New Law Bloggers Speak: Erich Rapp of the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Blog

Another LexBlog blog has gone live, and we were right there to question its author for our occasional “New Law Bloggers Speak” feature (which debuted earlier this month after Fox Rothschild attorney Joel Bolstein launched his Pennsylvania Brownfields & Environmental Law Blog).

This time around we spoke with Erich Rapp, a Louisiana attorney with Kean Miller Hawthorne D’Armond McCowan & Jarman LLP,  whose Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Blog went live yesterday.

1. Rob La Gatta: When and how did the development of this blog come about?

Erich Rapp: In the summer of 2003, one of my law partners asked if I thought that the federal government was liable for coastal land loss in Louisiana. Anything involving federal liability for any reason is complicated, but I had no idea how complex this claim would be. What started out as a project for a client became far more. My search for legal and factual knowledge about Louisiana coastal land loss began consuming my evenings, weekends and holidays. In the summer of 2004, it consumed most of my three month sabbatical from the law firm.

Along the way, my law firm began a blog called Louisiana Law Blog. I began posting about several subjects on this blog. I had wanted to write a book on the loss of the Louisiana coastal wetlands, and I may still. In the meantime, however, posting entries to the law firm’s blog sparked an interest in starting my own blog on the topic of Louisiana coastal land loss. Thus, I developed http://www.louisianacoastalwetlands.com.

2. Rob La Gatta: What do you hope to get out of your LexBlog blog?

Erich Rapp: In the future, I would like to see the federal government take into account the impact of their actions throughout the Mississippi River drainage basin on the coastal wetlands of Louisiana. I would like to see the federal government take responsibility for paying damages to those in Louisiana that have suffered as a result of coastal land loss, and most important, I would like to see the federal government take responsibility for a large scale restoration and preservation program in the coastal wetlands of Louisiana. I don’t really think that all of that is coming from publishing a blog, but maybe it will play some small role in advancing national public awareness of the problem.

If somewhere along the way, I can find the right plaintiff(s) or defendant(s) in the right place at the right time, perhaps, I will also get to go back to court on this subject.

3. Rob La Gatta: If you read other blogs, what are some of your favorites?

Erich Rapp: I am really a novice at this. For me the best way to look at blog entries is by topic with Google News Alert or through a newsreader. Nevertheless, a couple of blogs that I follow are LaPolitics.com and Gizmodo.com.

That’s all for now…check back in coming weeks, as more LexBlog clients continue to launch their blogs.