Rick Tapia

Rick Tapia is a digital asset attorney and General Counsel at Digital Wealth Partners, an SEC-registered individual retirement account platform managing approximately $300 million in assets. He is also the Founding Partner of Restored Law, PLLC, where he provides general counsel services to blockchain, fintech, and emerging technology companies. With nearly a decade of experience in the crypto sector, Tapia focuses on corporate governance, securities regulation, tokenization, and legal strategy for digital asset ventures.

Overview

Tapia’s work sits at the intersection of blockchain innovation and regulatory compliance. As digital assets become more integrated into traditional financial systems, legal professionals play a key role in structuring businesses, ensuring regulatory alignment, and guiding companies through complex legal environments. Tapia’s experience spans both advisory and in-house roles, allowing him to support early-stage startups as well as more established investment platforms.

His approach emphasizes practical, business-focused legal guidance, particularly for founders building in fast-moving sectors such as Web3, decentralized finance, and tokenized asset markets. This includes helping companies navigate governance, compliance, and investor expectations while maintaining operational flexibility.

Career and Background

Tapia has approximately nine years of experience working in the cryptocurrency and fintech industries. He currently serves as General Counsel at Digital Wealth Partners, where he oversees legal and compliance matters for a regulated platform offering digital asset exposure through retirement accounts. This role involves aligning crypto investment products with U.S. regulatory frameworks and ensuring adherence to SEC requirements.

In addition to his in-house responsibilities, Tapia founded Restored Law, PLLC, a legal practice focused on providing general counsel support to emerging technology companies. His work includes advising on corporate formation, governance structures, regulatory compliance, and capital raising strategies. By offering both full-scale and ad hoc legal services, he supports companies that may not yet require a full-time internal legal team.

Previously, Tapia served as General Counsel at Digital Ascension Group, where he established governance frameworks, advised a registered investment adviser unit, and developed fund and token documentation. His work contributed to the firm’s expansion in digital asset management, particularly in areas related to fund structuring and compliance.

Legal Practice and Areas of Expertise

Tapia’s legal expertise spans multiple domains relevant to the crypto and fintech sectors. His work focuses on helping companies structure operations in a way that supports both innovation and regulatory compliance.

• Corporate governance: Structuring companies, board processes, and internal controls for scalable operations.
• Securities and digital asset regulation: Advising on compliance with evolving regulatory frameworks.
• Token launches: Legal support for token generation events and associated documentation.
• RWA tokenization: Structuring and advising on tokenized real-world asset initiatives.
• Fund formation: Development of investment vehicles and supporting legal documentation.
• General counsel services: Ongoing legal advisory for startups and growth-stage companies.

Policy and Industry Engagement

Tapia is also active in policy and industry advocacy. He serves as President of the Stand With Crypto Indiana chapter, where he engages with policymakers and supports legislation related to digital assets and innovation. His work in this area reflects the importance of regulatory dialogue as governments continue to define frameworks for blockchain technology and financial products.

In addition, Tapia is a frequent keynote speaker and continuing legal education presenter. His presentations focus on translating complex technical and regulatory concepts into practical legal strategies, helping founders, investors, and legal professionals understand how to operate within the evolving digital asset landscape.

Relevance to Crypto Markets

Tapia’s role is significant because legal infrastructure is a critical component of the crypto ecosystem. As projects move from experimental stages to regulated markets, they must address issues such as compliance, governance, investor protection, and regulatory classification. Legal professionals help ensure that these requirements are met while allowing innovation to continue.

The integration of digital assets into regulated financial products, including retirement accounts and investment funds, further increases the need for legal expertise. Platforms offering exposure to assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum must operate within established frameworks while adapting to new regulatory developments.

Risks and Considerations

The legal environment for digital assets remains complex and subject to ongoing change. Regulatory interpretations can shift, and compliance requirements may evolve as authorities refine their approach to blockchain-based financial products. Companies operating in this space must be prepared to adapt to new rules and expectations.

Tapia’s work reflects the broader challenge of aligning decentralized technologies with traditional legal systems. His experience in governance, compliance, and advisory services positions him as a contributor to the development of legally sound, scalable digital asset businesses.

• Restored Law, PLLC Founding Partner 2024 - Present
• Digital Wealth Partners General Counsel
• DraftChain.AI CEO and Co-Founder