Adam Chernichaw
Partner
New York
Adam Chernichaw
Partner
New York
Contact Details
Adam is a partner in the Technology Transactions practice in the New York office. Adam advises clients in structuring complex (and often innovative and transformative) commercial transactions to help execute their strategic goals.
He represents a variety of global businesses across a number of industry sectors including financial services, social media, life sciences, food services, commercial airlines, telecommunications, sports, hospitality and entertainment. For over twenty years, Adam has had a particular focus in the financial technology (fintech) sector, representing buy-side and sell-side institutions, users of fintech products and services, and companies seeking strategic alliances and product integrations.
Adam has extensive experience in information technology and business process outsourcings, cloud and "as a service" offerings, payment processing services (including BIN Sponsorship arrangements, P2P payments systems, and other payment services), mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures.
Qualifications
Professional
Admitted: Bar of the State of New York, 1996
US District Court for the Southern District of New York
US District Court for the Eastern District of New York
Academic
JD, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 1995
BA, State University of New York at Albany, 1991
Related articles
Publications: 12 January 2022
Why software deals are proving irresistible to a diverse range of investors
Experience highlights
Square in connection with founding the Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance, a non-profit community formed to encourage the adoption and advancement of cryptocurrency technologies.
Facebook in connection with various payments matters, including the establishment of the Libra Foundation (now known as Diem) and matters involving the Novi wallet.
Facebook and WhatsApp in connection with various international payments matters, including serving as lead FinTech transactions counsel in the technology, commerce and product integration deal associated with the US$5.7 billion investment by Facebook into Jio Platforms Ltd., a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, India’s largest telecom operator.
Global Financial Institution in the outsourcing of its asset management investment platform – one of the largest outsourcing deals of its kind at the time – to BlackRock. The solution offered a highly scalable system with the ability to evolve with the client’s needs.
Qualifications
Professional
Admitted: Bar of the State of New York, 1996
US District Court for the Southern District of New York
US District Court for the Eastern District of New York
Academic
JD, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 1995
BA, State University of New York at Albany, 1991
Other noteworthy experience
Advising:
- Global Financial Institution in connection with advice on a strategic, multi-year partnership with Google Cloud aimed at accelerating the bank’s transition to cloud services and the co-innovation of new products and services.
- Aramco Services and Saudi Aramco. Represented Aramco Services and Saudi Aramco for over a year, on a strategic outsourcing for systems integration, application development and maintenance for IT systems to run one of the largest integrated chemical facilities in the world. These facilities are currently being built as part of a recently announced US$20 billion Sadara Chemical Company joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical. The transactions include four separate Framework Agreements covering the complete automation of the facilities and integration of the systems of the various facilities that are associated with the project.
- Global Financial Institution. Represented a global financial institution in outsourcing certain human resources functions (such as recruitment processes, travel and entertainment services, background screening, commission payment and employee benefit plan administration) and "software as a service" transactions.
- Grupo Bimbo. Represented an international baked goods company in one of the largest information technology outsourcing transactions for Latin America.
- Verizon Wireless. Represented Verizon Wireless in connection with the "Softcard" joint venture, with other major wireless carriers, for the development of a wireless payment platform. Work included advising on the structure of technology and IP contributions, vendor selection and negotiation of the sourcing and licensing arrangements with the various parties engaged to build the platform, commercial terms and potential royalty and value streams, as well as the rights as between the venture and the participating carriers and third-party licensees.
- Tribe Mobile. Represented Tribe Mobile in connection with its strategic partnership with the Virgin Group to launch Virgin as a branded mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in the Latin American region.
- Commercial airline. Represented a commercial airline in connection with outsourcing the building of a new wide area network to support its global reservation and passenger check-in system.
Published work
- Chernichaw, Petrasic, Shukla and Bronfrieund (2018) “The Year of Blockchain: Global Legal Framework Begins to take Form”, SA Financial Regulation Journal.
- Chernichaw (2017), Introduction and Contributing Author for “Chambers 2017 Legal Developments in the Global FinTech Sector Guide"
Recognition
Absolutely amazing. He's not just technically astute but has legal, commercial and practical expertise as well. Adam is one of the best, if not the best out there. He has the acumen, the skill sets and the ability.
Chambers USA 2021
I primarily go to Adam for a lot of the complicated deals because I know it takes a lot of dedication. He is willing to provide the level of dedication that is required.
Chambers Fintech Legal 2022
Awards & accolades
Ranked Lawyer, FinTech Legal: Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies
USA Chambers Fintech, 2021-2022
Ranked Lawyer, Nationwide Technology
Chambers USA 2021
Ranked Lawyer, New York Technology
Chambers USA 2021
