All transactions, whether the transfer of funds, the sale of real and personal property, or otherwise, rely on trust and verification. And transactions traditionally require a bank, an escrow agent, or other trusted third party to ensure that trust and verification. But what if a technology system could replace the third-party’s role so that any two people could contract directly with one another? Blockchains (also called distributed ledger systems) may soon offer validation in a number of areas where lawyers practice, including financial transactions, proof and chain of title, and authentication of many types. Understanding the technology, or at least its potential, is important for those attorneys who take part in the process of authentication and verification.