Global Aviation and Unmanned Aircraft Systems Veteran Clifford Sweatte Joins Akin Gump
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(Washington, D.C.) – Clifford Sweatte, a recognized leader in the global aviation and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) industry, has joined Akin Gump as a senior policy advisor in Washington. Mr. Sweatte is well known throughout the UAS space, having served as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) program manager during the first approvals for beyond visual line-of-sight operations.
Mr. Sweatte will advise Akin Gump clients on UAS domestic and international regulatory and compliance matters.
Before joining Akin Gump, Mr. Sweatte was an aviation officer and global lead for the World Food Programme’s remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) initiative based in Rome, Italy. Previously, he served as an RPAS technical officer at the International Civil Aviation Organization. There, he served as secretary for the UAS Advisory Group, which assists member states in developing guidance and best practices for their UAS and drone programs, and led its “Drone Enable” program.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Sweatte served as an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector and Program Manager for the FAA’s UAS Pathfinder beyond visual line-of-sight operations in the Arctic.
“Cliff has a stellar reputation throughout the global aviation industry and will be a great addition to our UAS capabilities,” said Hal S. Shapiro, chair of Akin Gump’s regulatory practice steering committee. “He will join with Jennifer Richter to bring tremendous experience to our clients throughout the unmanned aerial systems space. I am excited to have him with us.”
Added Mr. Sweatte, “Akin Gump has a very talented roster of lawyers and policy professionals who are intimately familiar with the key issues affecting the UAS industry. The opportunity to join such a respected and highly regarded team was one I could not pass up, and I look forward to putting my experience and skills to work on behalf of Akin Gump’s clients.”
While with the World Food Programme’s RPAS initiative, Mr. Sweatte provided technical advice for the identification of RPAS manufacturers and service providers for their potential use in humanitarian air cargo and emergency aviation missions. He also managed the Programme’s drone efforts and interfaced with governments worldwide to get approvals needed for humanitarian missions utilizing drones.
In his role as an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector and Program Manager, Mr. Sweatte performed marine mammal, ice and pipeline surveys with NASA, oil companies and the BNSF Railway, allowing for the United States’ first civil, commercial beyond visual line-of-sight UAS operations.
Mr. Sweatte is a licensed remote pilot and has flown as an international air carrier pilot. He also served as an airline union leader, developing safety programs with the FAA.
About Akin Gump’s UAS Capabilities
Akin Gump’s capabilities in the UAS space are growing to meet the demands of a robust list of domestic and international clients who remain active on evolving aviation- and transportation-related laws governing UAS. The hallmark of the firm’s cross-disciplinary team is its ability to approach new hurdles in this uncharted space innovatively, utilizing the legal, policy and regulatory capabilities from offices and practices around the firm, including intellectual property, cybersecurity and international trade, among others.
Akin Gump’s UAS team is part of an integrated policy and regulatory team comprised of the largest government affairs group in Washington D.C. and more than 100 regulatory lawyers and advisors focused on telecommunications, cybersecurity, health care, environmental, international trade, transportation, antitrust, labor and other areas of law.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
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