03 March 2026
By Dawn Zoldi
Law‑Tech Connect 2026 (LTC) recently staged its first live preview panel for the Detroit workshop, a reunion of a tight‑knit drone law community, with host Maggie Schuster at the center of it all. The session, presented by P3 Tech Consulting and fronted by longtime LTC collaborator and media personality Schuster, offered audiences a first look at some of the issues, characters and tensions that will animate this year’s event.
From Side Event to Center Stage in Detroit
This year marks a structural change for the 5th Annual Law‑Tech Connect Workshop, which moves from its traditional standalone Monday slot into XPONENTIAL’s main program at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit. Instead of one long day, LTC 2026 will “take over” Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, delivering roughly four hours of content each day plus a dedicated Wednesday evening LTC Networking Social.
This new approach means anyone with a full or VIP XPONENTIAL conference pass can walk into any Law‑Tech Connect session at no extra cost, a key change that organizers expect will significantly boost attendance and cross‑pollination between technical, business and legal tracks. That said, for those coming primarily for the techno-legal content and the tech in the XPO Hall, the best deal is to take advantage of the stand alone LTC registration option, which offers a lower‑price way to secure workshop access while still gaining XPO hall entry and the chance to walk the floor with speakers and sponsors. (Compare prices - LTC early bird is only $249, the same price for the past 5 years!)
Schuster, who has been with Law‑Tech Connect “since year one,” repeatedly emphasized that this is where “the legal, policy and tech world meets” for autonomy and advanced systems.
Four Panels, One Volatile Landscape
The preview focused on the four Wednesday afternoon panels, which collectively trace the autonomy ecosystem from Washington to state capitals to field operations.
Panel 1, Moving Targets: Navigating Shifting Government Priorities in Autonomy & Robotics Contracts, will open the workshop with a frank look at how National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) provisions, Chinese drone bans and security‑driven procurement rules are shaking up which vendors can even show up to compete. Panelists will tackle how public safety agencies and commercial operators that built programs around affordable foreign platforms can pivot toward compliant fleets without losing capability, and how U.S. manufacturers and secure supply‑chain players can seize the moment.
One of the most striking moments of the preview wasn’t something that happened, but something that didn’t. Holland & Knight (Silver Sponsor) partner Joel Roberson, slated to represent Panel 1, struggled with audio and ultimately couldn’t successfully join the live stream.
Schuster didn’t let the glitch sideline his content. She walked through Roberson’s planned themes: how NDAA‑driven Chinese drone bans and related federal and state restrictions are “game‑changers” for small businesses; why security‑oriented rules around supply‑chain origin, cyber protections and CMMC 2.0 are now front‑end factors in capture strategy; and how companies can structure SBIR/STTR and other prototype agreements to protect IP and data rights while staying attractive to government buyers. She framed Roberson’s session as critical for any autonomy or robotics firm that wants to “win in the government autonomy marketplace” without stumbling over hidden compliance traps in RFPs, grant terms or flow‑down clauses.
In a later round‑robin, Bauer, Grimsley and Alicia McConnell (Rawlins Infra Consulting) each weighed in on why they’re eager to hear Panel 1: from the cost shock of replacing fleets, to the chance to accelerate U.S.‑made technology, to the need for a clearer matrix through overlapping regimes like the American Drone Security Act and FCC rules.
In other words, even in absentia, Roberson’s panel emerged as a highlight, one that will likely resonate with many of The Droning Company’s readers who are re‑evaluating fleet choices and contract language right now.
Panel 2, centers on Building the Future Legal Frameworks for Global AAM and eVTOL Operations and Infrastructure, dives into the messy intersections of powered‑lift aircraft with zoning, noise, weather and the “fault lines of federalism” between federal authority and local control. Grimsley flagged forthcoming eVTOL integration pilot program site selections and predicted a surge of press and public attention around demonstrations between now and Detroit.
Grimsley tied it all together by pointing to converging trends: faster tech development cycles, slow‑moving regulatory processes built for 10‑year aircraft programs and an oncoming transportation “crisis” in both congested urban corridors and under‑served rural areas. For him, eVTOL and broader emerging aviation systems represent an urgent opportunity, and challenge, to rethink infrastructure, equity and environmental impacts all at once.
Panel 3, Guardrails for Innovation: Liability and Risk Management in Autonomy and Robotics, features former NTSB investigator and current Engineering Systems Inc. (ESi) consultant Michael Bauer, who will translate decades of accident investigation into concrete checklists for commercial drone and robotics operations. Expect discussions of safety management systems, pilot and training records, data integrity, cyber protections for high‑value project data and how to remain insurable and defensible in court in a world of BVLOS waivers, Part 108 changes and AI‑driven tools.
Bauer described how investigators now expect robust documentation from commercial operators, such as training records, flight logs, operations manuals and safety policies and how an aviation‑style safety management system can both prevent accidents and soften the blow when something does go wrong.
Panel 4, State of the States, Volume 3, returns as a fan favorite, spotlighting state DOT leaders and their partners who are turning strategy documents into real operations. Moderator Michael Healander of Airspace Link will guide DOT voices from Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma and others through how they stand up UAS programs, integrate drones into construction, surveying and disaster response, and begin laying the groundwork for AAM facilities like vertiports and droneports tied into existing airports and surface networks.
McConnell offered a state‑level view, outlining how DOTs use drones to keep workers out of harm’s way on construction sites, bridge inspections and post‑disaster assessments, while producing higher‑quality data for engineers and planners. She highlighted Alabama’s “well‑oiled machine” UAS program, Texas’ extensive training pipeline and new emerging aviation technology role, Tennessee’s internal drone and AAM leadership position and Oklahoma’s multi‑state AAM collaborations backed by strong legislative support.
Scholarships, Students and the Next Wave
True to its education mission, LTC 2026 will again feature a Scholars Program, backed this year in part by ESi and Rollins Infra Consulting, to bring law students and early‑career professionals into the room. Scholarship recipients not only gain access to panels, a copy of the drone law textbook Zoldi authored for USI, a free XPO Hall pass (Tues-Thurs) and access to this year’s LTC Networking Social on Wednesday night night but also the chance to connect with world-class industry leaders, such as those featured in the Preview, as well as legal practitioners who are actively shaping the field. To be considered for a scholarship, contact info@p3techconsulting.com.
Schuster stressed that bringing fresh talent into autonomy law and policy is essential if the industry hopes to keep up with the pace of technological change while addressing safety, security and privacy in a responsible way.
Why It Matters for The Droning Company Audience
For The Droning Company’s readers, the Detroit Law‑Tech Connect Workshop is where the rules that govern what you can fly, where you can fly it, what data you can collect and how you can get paid for it will be debated in real time by the people writing, enforcing and working under those rules.
With an agenda and panelists drawn from leading law firms, DOTs, tribes, companies and engineering houses, LTC 2026 is once again shaping up as a must‑attend for anyone serious about the business of drones and autonomy. And if the first preview was any indication, Detroit will be less about theory and more about practical roadmaps for surviving, and thriving, in a world where technology and law are constantly shifting.
● Watch the full LTC Preview, Panels 1-4 here.
● Register for Law-Tech Connect here.
● Register for the LTC Social Networking event here.
