Amna Arshad is an Aviation Group counsel in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office, where she focuses on regulatory counseling, commercial aviation transactions, and litigation. With more than 10 years of diverse experience in the public and private sectors, Amna has represented major U.S. and foreign air carriers and leading aviation-related entities including airports, aerospace manufacturers, travel distribution clients, drone operators, and corporations in a variety of DOT/ FAA/NTSB federal regulatory, commercial, and litigation matters.
As a seasoned advisor, Amna counsels private companies across a wide range of matters such as enforcement/litigation, investigations, route proceedings, rulemakings, antitrust/competition, international law, advertising, consumer protection, obstruction evaluation, economic/licensing matters, and regulatory due diligence on mergers and acquisitions involving aviation interests. Amna has also helped businesses navigate the challenging regulatory landscape of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and new and emerging technologies prior to and following the passage of Part 107, the regulations governing commercial UAS operations.
Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Amna spent nearly six years in the Office of Aviation Enforcement & Proceedings at the U.S. Department of Transportation, where she was responsible for the enforcement of a variety of aviation consumer protection, licensing, and civil rights matters. She was heavily involved in drafting federal regulations and guidance materials, led regular investigations and audits of foreign and domestic airlines and ticket agents, negotiated consent decrees, and reviewed foreign conflict of laws waiver requests.
Amna served as a law clerk to the Chief Judge in the busiest state court in Virginia and has represented a variety of clients in civil litigation before federal and state courts. Amna co-authored Chapter 12, titled “DOT Consumer Protection: Regulation and Enforcement,” in the ABA publication, Aviation Regulation in the U.S.
In addition to her aviation experience, Amna has a significant background and interest in international law and development. Amna graduated cum laude with a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law and graduated magna cum laude with dual bachelor’s degrees in international affairs and Middle Eastern studies from the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. While in law school, Amna was a student attorney in the International Human Rights Law Clinic, where her representation of asylees and detained immigrants resulted in her being awarded with the highest clinical honor, the Dean’s Award for Professional Responsibility. Amna also published a law review article examining the Mudawwana (the family law code in Morocco) that underwent significant revisions to include major women’s rights and general equality advancements. She’s fluent in Urdu and Punjabi, with intermediate proficiency in Arabic and Spanish.
