Senior White House and DOJ appointee brings rich experience and perspective on unmanned aircraft systems

WASHINGTON, DC (June 23, 2014) – Lisa Ellman has joined McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP’s Washington DC office as Counsel. As a member of McKenna’s Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs practice, Ms. Ellman will focus on legislative and policy issues in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Her practice will emphasize emerging high-level trends, including commercial and private unmanned aircraft systems. She will assist clients in interacting with government at the highest federal and state levels on political and election law issues.

Ms. Ellman comes to McKenna after several years of service in the Obama Administration. Most recently, as an appointee in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy, Ms. Ellman developed and implemented high-priority policy initiatives leading the Justice Department’s Working Group on Domestic Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and represented the Department in the interagency process. Previously, she led the Department’s work on campaign finance policy in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.

“Lisa’s background and substantive experience make her an outstanding addition to our federal government affairs and political law teams, as well as to our unmanned aircraft systems group,” said Eric Tanenblatt, who leads the firm’s Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs practice. “Lisa’s depth of Executive branch experience combined with a broad understanding of policy issues, is of great interest to our clients domestically and throughout the world.”

Ms. Ellman has served in senior positions within three White House agencies—the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Office of Management and Budget/Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and the Office of Presidential Personnel. As Chief Counselor for the Open Government Partnership for the Executive Office of the President, she represented the U.S. internationally leading the Obama administration’s domestic effort to make government more efficient, effective, transparent and collaborative. Ms. Ellman has advised more than 40 countries on open government strategy and has worked in close partnership with civil society organizations and private industry to further these commitments. While at OMB, Ms. Ellman served as the U.S. point person with Mexico to enhance economic competitiveness and economic well-being for both countries through improved international regulatory cooperation, She coordinated trilateral regulatory cooperation efforts among Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.

McKenna’s Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs Practice

Ms. Ellman joins McKenna’s politically diverse, bipartisan public policy team, which includes: former Governor of Vermont Howard Dean; former President George H.W. Bush White House Political Director Ron Kaufman; former President Clinton Administration official U.S. Ambassador to Canada Gordon Giffin; former Georgia State Attorney General and President of the National Association of Attorneys General Thurbert Baker; and former Mayor of the District of Columbia Anthony Williams.

McKenna’s Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs practitioners work with federal, state, and municipal government agencies across the country offering strategic counsel and support to expand government markets, as well as shape public policy. The team’s Political Law group is a nationally recognized practice that helps clients legally and ethically interact with government at the highest federal and state levels on a range of political, election law, and ethics issues, including campaign finance, issue advocacy, lobby disclosure, and pay-to-play.

McKenna’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Practice Group

McKenna’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Practice Group is comprised of attorneys and professionals focused on emerging issues , such as design and operator certification; operations in U.S. civil airspace; limiting tort liability; insurance and risk management; commercial/contracts; emergency response; privacy; intellectual property; export control; regulatory and enforcement issues; hazardous materials; and cybersecurity.

About McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP

McKenna Long & Aldridge is an international law firm with more than 575 attorneys and public policy advisors in 15 offices and 13 markets. The firm is uniquely positioned at the intersection of law, business and government, representing clients in the areas of complex litigation, corporate law, energy, environment, finance, government contracts, health care, infrastructure, insurance, intellectual property, private client services, public policy, real estate, and technology. Please visit www.mckennalong.com for more information.