MLB Hits Up Hogan Lovells for Drone Lobbying
“MLB is working with lawmakers and policymakers to develop new policies, procedures and approaches that continue to ensure fan safety,” MLB top in-house lobbyist says.
September 10, 2018 at 12:49 PM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on National Law Journal
A Hogan Lovells partner in Washington who specializes in drones will lobby for Major League Baseball on issues relating to unmanned aircraft, new registration documents show.
Lisa Ellman, who leads the firm's unmanned aircraft systems team, will lobby for the league on “issues related to unmanned aircraft systems,” according to the new registration. Ellman serves as one of the executive directors for the nonprofit Commercial Drone Alliance, a group that has pushed the federal government to foster the development and wider deployment of drones in the United States.
Early in the Trump administration, the group expressed misgivings with the executive order calling for two regulations to be repealed with every new rule enacted, saying the two-for-one directive could have “unintended consequences” and “damage the commercial drone industry's ability to take off in the United States.”
MLB reportedly does not allow drones above stadiums without approval. Last year, a fan at a San Diego Padres game was nearly struck by a drone after it crisscrossed the field and crashed into the upper deck of Petco Park. In response to the incident, an MLB spokesman said: “Our Security Department became aware of yesterday's incident and we have been in touch with the local authorities. We are continuing to monitor the situation. Drones are prohibited items at all of our ballparks.”
Ellman was not reached for comment, and a spokesperson for MLB did not return a message seeking comment. Ellman told Politico in a statement that the league “is working with lawmakers and policymakers to develop new policies, procedures and approaches that continue to ensure fan safety.”
The drone registration appears to be the first for MLB. The league has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years lobbying on issues including Cuba policy, tax reform, ticket sales and sports gambling. MLB's second-quarter report, filed in July, showed $330,000 in expenditures.
Major League Baseball in 2016 opened an office in Washington led by Josh Alkin, serving as vice president for government relations and reporting to Dan Halem, MLB's chief legal officer.
“MLB is working with lawmakers and policymakers to develop new policies, procedures and approaches that continue to ensure fan safety,” Alkin said in an email.
Outside lobbying firms have included primarily Arnold & Porter and Baker & Hostetler. Alkin formerly was on Baker & Hostetler's legislative team and served as an adviser to the office of the commissioner of Major League Baseball.
Read more:
Will Trump's Space Force Open a New Frontier for Lobbyists?
Who's That in the Sky? FAA Poised to Move Forward With Drone ID Rule
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Spotify GC Steps Down, Opts to 'Step Away From Full-Time Corporate Life'
2 minute read
Federal Court Considers Blurry Lines Between Artist's Consultant and Business Manager
The Growing Antitrust Scrutiny of DraftKings and FanDuel
The Met Hires GC of Elite University as Next Legal Chief
Trending Stories
- 1Big Law Firms Sheppard Mullin, Morgan Lewis and Baker Botts Add Partners in Houston
- 2Lack of Jurisdiction Dooms Child Sex Abuse Claim Against Archdiocese of Philadelphia, says NJ Supreme Court
- 3DC Lawsuits Seek to Prevent Mass Firings and Public Naming of FBI Agents
- 4Growth of California Firms Exceeded Expectations, Survey of Managing Partners Says
- 5Blank Rome Adds Life Sciences Trio From Reed Smith
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
