Center for Alcohol Policy Welcomes Former Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch to Advisory Council

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Center for Alcohol Policy (CAP) is pleased to announce former Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch as the newest member of the CAP Advisory Council.  As part of the Council, Lynch will work with fellow advisors and the foundation’s trustees to direct the work of the Center and provide advice and counsel about a variety of issues related to alcohol policy.

During his eight years as Attorney General, Lynch successfully defended legal attacks by economic interests against Rhode Island’s alcohol regulatory structure and spearheaded a number of important alcohol initiatives. Lynch also visited at least one school a week to speak to children about making good choices in their lives.

Lynch’s leadership on important legal and social issues earned him the respect of his peers throughout the nation and led to his induction as President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) in 2008. As part of his work with NAAG, Lynch sat on the Youth Access to Alcohol Task Force as well as the Enforcement of Underage Drinking Laws Task Force, including the Law Enforcement Subcommittee and the Public Education Subcommittee. Lynch was also an avid participant and supporter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s Youth in Action program.

“As Rhode Island’s top law enforcement official and prosecutor, Patrick Lynch worked tirelessly to help protect the community by advocating for stricter laws to combat the misuse of alcohol, including drunk driving and underage drinking,” said CAP Advisory Council Chairman Jim Petro, who is the former Ohio Attorney General.  “He also worked with community leaders and law enforcement to propose effective school-safety plans and community prosecution. All of us on the Advisory Council look forward to working with Patrick and benefiting from his insights.”

As a member of the CAP Advisory Council, Lynch will join Petro; Jim Hall, former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman; Brannon Denning, law professor at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law; and Jerry Oliver, former police chief and state alcohol regulator.

“I am honored to join such a respected group of individuals on the CAP Advisory Council. I hope my years as attorney general and prosecutor will bring an important dimension to the discussion and to the CAP’s projects,” said Lynch.

A 1987 graduate of Brown University, Lynch earned his law degree from Suffolk University Law School. As a Special Assistant Attorney General from 1994 to 1999, he prosecuted cases at every level of Rhode Island’s criminal justice system and led the State’s prosecution of gang-related offenses. Lynch worked for one of Rhode Island’s top law firms until the 2002 election, which led to his first swearing in as Rhode Island Attorney General in January 2003.

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The Center for Alcohol Policy is a 501 c (3) organization whose mission is to educate policy makers, regulators and the public about alcohol, its uniqueness and regulation.  By conducting sound and scientific-based research and implementing initiatives that will maintain the appropriate state-based regulation of alcohol, the Center promotes safe and responsible consumption, fights underage drinking and drunk driving and informs key entities about the effects of alcohol consumption.  For more information, visit www.centerforalcoholpolicy.org.