Enjin’s Isabel Guidote-Pangalangan Named Fintech Lawyer of the Year at Asian Legal Business Philippine Law Awards 2022

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Editing and additional reporting by Michael Mislos

Isabel “Ish” Guidote-Pangalangan was also winner of “Young Lawyer of the Year (In House)“ and finalist for “Woman Lawyer of the Year“ and “Lawyer of the Year (In House).“
Guidote joined Enjin in August 2021 and has advised the company on legal and regulatory issues in the blockchain and Web3 space.
In an interview with BitPinas, the lawyer stresses the importance of staying on top of news and developments in a rapidly evolving area like blockchain and web3.

Isabel “Ish” Guidote-Pangalangan, Head of Legal at Enjin, was named “Fintech Lawyer of the Year” and also won “In-House Young Lawyer of the Year” at the Asian Legal Business Philippine Law Awards 2022.

Guidote-Pangalangan was also a finalist for “Woman Lawyer of the Year” and “In-House Lawyer of the Year” at the awards ceremony.

Interview: Finding out about the nomination

In an interview with BitPinas, Guidote-Pangalangan said she found out about the nomination last November 2, with the Enjin legal team also shortlisted for “In House Team of the Year” category.

Isabel Guidote Enjin — Isabel “Ish” Guidote

“I was so grateful. Having been shortlisted for one category would have already been so great for me, but 4+1 was certainly a blessing. It was a bit of a bittersweet moment because I knew I wouldn’t be able to attend the awards ceremony as I was scheduled to travel,” Guidote told this publication.

In a statement, Enjin said the award represents a major milestone for web3 as the lawyer is nominated alongside her peers from top law firms and corporations in the country. Blockchain protocol Polkadot also added that Guidote-Pangalangan’s award is a breakthrough moment for recognition of the web3 space.

Enjin is a game-focused blockchain that was one of the first to champion player ownership of assets in games; assets from one game can be transferred to another game within Enjin.

Isabel Guidote-Pangalangan On Joining Enjin

On how the lawyer became part of Enjin, Guidote-Pangalangan shared that the company was building out its legal team around August 2021. “Oscar was personally overseeing hiring and I sent my CV for his consideration,” Guidote-Pangalangan shared, referring to Oscar Franklin Tan, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Legal Officer of Enjin.

This is a huge milestone for Web3 and startups because this is the traditional legal awards of the Philippines, and Ish went up against the top law firms, banks and conglomerates of the country.
Oscar Franklin Tan, ENjin

“I was looking forward to transitioning to a new practice area, Web3/blockchain was really appealing to me (I had dabbled in crypto briefly a few years back). Two interviews later, I was onboarded and the rest, as they say, is history!” Guidote-Pangalangan said.

Advice to Aspiring Web3 Lawyers

Guidote-Pangalangan took her Juris Doctor of Law at the University of the Philippines after finishing BS Communications Technology at the Ateneo de Manila University.

The lawyer, who got her Attorney and Counselor-at-Law Certification in 2017, also took a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics for Competition Law at King’s College London and a Master of Arts in Competition Law before finishing a Master of Laws at Harvard Law School in May 2022.

As a nascent field, there are few practicing lawyers that are engaged in the area of blockchain and web3. Guidote shared this advice to those who aspire to be one:

“It’s really important to stay on top of the latest developers from all angles, not just legal and regulatory but also technical and commercial,” she said, noting that expertise is not developed overnight, especially in a rapidly evolving area like blockchain and web3.

“Unlike other areas of law with established practice and precedent, crypto laws and regulations are not black and white (if they even exist at all) and are constantly changing! It requires a lot of creative thinking and a willingness and passion to learn,” Guidote-Pangalangan emphasized.

This article is published on BitPinas: Enjin’s Isabel Guidote Named Fintech Lawyer of the Year at Asian Legal Business Philippine Law Awards 2022

Disclaimer: BitPinas articles and its external content are not financial advice. The team serves to deliver independent, unbiased news to provide information for Philippine-crypto and beyond.