Hogan Lovells Attorney Lisa Ellman Joins The Tech Firm

Apple Inc. has hired an attorney specializing in drone and aviation law to act as a lobbyist for the company in Washington, D.C.

Bloomberg reports that Lisa Ellman, who leads the Unmanned Aircraft Systems practice for the law firm Hogan Lovells, has joined the tech firm. Elllman was also a co-founder of the Commercial Drone Alliance. Her bio on the law firm website says she is "recognized as one of the world's foremost authorities on drones and the law."

Neither Apple or Ellman would comment on the arrangement.

Apple has not been on the forefront of the drone industry, though they did use drones to collect mapping data a few years back, according to the Bloomberg report. Apple does sell some DJI drone models on its website and in its retail stores.

Some Apple competitors, including Amazon and Alphabet, Inc., have worked on high-altitude long-endurance drones in recent years as potential platforms for Internet connectivity.

According to disclosures to the U.S. Senate, Apple has lobbied the government on issues related to UAVs, as well as autonomous vehicles and unmanned aviation.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report