Animal Law Litigation Clinic I

Animal Law Litigation Clinic I - Professor Russ Mead

• Course Number: LAW-768
• Course Type: Highly Specialized & Experiential
• Credits: 3
• Enrollment Limit: 6 (4 in Summer)
• Description:

  Under the supervision of the clinical professor, students develop legal theories and litigation strategies to establish and expand legal protections and legal rights for farmed animals. The clinic’s docket is balanced to provide students with opportunities to learn about as many aspects of litigation as possible.

  Except in special circumstances, this is a full year course (three credits per semester). Students must take Animals in the Law as a prerequisite for the Animal Law Litigation Clinic and must enroll in both sections: Animal Law Litigation Clinic I and II.

  Each week, students are expected to attend and participate in a 2-hour classroom component, meet with a supervising attorney, and work an average of 10 hours outside of class on cases as assigned. Students learn basic animal law jurisprudence, Bluebook citation, and trial and (when appropriate) appellate level animal law practice, including effective motion practice and general practice skills. Students also benefit from guest lectures by national animal law litigation experts and allied professionals, such as veterinarians and behaviorists. Class attendance is mandatory.

  The Animal Law Litigation Clinic is a credit/no credit course with no final examination or paper requirement. In some semesters, with Professor consent, it is possible for students to do additional work for individual research credit that furthers their clinic work and meets the Capstone requirement. The clinic does not include a separate ethics portion for credit, but students will be exposed to, and learn about, professionalism and ethics critical to being an effective litigator.

• Prerequisite: Animals in the Law
• Evaluation Method: Credit/no credit based on written work completed in the course
• Capstone: no
• WIE: yes, under normal circumstances