I've already lost in the court of bitcointalk opinion. No matter what I do, someone will not like it. If you look back 20-22 pages in this thread you will see people telling me to get a lawyer. Now that I have one and am listening to what they have to say, others are upset.
The problem from the community is not that you've obtained legal counsel, it is that it's being applied retroactively. That is being viewed as a hostile action because it effectively freezes assets which were entrusted to VPS, regardless of the status of any contract. While it's admirable that you're remaining in the community and making a solid effort to maintain reputation, it simply seems that you're prematurely tying up currently available options that probably won't be possible in the future.
Even if we came to an agreement on price, I'd still need your information to make the payment and comply with federal regulations.
Write it off. An opportunity for a clean start exists, but only if the legal advice is applied to VPS operations
after the GLBSE shutdown. The residual claims have to be let go, otherwise they will remain as a stigma for some time to come, and could cause potentially greater issues down the line. The blockchain is an irrefutable record.
Do you want to deal with claims in the tens to hundreds or thousands of dollars range now, or wait and see if Bitcoin climbs in valuation until the claims are worth 7-figures or greater? If a single Bitcoin is worth six digits in fiat, you can bet there will be a legal arsenal aimed at the business.
Best effort verification would allow for much of the assets held
prior to GLBSE's failure to be cleaned out. If those asset holders wish to pursue continuing business, they can follow the new legal procedures to renew their investments.
What is the threshold, in fiat dollar terms, for paying out without requiring personal information? If exchanges can accept up to several hundred dollars without AML/KYC information, you should be able to as well.