Kris Graham

Kris came to Taggart, Rimes & Graham with over a decade of experience litigating cases throughout the state. Prior to joining Taggart, Rimes & Graham, he practiced with a large metro-area firm and, prior to that, with the largest firm in the Mississippi Delta. Kris currently focuses his practice on litigation, along with a mix of complex commercial and regulatory work.

A nationally recognized speaker on unmanned systems law, Kris leads the firm’s UAS practice group. He holds a current pilot certificate for both land and sea, and is a member of AUVSI, the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association, the International Air & Transportation Safety Bar Association and the Airborne Public Safety Association. He currently serves as a disaster reservist with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and acts as adviser to their UAS program. As an FAA Safety Team Representative, Kris holds the FAA’s “Drone Pro” designation.

Kris was the first attorney in Mississippi to obtain a 333 exemption for commercial UAS operations, approval for commercial operations in Class C airspace, and a Blanket Area Public Safety Agency COA. During the 2020 Pearl River flooding, Kris secured and acted as “Air Boss” for Mississippi Emergency Management Agency’s TFR, managing all manned and unmanned flights within the TFR.

Kris has worked with policymakers to develop common sense UAS regulations and has acted as an advocate/educator for UAS technologies for many years. As a commercial UAS pilot, Kris has performed flights in support of real estate, motion picture, education, agriculture and government clients. With firsthand knowledge of the practical effect regulations have on both commercial and public operations, and his unique background and experience, Kris provides a comprehensive perspective to any UAS policy discussion.

Kris has helped multiple commercial entities navigate the process of beginning flight operations. Additionally, he counsels new operators on liability exposure, insurance coverage, SOPs and best practices. As owner/instructor at Unmanned Systems Group, he has trained hundreds of pilots in both the public and private sectors.

An approved attorney for the Mississippi Tort Claims Board, Kris has a wide variety of experience representing government clients. In 2012, he founded the daily news digest Mississippi Higher Ed Review. In the healthcare arena, Kris has represented nurses, doctors, clinics and hospitals throughout Mississippi in the defense of professional liability claims.

Kris received a B.S. in biology from Millsaps College, with an emphasis in molecular biology. He then obtained his J.D. from the University of Mississippi. While in law school, Kris was a member of the Journal of National Security Law and Phi Delta Phi, and received the Contract Negotiation Award for Best Overall Contract. Kris is a member of the Mississippi Bar and the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association. He previously served on the Central Region Young Lawyers Committee for MDLA and as treasurer of the LeFlore County Bar. He is undefeated before the Mississippi Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.

Recent Articles

Events

  • Public Agency Drone Operations
    ABA Forum on Air & Space Law – webinar
  • UAS Update for GIS Professionals
    MAST Annual Geospatial Conference – University of Southern Mississippi
  • Public Safety UAS Operations
    Nat’l Alliance of State Drug Enforcement Agencies – Southeastern Regional Conference -Biloxi, MS
  • Real Estate, Architecture and Building Inspection
    International Drone Expo & Business Conference – Los Angeles, CA
  • Law Enforcement, Security & Counter UAS Operations
    International Drone Expo & Business Conference – Los Angeles, CA
  • Emergency Response UAS Operations
    International Drone Expo & Business Conference – Los Angeles, CA
  • First Responder UAS Hot Wash
    Commercial UAV Expo – Las Vegas, NV
  • Legal Implications of Law Enforcement UAS Programs
    Mississippi Prosecutors’ Conference – Philadelphia, MS
  • First Responder UAS Programs
    Interdrone: International Drone Conference and Exposition – Las Vegas, NV
  • Beginning a Public Safety UAS Program
    Webinar
  • Access to the Sky – Requirements for Public Sector Operations of Unmanned Vehicle Systems
    Open Technology Center – Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, MS
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems (It’s OK to call them “drones”)
    Innovate Mississippi: Tech JXN Innovation Summit & Hackathon – Jackson, MS
  • Recent Changes to UAS Law – Recreational/Commercial/Public
    Mississippi State University – Starkville, MS
  • UAS Safety, Regulation and Technology
    International Air & Transportation Safety Bar Association Conference – Washington, DC
  • Commercial Drone Operations
    Airport Minority Advisory Council: Southeastern Regional Forum – Jackson, MS

Kris Graham

Contact Info