Key Insights:
- Taylor Lindman left Chainlink Labs to become chief counsel of the Crypto Task Force of the US SEC.
- He will replace Michael Selig, who later became CFTC chair.
- Lindman brings about a decade of legal experience, including compliance and crypto regulatory work.
- The US SEC task force continues adding crypto-experienced staff as it expands industry outreach.
Taylor Lindman has joined the SEC’s Crypto Task Force as chief counsel. He is taking over a role previously held by Michael Selig, who now leads the CFTC.
Before this move, Lindman spent five years at Chainlink Labs, where he worked as deputy general counsel. That background gives the task force someone who knows the crypto industry from the inside, at a time when regulators are paying close attention to the sector.
US SEC Crypto Task Force Hires Former Chainlink Executive as Legal Chief
Chainlink Labs said in an X post on Monday that Taylor Lindman was leaving the company after five years. It also confirmed that he had officially joined the SEC’s Crypto Task Force.
Lindman, who served as deputy general counsel at the blockchain firm, has taken the role of chief counsel at the task force. He steps into the position previously held by Michael Selig, who is now the CFTC chair.
Chainlink Labs said Taylor played an important role during his five years at the company as deputy general counsel.
The firm said it was excited to keep working toward a more modern US financial system and to support the industry’s next stage of growth.
Peirce also confirmed Lindman’s appointment on X. She made it clear she has high expectations for what he can do in the role.
Lindman Brings 10 Years of Legal Experience to the US SEC
According to his LinkedIn profile, Lindman spent more than five years at Chainlink and held several legal roles during that time.
His positions included associate general counsel and, later, deputy general counsel.
During his time at Chainlink, Lindman handled compliance work across both US and international rules.
He also took part in a March 2025 meeting with the SEC’s Crypto Task Force as part of a delegation.
The group discussed core policy issues, such as token classification and securities record-keeping requirements.
Before this appointment, Lindman built his legal career in private practice, working at Debevoise & Plimpton and later at Perkins Coie between 2016 and 2021.
He now succeeds Michael Selig, who stepped down from the role in December last year to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
US SEC Crypto Task Force Adds More Industry Veterans
In March 2025, Peirce unveiled the first 14 members of the Crypto Task Force.
The group included several people with direct crypto industry experience. It also brought in staff from the chair’s office, along with teams from other divisions and offices across the SEC.
The task force also includes Landon Zinda and Veronica Reynolds as senior advisors.
Zinda previously served as policy director at Coin Center from March 2023 to February 2025. Reynolds, meanwhile, earlier worked as an associate at Baker Hostetler, a law firm with a strong digital assets and Web3 practice.
The SEC set up its Crypto Task Force after the incoming Trump administration signaled a friendlier approach to crypto policy.
Since then, the task force has stepped up direct engagement with the industry.
It has hosted roundtables and outreach events to collect feedback from crypto firms, academics, and market participants on practical digital asset rules.
This move comes shortly after US SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins and Crypto Task Force head Hester Peirce signaled a push toward a more workable approach to digital assets.
For banks, broker-dealers, and clearing firms, the biggest barrier to crypto has usually not been ideology. In most cases, the real problem has been practical. Digital assets create balance-sheet pressure, and the U.S. regulatory environment still carries too many legal and compliance risks.
Now, that may be starting to change. On February 19, staff in the US SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets released an updated FAQ on the accounting treatment of payment stablecoins.
That update marked a meaningful step toward bringing certain stablecoins into the regulated securities framework.
Source: https://www.thecoinrepublic.com/2026/02/25/us-sec-names-former-chainlink-exec-as-crypto-task-force-legal-chief/
