The vehicles of the future.
Due to the swift rise of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology, companies are grappling with a host of new legal challenges. Both AV manufacturers and the developers of software advanced technologies for these vehicles are seeing a heightened—and at times unpredictable—risk of liability exposure.
Husch Blackwell’s Autonomous Vehicles team is adeptly equipped to guide clients through these complex issues. We work with clients throughout the country, advising on the myriad of state-specific and even county-specific regulations and local laws, as well as on the differing requirements for the many types of AVs.
As the global transportation industry moves toward widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles, our team is primed to provide guidance in all areas of commercial logistics, from local LTL deliveries to long distance heavy haul freight, to international multimodal transport of commercial goods. Our team advises in the people-moving business as well, assisting clients in navigating how AV technology fits into the transit and passenger transportation sector.
Our product liability team is also monitoring how the mobility revolution is digitalizing the connection with the road, increasing access to important data, changing marketing strategy and focus, simplifying and changing the consumer buying and maintenance obligations, and potentially changing the scope of liability for manufacturers.
While our team is experienced with the truly “driverless cars,” the phrase autonomous vehicles includes every modern commercial or personal vehicle—even those that require a traditional human driver—because most have autonomous components. Alongside our representation of AV manufacturers and developers, we regularly counsel traditional auto manufacturers and manufacturers of components (including tires, for example), advising on the novel legal issues presented by the new frontier of “smart” cars and car parts.
Although we represent clients nationwide, many of our AV team members and our team lead are based in Phoenix, a major hub for the industry and the site of the first driverless ride-hailing service. Armed with a wealth of experience in transportation law and a deep comprehension of the evolving legal environment surrounding AVs, our attorneys frequently advise and defend companies on a spectrum of issues in this innovative field, including:
- Logistics issues
- Labor and employment matters
- Advertising and marketing concerns, including false advertising
- Intellectual property
- Trade secrets
- Data privacy
- Software licensing
- Regulatory compliance, oversight, enforcement, and investigations
- Accident investigation
- Risk management and insurance
- Product liability and product safety
- Public policy
- Government relations
- State and local laws
- Areas of conflict between state and federal transportation laws