Joel E. Roberson

Joel E. Roberson is a Washington, D.C., attorney and a member of the firm's Public Policy & Regulation Practice Group. Mr. Roberson's practice focuses on public policy development, legislative advocacy and regulatory compliance with a strong emphasis in technology policy, as well as food and drug law. He has significant experience in bipartisan coalition building, strategy development and high-stakes negotiation on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions and trade associations.

Mr. Roberson advises high-tech clients on emerging public policy and regulatory issues, including self-driving cars, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), cybersecurity, privacy and data breach response. Mr. Roberson has extensive experience working with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop policy to support the integration of autonomous vehicles, drones and advanced air mobility. He is well-versed in preparing clients to testify before Congress, including congressional investigations into data breaches. Before joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Roberson served as a law clerk for the House Judiciary Committee where he prepared members of Congress to debate the first reauthorization of the Patriot Act.

Additionally, Mr. Roberson advises healthcare and nutrition clients on public policy and regulatory issues, including the regulation of food, pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and medical gases. He has assisted clients to enact legislation reforming the way the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves and regulates OTC drug products. Mr. Roberson regularly advises clients on food safety, including implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the Farm Bill. Mr. Roberson has drafted healthcare legislation, provisions of major FDA reform bills and amendments to pending legislation that have been enacted into law. He also helps clients prepare public comments to federal agencies and establish internal regulatory compliance programs.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Roberson worked within the elected leadership offices of the U.S. House of Representatives for former Congressman J.C. Watts (R-Okla.) and former Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio). In this role with Congress, he prepared major legislation for floor debate, including development of debate strategy, creation of key messages and distribution of floor briefings for members of Congress and congressional staff. In the immediate wake of Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Roberson led three groups of volunteer law students to both Mississippi and Louisiana to provide volunteer legal services. The students worked on various legal issues including home owner's insurance, foreclosure, succession, criminal, immigration and administrative law issues as well as providing basic services to those in need.