Chair’s Message

• Sustainability: An all-digital format is reflective of sustainability decisions our clients are facing on a rapidly increasing basis. The Forum will be “greener” because of this decision, and as the aviation and aerospace industries work tirelessly on sustainability, we must do our part, too!
• Continued membership-rich benefits: By going digital, we can provide a sustainable and cost-effective publication that still offers the same high-quality scholarly articles by aviation and aerospace law leaders. You will still have access to the latest issue of The Air & Space Lawyer, but in a more environmentally friendly and efficient manner. The costs saved on printing hard copies of each issue can be used by the Forum to provide additional membership-rich benefits to its members.
• Access wherever you go: With the digital format, you will be able to access the latest issue of The Air & Space Lawyer wherever you go. A fully linked PDF of the issue will always be accessible on the Forum’s web pages, making it ideal for reading on a laptop, desktop computer, or even a tablet. This means you can stay up to date with the latest developments in air and space law no matter where you are.
• Timelier experience: Instead of waiting for the publication to arrive in the mail, the latest issue of The Air & Space Lawyer will be emailed to you as soon as it publishes. This ensures a more timely and efficient reading experience, allowing you to stay informed about the latest legal issues and trends in the aviation and aerospace industries.
• Tailored reading experience: With more readers accessing each issue online, we will be able to gain valuable insights into the most popular articles. This will enable us to further tailor your reading experience by providing more coverage of similar issues in future publications. By understanding your preferences and interests, we can ensure that each issue of The Air & Space Lawyer is relevant and engaging for you.
• Online engagement and growth: Going all-digital opens up new opportunities for online engagement and growth within the Forum. By increasing our online presence, we can foster a stronger community and provide additional benefits to our members. This means that your involvement in the Forum will be even more rewarding and impactful.

To ensure that you do not miss a future issue of The Air & Space Lawyer, please make sure that your email address on file with the American Bar Association is current. You can confirm this by logging into your profile on the ABA’s website: www.americanbar.org. Additionally, this may be a good time to update your profile on the website, as enhanced traffic will allow colleagues to learn more about your professional experience.

Thank you for your understanding and support as we make this transition to an all-digital format. We believe that this decision aligns with the sustainability efforts of the aviation and aerospace industries, and we are excited to embark on this new chapter with you.

Quickly I want to add a few words on the Forum’s activities. In December, Mehtap Cevher Conti and Laura Lewis led another fantastic Aviation and Space Finance Conference program in New York City that was well attended and sponsored by Norton Rose Fulbright and co-hosted with the ABA’s Business Law Section. Next up is the always dynamic Washington Update Conference on March 8 in Washington, DC The committee is working on a jam-packed program, so do not miss our annual gathering in DC, this time in the spring when we could even see the cherry blossoms in bloom!

At the Update Conference we will announce the final logistics for the Forum’s September Annual Conference, which will be in Southern California.You will not want to miss putting your toes in the sand in sunny California,a location that has been full of aerospace disruption over the years. Indeed, while visiting conference venue options, one hotel took us up on its roof with an aerospace buff on their staff to point out the valley in LA where Howard Hughes operated Hughes Aircraft Company. It was founded 90 years ago–Hughes was the great aerospace disruptor of his day, from taking over TWA to founding Hughes Aircraft and constructing aircraft for world speed records. A modern-day aerospace disruptor now operating in SoCal is often compared with Hughes–someone who takes wealth and big ideas to push new technology to its limits, and by doing so, transforming the world. And of course, the comparisons don’t end there . . . Get ready for this SoCal event in September!

Thank you to our contributors and editorial board for this great new issue of The A&SL. Looking forward to seeing many of you soon in Washington, DC.