Lee Schneider left his post as Block.one's general counsel in May 2021. He became the first general counsel at Ava Labs, a company that supports the Avalanche blockchain, Ava Labs' own Medium post dated May 27, 2021 said1. Schneider had spent more than three years as Block.one's general counsel, Bloomberg Law reported on May 27, 2021. Peter Thiel backs Block.one, a blockchain software developer2. At Ava Labs, Schneider took charge of the firm's legal matters and government affairs strategy, the Medium post said.
The second executive exit at Block.one on the record since 2021
Every move CryptoLately has verified there, by the day it became public
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| May 8, 2018 | Schneider became General Counsel. Lee A. Schneider was named General Counsel of Block.one |
| May 13, 2018 | Jesudason became COO. Rob Jesudason was named Group President and Chief Operating Officer of Block.one |
| Jan. 10, 2021 | Larimer left as CTO. Daniel Larimer left as Chief Technology Officer of Block.one |
| May 27, 2021 | Schneider left as General Counsel. Lee A. Schneider left as General Counsel of Block.one |
Nine executive exits on the record in 2021
Executive exits CryptoLately has verified, by year
- 2021: 9
- 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2022 | 9 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 11 |
| 2025 | 20 |
The move
Block.one's own chief legal officer confirmed the exit to Bloomberg Law. “He remains a doyen of the blockchain industry and we wish him well in his new role,” Alex Erasmus said in a statement Bloomberg Law published on May 27, 20212. Ava Labs framed the hire around Schneider's record in the field. “Few people understand the legal and regulatory issues in our space as well as Lee,” John Wu, president of Ava Labs, said in the Medium post1. Schneider described his new employer in similar terms. “Ava Labs is at the cutting edge of blockchains, digital assets and DeFi,” he said in the same post.
Bloomberg Law traced his path through the field. “Prior to joining Ava Labs, Schneider was General Counsel at Block.One, where he played a key role in that company's token sale as well as several of its major projects,” the outlet reported2. Earlier still, Schneider led the blockchain, fintech and broker-dealer practices at two major international law firms, the Medium post said. He also co-founded Global Blockchain Convergence1.
Before and after
At Block.one, Schneider's work centered on the firm's token sale and its major projects, Bloomberg Law's report said, citing more than three years in the role as of May 20212. Ava Labs built its general counsel post around him, the Medium post said, naming him the firm's "first General Counsel"1. Cornell University computer scientists founded Ava Labs. By the time Schneider joined, the firm had funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Initialized Capital and Polychain Capital, the Medium post said.
What the record shows
Ava Labs' Medium post and Bloomberg Law's report, both dated May 27, 2021, cover the move from each side12. Block.one's chief legal officer, Alex Erasmus, confirmed the exit on the record that day. Schneider's title, general counsel, carried over unchanged from one firm to the next. A Google News search on October 3, 2026, looked for a later page on his tenure at Ava Labs. That search returned commentary that leaves his title unstated.
Sources
- Ava Labs, "Crypto Legal Expert Lee Schneider Joins Ava Labs as First General Counsel," Medium, May 27, 2021, https://medium.com/avalancheavax/crypto-legal-expert-lee-schneider-joins-ava-labs-as-first-general-counsel-83471ad585c0
- Brian Baxter, "Blockchain Startup Ava Labs Makes Crypto Veteran Top Lawyer," Bloomberg Law, May 27, 2021, https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/blockchain-startup-ava-labs-adds-crypto-veteran-as-legal-chief