Kristen Fletcher takes the helm of new Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal ProgramAn oil spill in Narragansett Bay: many lives are affected—from coastal landowners, fishermen, and tourists to the company liable for the spill. People want compensation for what they lost because of the spill. But how do they know if they’re eligible for compensation under the Oil Pollution Act? Who can explain how the statutes work? What types of damages are recoverable? How are companies liable? The new Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program can provide research to all affected parties to help them wade through the legal jargon. With the flourish of a pen, the Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program was established and Kristen Fletcher named its first director. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by Rhode Island Sea Grant, URI, and the Roger Williams University (RWU) School of Law, created the Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program at both universities as a multi-institutional partnership. Previously, Fletcher directed the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Legal Program at the University of Mississippi School of Law. She advised university researchers, federal and state agencies, and other Sea Grant constituents on ocean and coastal law issues. Fletcher led the effort to create the National Sea Grant Law Center in 2002 and became its first director, overseeing publication of the SandBar Legal Reporter and Sea Grant Law and Policy Digest and the expansion of services to the 32 Sea Grant College programs nationwide. “The partnership between URI, Rhode Island Sea Grant, and RWU Law School represents an excellent opportunity to provide legal research and analysis that can advance new policies for our coasts. The faculty and students at the URI marine affairs department and RWU Law School are a rich source of information for Sea Grant and its constituents,” says Fletcher. The new Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program will expand participation in Sea Grant by students enrolled in the joint-degree program by emphasizing Sea Grant priorities through legal research, outreach service, and education opportunities. Under Fletcher’s tutelage, the research arm of the program—the Sea Grant Legal Clinic—gives students the opportunity to explore the legal and policy aspects of ocean and coastal resources, including marine protected areas, public access, and aquaculture. “URI and RWU are well known for their marine research in science and policy; adding a source of legal information and analysis can make that research accessible to federal, state, and local policy-makers,” says Fletcher. “This partnership strengthens the Sea Grant model considerably. Sea Grant will now be able to incorporate legal activities into its research, education, and outreach programs. I’m especially pleased that students in the law school-marine affairs joint-degree program [an M.A. from URI and a J.D. from RWU] will be able to undertake internships in Sea Grant’s outreach programs, obtaining invaluable experience in real-world ocean/coastal and marine issues. I’m looking forward to working closely with Kristen on developing the program,” says Barry A. Costa-Pierce, Rhode Island Sea Grant director. The outreach service of the program will provide research for state and regional agencies and user groups on coastal zone management, fisheries, ports and harbors, and other areas of marine law. The outreach effort will also place joint-degree students in the Sea Grant Sustainable Fisheries Extension Program or Sustainable Coastal Communities and Environments Extension Program to work with Sea Grant extension specialists on salient issues. The third tier of the program, education, provides legal research and writing training to law students and conducts symposia for members of the community and bar. To learn more about the Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program, contact Fletcher at (401) 254-4613 or e-mail kfletcher@rwu.edu. —Malia Schwartz Related links: Roger Williams University School of Law Sea Grant Law and Policy Digest
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