Our Work

 

Marine Law & Policy

Fellows

Publications

Media

Legal program staff attorney talks to two students at a conference table
Legal program research attorney presents resarch to audience at Roger Williams University

About

The Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program is one of four Sea Grant Legal Programs in the nation, and the only one in New England.

Housed at the Marine Affairs Institute at the Roger Williams University School of Law since 2003, the program is a national clearinghouse for marine law and policy and prepares law students entering the exciting field of ocean and coastal law through the Law Fellow Program. 

Mission

To provide legal expertise on ocean and coastal-related issues and prepare the next generation of marine law professionals.

Rhode Island Sea Grant Law Fellow Program

 

The Rhode Island Sea Grant Law Fellow Program is an experiential education opportunity in which Law Fellows research and analyze marine law issues requested by outside professional organizations, under the guidance of Marine Affairs Institute staff.

 

 

Students are eligible to become Law Fellows after their first year of study, and projects are typically completed in one semester, though some projects last more than one semester. Outside organizations requesting Law Fellow assistance may include government agencies, nonprofit groups, and corporations. Project topics cover the full range of ocean, coastal, and maritime topics and may focus on local, regional, national, or even international law. The Rhode Island Sea Grant Law Fellow Program does not litigate or advocate.

Contact

Julia Wyman, Legal Program Director
jwyman@rwu.edu

Publications

Coastal Resilience Overlays in Community Planning: Building Resilience in Bristol County, RI

Understanding the North Atlantic Right Whale Litigation

Legal Issues Affecting Blue Carbon Projects on Publicly-Owned Coastal Wetlands

Legal Requirements for Equitable Design and Implementation of Flood Buyout Programs in Rhode Island

Climate Change and Dam Owner Liability

Couple examines frozen seafood at supermarket

Legal Implications of “Organic” Seafood Labeling Based on Foreign Standards

Takings Implications of Offshore Wind Energy Development

Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources.

The Fellowship, named after one of Sea Grant’s founders, former NOAA Administrator and Dean of URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography, John A. Knauss, matches highly qualified graduate students with “hosts” in the legislative and executive branch of government located in the Washington, D.C., area, for a one-year paid fellowship.

For more information, please contact Kim Ohnemus or visit the National Sea Grant website. 

CONTACT: Kim Ohnemus | kohnemus@uri.edu

Law Clinic Engages Students in Block Island Coastal Resilience

Law students apply a legal and policy perspective to addressing climate impacts to Block Island’s infrastructure and community resources.

With Marinas Filling Up, How Can RI Preserve Space for Working Boats?

Commercial Users’ Access to Rhode Island Marinas: A Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program Research Summary   The competition for marina slips has become challenging in Rhode Island, in part due to the surge in recreational boating during the Covid-19 pandemic. A...

Offshore Wind Developers Set Up Compensation Funds to Offset Harms to Fishers, Coastal Communities

Recent legal research examines the various compensation programs offered by offshore wind developers to communities in southern New England. As offshore wind farms are developed along the East Coast and even more are proposed, communities may want to understand the...

2025 Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Now Accepting Applications

Opportunity for eligible graduate students to spend one year in Washington D.C. as a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow to work on important marine policy and management issues.

RI Sea Grant sends four grads to D.C. for Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

Four grad students from diverse academic backgrounds will work on ocean and coastal policy as Knauss Fellows in Congress and the Executive branch.

Coastal Resilience Overlays for Bristol County

Coastal resilience overlays may be a useful tool in helping communities become more resilient.

Municipal Parking and Public Shoreline Access

Availability of parking near public rights-of-way to the shoreline is key to allowing meaningful access, but it’s also controversial.

How to Protect Wetlands & Combat Climate Change for a Century

Publicly owned wetlands are being eyed for long-term carbon reduction.

Buyout Programs Leave Homeowners and Renters at a Loss

Years-long waits for relief are just one of the problems facing federal buyout programs.

Communities May Be Faced with Elevating or Abandoning Coastal Highways

Coastal communities in the Ocean State will be faced with difficult choices in the not-so-distant future as the encroachment of the sea and more powerful storms increase flooding in low-lying areas. One of those difficult choices is deciding what to do with vulnerable...

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