Alexander Urbelis is an internationally recognized technology attorney, cybersecurity expert and the General Counsel / CISO of the Ethereum Name Service. Bridging the gap between legal and technical expertise, Alex is also the architect of an award-winning cyber threat intelligence platform, designed to identify hallmarks of impending cyber attacks, counterfeiting, and other malicious activities. Making international news in March 2020, at the outset of the pandemic, Alex detected and helped neutralise a state-sponsored intrusion attempt on the World Health Organization.

Alex previously served as the Chief Information Security Officer of the National Football League, overseeing cyber risk and the NFL’s worldwide cybersecurity strategy. Alex also served as the Chief Compliance Officer of Richemont, one of the world’s largest luxury conglomerates.

Alex’s government service includes positions within the Central Intelligence Agency, the US Army JAG Corps, and and clerking for Chief Judge Andrew Effron of the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

Alex believes in teaching a multidisciplinary approach to the practice of law and cybersecurity, combining technical and legal measures to deflect and deter cyber incidents. With a background as both a CISO and lawyer, Alex brings a unique perspective to issues such as threat intelligence, digital asset security, cybersecurity governance, and responding to sophisticated cyber adversaries.

Alex’s published works can be found within the Financial Times, CNN, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Intercept, 2600 Magazine, and other similar media outlets. Alex is a member of the Technology Advisory Board of Human Rights First, the UL Security Council, the UL Research Institute Advisory Board, the Uniform Law Commission Committee for the Study of Cybercrime, the Uniform Law Commission Committee for the Study of Deep Fakes, the Society of Professional Investigators, and was a Board Member of the Internet Society, NY Chapter.

Alex is also a consultant for Crowell's New York office. 

Teaching Interests 

• Cybersecurity
• Digital assets
• Web3
• Blockchain
• National security
• Freedom of speech

Selected Publications 

• The Evolving Role of the Lawyer in Cybersecurity | HelpNet Security (20 April 2022)
• DarkSide Attack: Colonial Pipeline’s Recovered Bitcoin is a Ray of Hope | CNN Opinion (16 June 2021)
• Your Day in Court: Social Media Needs a System of Due Process | Financial Times (16 May 2021)
• New Assange Indictment is Legally Idiotic but Politically Shrewd | CNN Opinion (28 May 2019)
• Rethinking Extraterritorial Prosecution in the War on Terror: Examining the Unintentional Yet Foreseeable Consequences of Extraterritorially Criminalizing the Provision of Material Support to Terrorists and Foreign Terrorist Organizations (22 Conn. J. Int'l L. 313 (2006-2007))