Bad weather kept both of Maine’s United States senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, away from the Fishermen’s Forum in Rockland, but it didn’t deter state Sen. Dennis Damon (D-Hancock County), chairman of the Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee, who views the forum as a valuable opportunity to meet with the fishing community.—STAFF PHOTO BY STEPHEN RAPPAPORT

ROCKPORT — The law firm where Chief Justice John Roberts was a partner before he joined the United States Supreme Court will represent the Maine lobster industry in its battle with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) over rules aimed at protecting endangered right whales from entanglement with fishing gear.

That’s the good news.

The better news is that the law firm, Hogan and Hartson, won’t be charging Maine lobstermen for its services.

David Cousens, president of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA), announced the news Friday morning at the group’s annual meeting during the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport.

Based in Washington, D.C., the 1,100-lawyer firm with 22 offices worldwide was perhaps the first major law firm to establish a separate department devoted to providing pro bono representation in cases of significant public interest. The firm also represents individuals or small groups of clients who lack the financial resources to prosecute a compelling claim or protect their interests.

The Maine lobster industry is in an uproar over the NMFS requirement that, beginning in October, lobstermen have to use sinking rope for the groundlines on their traps. Fishermen are angry because they say that NMFS ignored evidence that the sinking rope won’t work in Downeast waters and that the cost of changing and maintaining the line could drive many lobstermen out of business.

Mary Anne Mason, the partner who will lead the legal team, said the dispute between the fishing industry and the federal agency was a perfect case for pro bono representation.

“This case appears to pit important environmental issues against the community,” Mason said. “They need to be resolved in a way that doesn’t impose costs on fishermen that they can’t meet.”