Alissa is the founder of DePass Legal, a boutique intellectual property and business law firm in NYC. As both a litigator and transactional attorney, she counsels clients on key decisions impacting their businesses, ranging from strategies to protect their intellectual property to product development and regulatory compliance.

Her clients value her ability to effectively balance business needs with risk mitigation. Alissa’s clientele spans various countries and industries, including tech, health/wellness, international development, publishing, e-commerce and digital media.

She began her legal career at one of the top 100 law firms in the nation, where she successfully defended corporate clients against multi-billion dollar claims and helped government entities recover million-dollar losses, both in the U.S. and abroad.

Alissa has extensive experience in complex commercial litigation, including representing U.S. and international clients in state and federal courts around the country. She is admitted to practice in New York, Florida and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (some of the most prestigious federal courts in the nation).

Alissa is fascinated by the legal implications of blockchain technology. As one of the few women in this rapidly evolving space, she brings a unique perspective to implementing blockchain to confront intellectual property issues. Her relationships with blockchain startups keep her ahead of the curve, with a pulse on real-time developments in this fascinating area.

She serves on the Advisory Board of the Queens Sickle Cell Advocacy Network, supporting people living with sickle cell disease and their families. Alissa also judges startup competitions, including for Start-Up Chile, an accelerator founded by the Chilean government that provides equity-free funding to startups.