In this episode of Beyond the Code, I sit down with the brilliant and trailblazing Joni Pirovich — a lawyer, entrepreneur, and the mind behind Crystal, an AI-powered legal tool tailored for the crypto industry.
We trace Joni’s remarkable journey: from growing up on a mango farm in Australia to becoming one of the most forward-thinking crypto lawyers in the space. She shares how her passion for tax reform led her into international law, and eventually into crypto — long before it was cool.
Along the way, we talk about:
🔹 The origin story of bdas'l (pronounced "bedazzle"), her crypto-focused law firm;
🔹 What it was like advocating for blockchain-based tax reform at the OECD;
🔹 The evolution of crypto legal services and why “full stack” lawyering is essential;
🔹 The creation of Crystal — an AI tool trained on global crypto regulation and designed to support lawyers and compliance professionals;
🔹 What makes Crystal different from ChatGPT (hint: it's smarter at crypto);
🔹 Building for privacy, scalability, and the future of agentic compliance;
🔹 Visions of a future with Crystal Companion, an always-on co-pilot for DeFi and legal workflows;
Plus, we dive into the challenges of building in AI, the overlap with legal ethics, and what makes crypto still worth believing in.
Whether you're a lawyer, builder, or investor in the crypto space — this one’s packed with insight.
🎧 Explore Crystal: 💡 https://www.cryptococounsel.com
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👤 Follow Joni on LinkedIn: Joni Pirovich