingtonian
The New York Times·Mar 2026
Crypto's Richest Man Details His Secret Talks, Prison Time
Quoted as personal counsel to Changpeng Zhao in The New York Times' coverage of the Binance founder's forthcoming memoir.
The Wall Street Journal·Dec 2025
Inside the New Fast Track to a Presidential Pardon
Quoted defending the integrity of CZ's pardon process, stating he was “pardoned for justice”, across multiple WSJ features tracing the year's most-watched pardon story.
Politico Influence·Oct 2025
Binance Pardon Lobby Pays Off
Detailed coverage of her work as the lead crypto lawyer hired to lead the pardon effort, and her concurrent role advising World Liberty Financial on policy matters.
Working with usTwo paths.
Two paths.
One standard.
Whether you are navigating a complex dispute, regulatory issue, transaction, investigation, or emerging technology matter, we structure teams around the needs of the client and the problem at hand.
/ For clients
Open a matter.
Bring us the problem: capital markets, regulatory, AI, crypto, investigations, or something we haven't seen before. We respond within one business day.
Start the conversation/ For attorneysPractice with us.
We're building the boutique we wish existed. Sharp lawyers, interesting work, modern practice.
See what we look for