May 19 – 22   |   Education May 20 – 22   |   Exhibits Houston, TX

Workshop Agenda

CLE for Attorneys | Education for All!
May 19, 2024 | XPONENTIAL 2025 | George Bush Convention Center | Houston, TX

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7:30 – 8:00am Registration/Breakfast/Coffee
8:00am – 8:10am

Welcoming Remarks
The Dawn of Connections

Welcome & overview of workshop mission, vision and goals, brief administrative announcements and acknowledgement of sponsors

8:10am – 9:10am

Roundtable Panel Discussion
Let’s Make a Deal: The Rules for Landing Government Autonomy Contracts

Trying to secure government awards can be a daunting challenge for businesses in the autonomy space. This panel of government leaders, advisors, distributors and contractors will demystify the applicable laws, rules and processes applicable to these highly sought-after contracts and grants. They will also provide practical advice on how to successfully land federal, state, local, tribal and territorial government-level deals ranging from the Defense Innovation Unit “Blue UAS” Program, AUVSI’s “Green UAS” Program, SBIR/STTR, NASA SEWP and OMNIA, among others. *Worth 1 General CLE Credit Hour

9:10am – 10:10am

Roundtable Panel Discussion
Big, Big Energy: The Virtuous Circle of Compliance and Autonomy in the Energy Sector

The Federal Aviation Administration regulates all aircraft, including Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vehicles that are highly automated and electric aircraft like electric vertical take off and landing (eVTOL) “air taxis,” around three key concepts: Airmen, Aircraft and Airspace. They call this the 3As. This unparalleled panel of experts will discuss how the FAA is regulating the 3As for these novel powered lift vehicles in terms of vehicle certification, operator certification and framework, airspace integration and management, operational rules and infrastructure development. Learn about all the latest rule-making proposals, standards and plans that will enable this new era of aviation to really take off! *Worth 1 General CLE Credit Hour

10:10am – 10:20am Break
10:20am – 11:20am

Roundtable Panel Discussion
Future-Proofing for Over the Horizon Operational Challenges: Lessons Learned from Warfare

Drones have changed the face of warfare. The world has witnessed drone attacks, hacking, spoofing, jamming, cyber threats, dark drones, drone swarms, physical incursions, more. The list of potential threats from autonomous systems seems endless. And what can happen “over there” can happen here. Join this panel of military, industry and legal professionals who explore the full spectrum threat landscape, the tech that can protect your ops and the legal challenges you need to know about to protect battlefields, the homeland and domestic assets alike. *Worth 1 General CLE Credit Hour

11:20am – 12:20pm

Roundtable Panel Discussion
State of the States Part II

A continuation of our incredible “State of the States” discussion from last year, we will dive into the “drone readiness” of a few additional states this year. This panel will address their individual state’s established laws, organizations and structures that bolster commercial drone operations within their borders, as well as factors that are moving their states up the list on the “drone friendliness” leaderboard. Topics will include state-level legislative engagement, federal and state drone laws, “avigation” and air rights laws, airspace lease laws, taskforce or program offices, the role of universities, test sites and more! operations in the sky and on the ground. It’s going to be out of this world! *Worth 1 General CLE Credit Hour

12:20pm – 12:50pm Lunch
12:50pm – 1:50pm

Roundtable Panel Discussion
AAM, Are We There Yet? Updates on Tech & Regs

Where were those air taxis flying around the Paris Olympics in 2024? Not ubiquitously flying, to be sure. Now, we hear talk of such flights by the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The FAA signed out the Powered Lift SFAR - but what will it take to get there from here, in terms of technological and regulatory progress? This panel of advanced air mobility (IAAM) experts will discuss the current state of the tech and regs, globally, with an emphasis on the U.S. and Europe, that will get AAM truly flying. *Worth 1 General CLE Credit Hour

1:50pm – 2:50pm

Roundtable Panel Discussion
Out of Sight Drones Around the World!

This panel builds on the content from last year’s Global Drone Regulations panel on the same topic: the global laws, policies, rules, resources and tools that are advancing drone operations and integrating them into national and local airspaces. Comparative topics will focus on a variety of topics with an emphasis on beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) rule updates and real world operations. Join us on this international journey to discover the various laws that help the drone industry to fly safely and successfully. *Worth 1 General CLE Credit Hour

2:50pm – 3:00pm Break
3:00pm – 4:00pm

Roundtable Panel Discussion
Legal Issues for Autonomy in the Maritime Environment

Did you know there is a duty to provide search and rescue at sea? How does that work if the ship or vessel is fully autonomous with no person on board? This is but one of many issues raised by autonomous vessels at sea. This panel of experts from industry and the legal profession explore the law of the sea and how the introduction of autonomy in these systems may be driving potential changes in the legal sea lanes applicable to maritime vehicles. *Worth 1 General CLE Credit Hour

4:00pm – 5:00pm

Roundtable Panel Discussion
Managing Drones Beyond: New Rules, Systems & Tactics for Integrated Airspace

“Part 108” rule-making remains underway. What did it say and what might the final rule look like? And how will some of the real world beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations be affected? Join this panel of experts from industry and the legal world who are steeped deeply in BVLOS, UAS Traffic Management (UTM), counter-UAS and more to hear their insights, predictions, lessons learned and practical advice on how to best manage drones…beyond. *Worth 1 General CLE Credit Hour

5:00pm – 5:15pm

Closing Comments
Keeping the Dream Alive: Law-Tech Connections

Host summary of workshop, next steps and future synergies and survey administration.

 

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