Del Wright
Professor Louisiana State University
- Baton Rouge LA
Prof. Wright teaches in the areas of tax, finance, business, securities, entrepreneurship, and recently, crypto and blockchain regulation.
Biography
In 2020, Wright published his first book, A Short and Happy Guide to Bitcoin, Blockchain and Crypto. He has two additional books in the works—Legal Issues in Blockchain & Crypto In a Nutshell, and Blockchain, Law & Policy: Materials, Problems & Interdisciplinary Considerations—to be published by West Academic Publishers. His articles have been published in academic journals such as the BNA Tax Management Real Estate Journal, Virginia Tax Law Review, Akron Law Review, Arizona State Law Journal, and the University of Missouri Kansas City Law Review.
He began his academic career at Valparaiso University Law School and taught there from 2010 to 2017, then joined the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School.
Prior to joining the academy, as a prosecutor with DOJ’s Tax Division from 2003 to 2008, Wright prosecuted tax and other white-collar crimes, as well as drug crimes while he served on DOJ’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force in Maryland. During his time with the DOJ, he oversaw multiple criminal investigations, receiving an Outstanding Attorney Award in 2004 and a Special Service Award in 2007.
In private practice following his DOJ service, he worked on tax controversy matters, managing litigation and negotiating settlements in over 30 U.S. Tax Court cases, with the contested amounts exceeding $1 billion. Wright has also previously worked for law firms and finance companies such as Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Bank of America, and Bank of America Securities.
Wright earned a master’s in public policy from Harvard in 1997, a Juris Doctor from The University of Chicago Law School in 1996, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland in 1992. He is a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
Areas of Expertise
Research Focus
Blockchain Regulation & Cryptoasset Taxation
Prof. Wright’s research focuses on regulation of blockchain and cryptoassets, taxation, and business‑finance law. He blends doctrinal analysis, empirical study of enforcement actions, and insights from his DOJ tax‑division experience to clarify legal frameworks for digital assets and guide regulators, attorneys, and innovators.
Accomplishments
Outstanding Attorney Award, DOJ
2004
Education
Harvard University
M.P.P.
1997
University of Chicago School of Law
J.D.
1996
University of Maryland
B.S.
1992
Media Appearances
Tax overhaul in Louisiana: Who will be hit hardest by the state’s new policies?
Unfiltered with Kiran online
2024-12-10
To break down these changes and their potential consequences, UWK spoke with Del Wright, a Vinson & Elkins Endowed Professor of Law at LSU, whose expertise includes tax policy, business, finance, and cryptocurrency. Wright provided insights into how these tax adjustments could shape Louisiana’s future.
Articles
Quadratic Voting and Blockchain Governance
University of Missouri Kansas City Law Review2019
Improperly Burdened: The Uncertain and Sometimes Unfair Application of Tax Penalties
Virginia Tax Review2015
For the past seventeen years, the Internal Revenue Service (Service) and the U.S. Tax Court (Tax Court) have unfairly penalized unrepresented taxpayers by ignoring Congressional safeguards in reaction to widely reported Service abuses. Those safeguards were enacted when Congress passed the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act in 1998 (IRS Reform Act). While the IRS Reform Act stopped many of the more egregious abuses, it has thus far failed to provide the meaningful penalty protections Congress sought.
Event Appearances
Selected Panelist: Cryptocurrency Regulation & Enforcement
2023 | NYU Tax Controversy Forum
Selected Panelist: Regulatory Landscape and Recent Developments in Crypto
2022 | Harvard Law School Alumni Association
Selected Panelist: Crypto and Blockchain for Use in International Trade
2022 | National Association of District Export Councils
Media
