OneTribune

Legal careers often evolve across practice, teaching, and emerging fields. Carmella Parker brings experience in litigation, corporate defense, and academia to her current role as Chief Legal Officer while teaching business law at the university level. In this interview, she reflects on guiding institutions and students through shifting legal frameworks shaped by technology and regulation.

Carmella, thank you for taking the time to chat. Could you begin by introducing yourself—telling us about your background, what you do today, and what drives your work in law and education?

Thank you so much for the opportunity to participate in this interview and share my journey. It is a pleasure to discuss the importance of strategic legal frameworks in the future of digital finance.

I am a licensed attorney in Louisiana with over 22 years of legal experience, and I currently serve as Chief Legal Officer of Black Wallet Group, founded by Dr. Chris Smithmyer, Dr. Remi Alli, and Mr. Joshua Blanchard. My role is focused on the high-level strategic legal framework required for the transformative potential of tokenization—integrating digital assets with real-world assets to enhance transparency and reshape supply chain management.

We are currently deep in the organizational development phase, meticulously building our infrastructure as we work toward the future listing of Kiros (Kiros.io), already launched on the Solana chain, on the Orca decentralized exchange. It is important to emphasize that we are currently “in the thick” of its creation, with our efforts focused on developing a strategic architecture that can navigate the complexities of this emerging sector.

I also teach as a full professor at Northwestern State University, where I provide my students and the legal community the opportunity to engage with the rapid changes in the law and the complex strategic landscapes that abound in the digital world.

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What led you to move into academia and teaching at a university business school? How do you connect your practical legal experience with your role educating students on business law and related subjects?

My experience—from state litigation to corporate defense to now leading the strategic legal roadmap for an emerging blockchain venture—allows me to bring real-world scenarios directly into the classroom. While my specific Fintech Law and Policy course isn’t always on the active slate, I have integrated those topics into my face-to-face International Business and Cyber Business Law classes. This provides my students with a unique opportunity to hear about the real-time changes in the law as they happen.

The focus of my academic work is the broader regulatory landscape, which I also address in Continuing Legal Education (CLE) classes. This includes the intersection of AI, blockchain, and digital assets. Navigating these waters is a significant challenge because the landscape is shifting day by day; as individual states move into the space with their own evolving regulations, it creates a complex “patchwork.” My students and fellow legal professionals gain insight into these discussions, exploring the strategic challenges of the law as it is being redefined in real time.

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Legal practice increasingly intersects with evolving areas (corporate risk management, regulatory changes, technological developments). How do you view the role of defense attorneys and legal educators in guiding institutions through such changes?

As Chief Legal Officer, I am exploring the fundamental strategic questions surrounding digital ownership. By using Kiros as a currency basis for trading, we aim to create opportunities for liquidity and value exchange that traditional models don’t provide.

However, because this is an ever-evolving scene, my role is heavily focused on maintaining an agile strategic legal framework. State and federal authorities are moving at different speeds, which means we are building toward a moving target. I believe my responsibility is to help the institution navigate these changes proactively—striving to establish a framework that is as stable as possible from a general legal perspective while acknowledging that the landscape itself is in constant motion. We are moving deliberately to ensure we are building with the highest level of strategic diligence.

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Looking ahead: what are your aspirations in terms of legal practice, teaching, or contributions to the legal field or broader community?

My primary focus is the continued development of Black Wallet Group as we navigate the complexities of our current build phase. We are working toward the future launch of Kiros, but we are prioritizing a strategic, compliance-focused approach, which means we are taking time to get the internal infrastructure and roadmap built. My goal is for our organization to be a leader in responsible innovation.

Simultaneously, I want to continue evolving my curriculum at Northwestern State and my work in CLE instruction, ensuring my students and the legal community have the opportunity to hear about and understand these challenging, daily regulatory shifts—from AI to Fintech—as they enter the workforce or advise their own clients.

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If you were to write your bio in your own words, what would you say? Looking ahead, what kind of long-term impact would you like your work to have?

I hope to leave a legacy of determination and stewardship. I want my students to be able to assess problems from multiple angles and lead with empathy for all stakeholders. Whether it’s through my teaching, my work in the legal community, or my current work developing the strategic legal foundations for Black Wallet Group, if we can contribute to building more inclusive and accessible financial systems, then I will have succeeded.

I want to encourage the next generation to be the change they wish to see in the world, staying resilient even when the path forward is still being paved.

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Thank you again for allowing me to participate. It has been a pleasure to reflect on these milestones and the focused, ongoing work we are doing at Black Wallet Group. As we continue to build, I look forward to contributing to the strategic dialogue surrounding the future of law and technology.

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