At the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Law Schools, the Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice of the American Bar Association will be sponsoring a terrific program on regulation of the sharing economy. The program will take place from 6:30 – 9:30 pm on Friday, January 8, including the Reception, in the Riverside Suite, Third Floor at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel.

The program will begin by asking general questions about regulatory issues concerning the new “sharing economy” including vacation rental operations like Airbnb and ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft. It will then focus on the regulatory environment surrounding ride-sharing, presented by Uber’s chief regulatory lawyer, the general counsel of a leading taxicab board and a lawyer with 25 years of experience in legal and regulatory matters surrounding the taxicab industry. The intent is to engage in a wide-ranging discussion of the regulatory challenges facing industry and government in the face of evolving technology and consumer behavior.

This program is free and open to all, including a reception. The panel discussion will last an hour and there will be ample food and drink for the duration of the reception. RSVP to anne.kiefer@americanbar.org to confirm your participation in person, as space is limited and we need a count.

Moderator: Jack Beermann, Professor of Law and Harry Elwood Warren Scholar, Boston University School of Law.

Speakers: Randy May, Founder and President, Free State Foundation. From October 1999-May 2006, May was a Senior Fellow and Director of Communications Policy Studies at The Progress & Freedom Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think tank. Prior to joining PFF, he practiced communications, administrative, and regulatory law as a partner at major national law firms. From 1978 to 1981, May served as Assistant General Counsel and Associate General Counsel at the Federal Communication Commission. He received his A.B. from Duke University and his J.D. from Duke Law School, where he serves as a member of the Board of Visitors.

Krishna K. Juvvadi, Senior Counsel at Uber Technologies, Inc., where he manages all regulatory matters in the United States. Prior to joining Uber, Mr. Juvvadi was a Partner at the law firm of Sher Leff LLP. While at Sher Leff, Mr. Juvvadi was as senior member of a trial team that won a unianimous jury verdict for $236,000,000 against ExxonMobil on behalf of the State of New Hampshire for statewide groundwater contamination. For his work on that trial, Mr. Juvvadi was awarded the California Lawyer Attorney of the Year and named a Finalist for Public Justice’s Trial Lawyer of the Year. Prior to Sher Leff, Mr. Juvvadi was a Trial Attorney with the United States Department of Justice. Mr. Juvvadi received his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law and his B.A. from Northwestern University.

Peter Mazer, General Counsel to the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade. Mr. Mazer was previously General Counsel and Chief Administrative Law Judge for the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. Mr. Mazer graduated from New York University and Fordham Law School. As Chief Administrative Law Judge, Peter Mazer supervised approximately 60 Administrative Law Judges and two Assistant Chief Judges and drafted and revised a new Manual for Administrative Law Judges. MTBOT is the country’s largest taxi fleet association. It represents 27 yellow medallion taxi fleets in New York City and over 3,500 medallion taxicabs – approximately 25% of the taxi industry.

Bernard N. Block, managing principal at the law firm of Alvin W. Block & Associates, Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Block’s his practice includes the areas of secured financing, business litigation and lender representation. Bernie has over 25 years of experience representing banks, finance companies and management companies in matters related to most aspects of Chicago Taxicab law, regulation, collateralization, license compliance and operation. Bernie has previously served as General Counsel for a national payroll finance & processing company and has worked extensively with Taxi industry trade groups and City of Chicago regulators. Bernie has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Drake University and a JD from The John Marshall Law School (1984).