Laura Montgomery Profile Photo

Space Lawyer

Laura Montgomery specializes in regulatory space law, with an emphasis on commercial space transportation and the Outer Space Treaties. She spent more than two decades with the Federal Aviation Administration, and served as the manager of the Space Law Branch in the FAA’s Office of the Chief Counsel, and before that, the FAA’s Senior Attorney for Commercial Space Transportation. Laura has published articles on the Outer Space Treaty, human space flight, and launch safety, and also writes science fiction — including some books about lawyers in space.

Sticky Lawyers Looks Back: The Niche Pioneers
59
Dec. 11, 2025

Sticky Lawyers Looks Back: The Niche Pioneers

What makes a lawyer irreplaceable? It's not credentials or years of experience. It's not how much money you make or the size of your firm. What makes you irreplaceable is being the answer to a specific question. When someone has a particular legal problem, there's only one name they think of. Yours.In this special compilation episode, John Reed celebrates the niche pioneers—Sticky Lawyers who saw unserved markets or entirely new legal questions and said, "I'm gonna own this." We’ll hear from lawyers who blazed trails for themselves and others in bicycle law, exploration law, paranormal law, and international war crimes. We’ll get insights from attorneys who counsel space companies, craft brewers, video game developers, outdoor recreation businesses, Amazon resellers, and graphic novelists.These lawyers established a vision for their practice and then went to extraordinary lengths to make it happen.
An Out-of-This-World Lawyer Making Good Use of Space
15
Sept. 23, 2021

An Out-of-This-World Lawyer Making Good Use of Space

Thousands of kids have likely dreamed of working for NASA as an astronaut. But how many science fiction-loving youngsters dream of being a NASA lawyer when they grow up? Meet Laura Montgomery. Although NASA didn’t end up on her CV, Laura spent more than two decades as a space lawyer with the FAA. Now in private practice, she specializes in regulatory space law, commercial space transportation, and the Outer Space treaties, while teaching space law at Catholic University.During her years as FAA counsel, Laura helped draft regulations for space launch safety, explosive siting, and commercial space tourism. But she explains how this niche area of law really includes all areas of law, including property law (space mining) and criminal law (US criminal justice jurisdiction extends to outer space).Join us on this episode as Laura spins fascinating tales of her experiences as a space lawyer and a science fiction writer. She has 16 titles in print that showcase her deep space know…