2011: Standing Up for Animals: Can a Bad Economy Inspire Greater Goodness?

For information on future Animal Law Conference dates and locations, visit animallawconference.org.

19th Annual
Animal Law Conference
at Lewis & Clark

October 14 - 16th, 2011

 

Standing Up for Animals: Can a Bad Economy Inspire Greater Goodness?

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Thank you to everyone who attended the

2011 Animal Law Conference at Lewis & Clark! 

 

To view podcasts of the conference sessions,
please click here.

 

2011 Conference Recap

Dr. Bernard E. Rollin, university distinguished professor at Colorado State University, and Joyce Tischler, founder and general counsel of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, delivered two special keynote addresses. An exciting list of presenters joined our keynote speakers, including: Carter Dillard, director of litigation at the Animal Legal Defense Fund; David Favre, professor of law at Michigan State University College of Law and editor-in-chief of Animal Legal & Historical Web Center; Pamela Frasch, assistant dean of the Animal Law Program and executive director of the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School; Nancy Perry, senior vice president of Government Relations at ASPCA; Mariann Sullivan, board president of Our Hen House and adjunct law professor at Brooklyn and Cardozo Law Schools; and Will Travers, CEO of Born Free Foundation, among many other animal law experts.

Several timely topics were explored, including:

         ”¢ Current animal law litigation and legislation

         ”¢ The nuts and bolts of building an animal cruelty case

         ”¢ Using a law degree to help sanctuaries and shelters

         ”¢ Popular trends in companion animal ownership and the consequences

         ”¢ International voices and issues in animal law

         ”¢ Wolf protection and exotic animal issues

         ”¢ Developing new legal theories to help animals, and

         ”¢ Ethical issues surrounding animal-based cultural traditions

Law students attended the conference’s 3rd Annual Law Student Breakfast, which brought together law students from across the country (and even some international locations!) to share ideas and resources. We also offered an MCLE Ethics Breakfast for Lawyers, led by Professor Steve Johansen of Lewis & Clark Law School and Russ Mead of Animal Law Coalition.

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Conference Mission Statement

The mission of the conference is to enrich legal advocacy for animals through sharing ideas, knowledge, and practical skills, as well as providing educational and networking opportunities.

History of the Conference

The Animal Law Conference at Lewis & Clark was the first academic conference to address the subject of animal law. In 1993, a small contingent of Lewis & Clark law students interested in animal welfare established the conference, a one-day symposium addressing wildlife issues. The event was successful, and members of L&C’s Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) chapter made the conference an annual event. Over the years, the conference continued to grow in size and popularity with the support and shared vision of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. In 2008, the conference became a joint venture between the Lewis & Clark SALDF chapter and the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark, in collaboration with the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Today, the conference has become one of the largest and most popular of its kind, featuring some of the most respected voices in the field of animal law.

2010 Conference Recap

The 2010 conference theme was Animals in Crisis: Using the Laws We Have, Getting the Laws We Need.  Once again, the conference sold out weeks in advance.  Given the amazing breadth of topics and speakers, this was no surprise.   Dr. Sheri Speede of In Defense of Animals-Africa, and Katrina Sharman, general counsel at the time for Voiceless (Australia), delivered two special keynote addresses.  Topics explored the Gulf oil spill; confined animal feed operations, their regulation and subsidies; public health & safety, including the use of animals in toxicity testing; the suffering of nonhuman primates; humane labeling laws; mandatory reporting of animal abuse by veterinarians; hospice patients and their companion animals; animal law ethics; and the list goes on and on.

Past Conferences