Matthew E. Kohen is a Partner and Chair of the firm’s Business Transactions Practice Group. He focuses his practice on the representation of companies, investors, and funds in complex capital raising, merger, acquisition, and investment transactions. His corporate, investor, and investment fund clients operate in a wide variety of industries, including technology, financial services, and supply chain and logistics.

Through his experience in a unique variety of transactions, Mr. Kohen has represented public and private companies in a various industries in transactional matters, including pubic securities offerings (SPACs, warrant tender offers), debt financings (negotiation of significant credit facilities and corporate debt offerings), private equity transactions (recapitalizations, leveraged buyouts), and various general corporate and capital formation matters for startup and growth companies (SAFEs, convertible notes, equity financings, joint ventures). Due to the variety and sophistication of the transactions handled by Mr. Kohen, he is able to identify the often-unforeseen risks associated with complex and unique deals. As such he routinely advises both companies and insurers on matters related to representation and warranty insurance.

Mr. Kohen is also a leading expert in blockchain and digital currencies. Mr. Kohen has counseled some of the industry’s leading companies and investors on matters involving core developer fiduciary duties, anti-trust laws in connection with blockchain “forks”, and risk mitigation for users and maintainers of smart contracts. Mr. Kohen is a sought-after commentator on the rapidly-developing legal and compliance landscape for financial technology companies and has been featured in numerous publications such as The Daily Business Review, American Banker, Law360, ABA Journal, CoinDesk, CoinTelegraph, and The Regulatory Review. He is also the co-author of the leading treatise on state regulations affecting virtual currencies, published quarterly by Thomson Reuters.

Mr. Kohen served as Innovation Committee Chairman on the Young Alumni Board of the University of Miami Law Alumni Association Board of Directors, and he has lectured at the University of Miami School of Law. He has been deemed a “Super Lawyer Rising Star” by his peers from 2017-2022 and has been nominated and confirmed to serve as a member of Dade Legal Aid’s Leadership Academy.

Education

University of Miami, J.D., Magna Cum Laude

  • Dean’s List
  • University Of Miami Law Review

American University, B.A. Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, Government (C.L.E.G.)  American University, B.A. Political Science

Bar Admission

Florida

Notable Transactions

Real Estate

  • Counseled real estate technology company in capital formation and transactions involving three of the largest landlords in New York City.
  • Represented buyer in a historic home purchase in Coral Gables, Florida.
  • Advised on an investment in a high-end waterfront spec house development project.
  • Represented a client in the acquisition of a medical facility in Orange Park, Florida.

Private Equity & Investment

  • Advised private equity firm on equity recapitalization of a top e-commerce fulfillment company.
  • Facilitated companies and funds in raising over $160 million in equity capital through tokenized securities.
  • Represented a company in its sale to a major defense contractor, including negotiation of a management rollover.
  • Represented a notable cannabis company in an equity financing led by a significant New York-based investment group.
  • Represented a client in the acquisition of an equity stake in a venture fund, general partnership in Switzerland.
  • Represented a Market-Leading Herbal Supplement E-Commerce Company in Sale to Alternative Wellness Buyer.

Finance & Trade

  • Advised the servicer of a multi-billion-dollar mortgage loan portfolio on its sale to a private equity firm.
  • Designed and coordinated a multi-state regulatory compliance framework for companies, including the largest bitcoin ATM operator, an armored car cash management company servicing all 50 U.S. states, and a popular bill payment mobile application.
  • Counseled trade financiers on receivables financing matters, including the negotiation and drafting of maturity factoring agreements and collection factoring agreements.
  • Structured agreements for use by trade financiers in connection with merchant cash advances.

Technology & Blockchain

  • Counseled the world’s largest digital and print publisher on intellectual property monetization through NFT sales.
  • Advised a top blockchain venture fund on portfolio investments, including equity and debt transactions, and investments in digital assets and cryptocurrency tokens.
  • Counseled a Web3 company on securities law compliance and international structuring matters related to metaverse environments and token-facilitated digital economies.
  • Represented the fund manager on the formation of cryptocurrency hedge funds, NFT investment SPVs, and blockchain venture funds.

International Transactions

  • Represented a major Latin American telecommunications company in a high-profile sale.
  • Represented a client in the sale of a goldmine in Mexico.
  • Represented a banking client in a bank merger in the Cayman Islands.
  • Counseled a client on the restructuring of a Brazilian payment processor.
  • Advised a company providing consulting services to sovereign nations on the implementation of central bank digital currencies and the adoption of existing digital currencies as sovereign currencies.

Education & Media

  • Represented a well-known private coding school in its sale to an education conglomerate.
  • Reorganized the business holdings of a charitable foundation established by a prominent American family.
  • Represented an investment in a nautical education influencer backed by a social media strategy company.

Honors

Super Lawyer Rising Star, 2017-2024
Author of the Top Article in Finance & Banking, Securities by the JD Supra Readers’ Choice Awards, 2020
Recognized as a Top Article in Finance & Banking, Securities by the 2020 JD Supra Readers’ Choice Awards
Dade Legal Aid Leadership Academy, 2019
Top author in cybersecurity by the JD Supra Readers’ Choice Awards, 2016

Involvement

American Bar Association
One Community One Goal, Miami-Dade County’s official economic development organization

  • Miami-Dade Beacon Council
  • Information Technology Committee

InfraGard, Communications, Financial Services & Information Technology Sectors
Florida International Bankers Association, Innovation Committee

Matthew E. Kohen, Esq. Contact Details

You can reach Matthew E. Kohen, Esq. by calling 954-595-6073 or emailing mkohen@shawlewenz.com. Alternatively, you can fill out the form below, and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible.

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Matthew in the press

Federal Court Unsealed Revealing Key Pre-Suit Ruling Shaw Lewenz Advises SML Group on Sale of Clarity® Software Business to Omegro Shaw Lewenz Ranked by Best Law Firms in 2025 Justice Department Sues Visa for Monopolizing Debit Markets Close Up View Of The Broward County Courthouse SL Secures Defense Verdict in Right of First Refusal Case Involving Parent Co.’s Sale of Subsidiary Federal Judges in Florida and Texas Block FTC’s Non-Compete Rule