9.06.2007
ABA Forum on Air & "Other" Law
It's time for the second of the two annual meetings of the inimitable and very sociable ABA Forum on Air & Space Law, this time at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee Oct. 3–6, 2007. As we recall back in February, forum members gathered in Washington, DC for their first annual meeting of 2007. (Yes this group is so hooked up it doesn't need Facebook.)As we see from the agenda for Memphis, true to the name of the forum, as always, air comes first. Expect aviation focused keynotes, air law topics for most of the panels, and air industry types as sponsors, too.
On the bright side however, as is typical at forum gatherings famous for their quaintly lopsided air law to space law ratio, space is not completely shall we say lost in the clouds; we do find these two excellent panels devoted to, you know, the "other" thing:
Commercial Human Space Flight, moderated by Tracey L. Knutson of Knutson & Associates with Michael Gold, chief legal counsel of Bigelow Aerospace; Jeff Greason, president, of XCOR Aerospace; Laura Montgomery, senior attorney, Office of the Chief Counsel, FAA and Alex Tai CEO, Virgin Galactic.
And then, Making Money in Space: Issues, Applications and Law, moderated by Prof. Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz of the University of Mississippi School of Law, with panelists Rick C. Crowsey, president, Crowsey Incorporated; Pamela L. Meredith of Zuckert, Scoutt & Rasenberger, LLP; Sa'id Mosteshar of Mosteshar Mackenzie; Franceska O. Schroeder of Fish & Richardson, P.C.; and William L. Warren, senior V.P. and general counsel of GeoEye.
Indeed, some top flight space folks there. (Since Tracey is leading the early space law panel, perhaps she'll be the first to mention that 2007 is the 50th anniversary of the space age? ;)
By the way, if you're around on Saturday, Oct. 6, take the bus trip offered to Oxford, Mississippi for a tour of "the Historic Ole Miss Campus" which of course is home to the National Center for Remote Sensing, Air, and Space Law. Perfect. (But don't try to apply for that research counsel position while you're at the Center because I think Prof. Gabrynowicz already hired someone. And she is picky.) The tour will also feature civil rights as well as Civil War history, a visit to historic home of writer William Faulkner, and, for fans, a college football game: Louisiana Tech vs. Ole Miss Rebels. (My money's on the Rebels. ;)
As to hope for the future of the ABA forum ... as we've said here on SLP, in the 20th century air law was cool; but in this millennium, space law will, you know, breeze right by it. Hold on to your helmets.
