Law firms LeClairRyan and McKenna Long & Aldridge have formed drone practice groups in an effort to address the increasing use of commercial and private unmanned aircraft, the Washington Post reported Sunday.
Catherine Ho writes Tim Adelman and Doug McQueen will lead LeClairRyan’s drone group and Mark Dombroff will oversee McKenna Long’s unmanned aerial vehicle practice.
The companies intend for the drone practice groups to represent UAV manufacturers and operators in the Federal Aviation Administration’s work to form policies on domestic usage of the aircraft and aid companies in the certification process, according to the report.
“We want to help [companies] shape rulemaking and get a seat at the table, then actually operate in a world they had a hand in creating,” Dombroff told the Post.
Ho writes the FAA wants to propose regulations for small unmanned aircraft by the end of this year.
Adelman told the Post that the number of drone manufacturers and end users could grow as new rules take effect in the next two years.