MARINE AFFAIRS INSTITUTE & RHODE ISLAND SEA GRANT LEGAL PROGRAM RWU Law’s Marine Affairs Institute (MAI) is a partnership between Roger Williams University School of Law, The University of Rhode Island, and Rhode Island Sea Grant.
OUR PRIMARY GOALS • Educating the next generation of marine and coastal law and policy leaders • Serving as a resource for ocean and coastal stakeholders on law and policy research
A RIGOROUS CURRICULUM One of the ways that the MAI educates the next generation of marine and coastal law and policy leaders is through a rigorous academic curriculum. In the Classroom. RWU Law offers a variety of courses in both Environmental/Natural Resources Law and Admiralty/Maritime Law. J uris Doctor/Master of Marine Affairs. Students in this program earn their juris doctor degree at the law school and their master’s degree at URI. Students examine complex marine and environmental issues beyond the legal context, holistically incorporating science, social science, economics, and policy. This 3½-year joint-degree program prepares students for a wide variety of jobs after graduation. In the past three years, seven students have taken advantage of this program.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING Another way that the MAI educates students is through experiential learning. This is primarily done through two programs: T he Environmental and Land Use Externship Program (ELUE). Students gain experience in environmental litigation and advocacy while externing with organizations such as: • The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management • The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office Environmental Unit • The Conservation Law Foundation The Rhode Island Sea Grant Law Fellow Program. Participating 2Ls and 3Ls research and analyze a full range of ocean, coastal, and maritime topics for outside organizations. In 2020, the MAI worked on 14 Law Fellow projects with 13 Law Fellows. Projects completed over the last three years covered a wide variety of topics, some looking at laws and policies related to coastal resilience in Rhode Island, and others examining regulatory restrictions to siting new aquaculture farms in the state. The projects involved a variety of different organizations, including: • • • • • • •
Save the Bay The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Rhode Island Housing Connecticut Sea Grant Woods Hole Sea Grant The Coastal Resources Management Council Rhode Island Sea Grant (involved in all projects)
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