CLF to expand Legal Food Hub to R.I.

PROVIDENCE – Local food advocates could be getting some legal help this fall, as the Conservation Law Foundation plans to offer free legal services to farmers and food entrepreneurs in Rhode Island.
CLF in 2014 launched the pro-bono services, dubbed the “Legal Food Hub” initiative, in Massachusetts, and has since expanded it to Maine. In its second year, the group has provided $825,000 in pro-bono services to the regional food industry, according to a year-end report. CLF announced on Thursday plans to expand the services into Rhode Island in October and into Connecticut in 2017.
“Small-scale farms and food businesses are indispensable to a just, healthy and economically vibrant region,” said Jenny Rushlow, director of the CLF Farm and Food Initiative. “Unfortunately, like every small business, they have legal needs that too often go unaddressed because of the cost. We started the Legal Food Hub to relieve that cost burden and help grow local, sustainable food systems, and we’re proud of the inroads we’ve made over the past two years. Still, we know that farmers and food entrepreneurs all around the country face many of the same challenges as those here in New England, and we look forward to replicating the success of this program.”
The initiative thus far has provided free legal services to more than 150 individuals and businesses throughout New England, according to the CLF. The Connecticut services will be provided through a partnership with Yale Law School, and the group is actively seeking partners in other states interested in participating.