Animal Law in Action: Key Takeaways from This Year’s Animal Law Conference

The 33rd Animal Law Conference convened animal law attorneys, students, academics, advocates and other professionals devoted to animal protection in Chicago, Illinois, and virtually from October 17th to October 19th. With over 500 registrations, this year’s event was an inspiring weekend of networking, learning, and collaborating to learn more about the ever-changing field of animal law. The Animal Law Conference is co-presented annually by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) and the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) at Lewis & Clark Law School.

The Animal Law Conference started with a Friday evening welcome reception. Pamela Byce, Associate Dean of the Animal Law Program at Lewis & Clark Law School, and Chris Green, Executive Director of ALDF, made brief welcome remarks. Conference attendees enjoyed talking with fellow attendees over drinks and plant-based appetizers.

Saturday started with a light breakfast and coffee, with the ability for attendees to meet each other and make connections. The first panel, The Role of Media in Animal Advocacy, was moderated by Chris Green, and included panelists from Vox (Marina Bolotnikova and Kenny Torella), Sentient Media (Ana Bradley), and the Pratt Institute (Jan Dutkiewicz). Panelists shared the challenges of publishing articles regarding animal agriculture, the importance of reporting unbiased information regarding animal agriculture, and how the success of any particular article is unpredictable in journalism.

The second talk, Legislating for Animals at Every Level, was moderated by Alicia Prygoski, the Strategic Legislative Affairs Manager at ALDF, and included a variety of animal legal advocates in the legislative space. Camille Labchuk, the Executive Director of Animal Justice, focused on her work in advancing animal protection legislation in Canada and how the Canadian legislative process differs from the legislative process in the United States. For example, fewer pieces of legislation are introduced and passed in Canada as compared to the United States. Canada also does not have access to ballot initiative processes, so using direct democracy to protect animals is not an option in Canada. Jaime Olin, the Vice President and Legislative Chair for Texas Humane Legislation Network, covered major wins and losses in legislation that impacts animals in Texas. Olin also addressed how different each state’s legislative process is, from how many legislators are involved to how long the state’s legislative session is. Ledy VanKavage, Senior Legislative Attorney at Best Friends Animal Society, talked about legislating and advocating on the local or county level.

After lunch, a panel on Gaps in Companion Animal Legal Protection, shared the different ways they have successfully advocated for companion animals and how their work shifts societal norms through advocacy and litigation. Moderated by Megan Senatori, CALS’ Executive Director, panelists shared three unique topics. Alba Michelle Gonzalez, DVM, Forensic Veterinarian, Founder, and Medical Director of Rascal Unit (who also holds an Animal Law MSL from Lewis & Clark Law School), talked about cases in Ohio that established all cats are protected from felony animal cruelty, not just cats who are owned as companion animals. Conley Wouters, Assistant Professor of Law at University of Illinois Chicago (and Animal LLM candidate at Lewis & Clark), discussed Chicago Transit Authority’s use of K-9 security units which are composed of dogs from a private contractor, and the issues this brings. Daniel Kolde, attorney at Kolde Law, discussed multiple cases that he has worked on regarding the killing of dogs by law enforcement while executing a search warrant.

Free Speech and Animal Activism was the next panel, moderated by Caitlin Hawks, Chief Programs Officer for ALDF. Chris Carraway, Staff Attorney for Animal Activist Legal Defense Project at Sturm College of Law, spoke about his work protecting animal activists and attacks on free speech. Madeline Krasno, Executive Director for Justify, talked about her role as a Plaintiff in a successful First Amendment lawsuit against the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a publicly funded university, for using key word filters on social media to silence discussion of the cruelty occurring in their animal research labs. John Watson, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Policy at University of Illinois at Chicago, presented on hunter protection laws in Wisconsin and the free speech victory in Brown v. Kemp, which held Wisconsin’s ”hunter harassment” laws unconstitutional.

The last panel of the day, Factory Farming and the Fight for Enforcement, was moderated by Lora Dunn, Criminal Justice Program Director for ALDF. Dunn shared information about ALDF’s criminal justice program and challenges with prosecuting farmed animal cruelty. Adrienne Craig, Staff Attorney for Animal Welfare Institute, gave a presentation on legislation and litigation involving farmed animal cruelty. Pete Paxton, Director of Investigations from Strategies for Ethical and Environmental Development (SEED), talked about using his undercover work in factory farms to help local law enforcement hold factory farms accountable. The panelists then joined together to talk about challenges and hurdles, as well as hopes for future efforts regarding on farm protections.

On Saturday night, there was a banquet dinner, awards ceremony, and keynote presentation by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. The Animal Law Conference’s inaugural Animals in Focus Media Award was presented to Kenny Torella, a senior reporter for Vox’s Future Perfect section who focuses on animal welfare and the future of meat. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Michigan State University Law Professor David Favre, who has written several articles and books regarding animal cruelty, animal rights, wildlife law, the property status of animals, and the international trade of endangered species. ALDF and CALS also presented Attorney General Nessel with the Leadership in Animal Protection Award for her strong record of animal protection.

The first panel on Sunday, Legal Victories: Lessons and Insights, was moderated by Rajesh Reddy, Assistant Professor of Law and CALS Animal Law Program Director. Each panelist talked about their topic individually and came together at the end to reflect on these legal victories and where to go from here. Jessica Blome, Attorney at Greenfire Law, PC, shared her successful lawsuit against the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for violating the Endangered Species Act by allowing pollution into manatee habitat. Elizabeth MeLampy, attorney, writer, and advocate, spoke on animal festivals in the United States and how they reinforce exploitative attitudes about animals. Even though animal festivals are still prominent, MeLampy highlighted the potential for change in maintaining cultural traditions without harming animals. Haley Stewart, Senior Public Policy Manager for Wildlife at Humane World for Animals, covered the legal progress in preventing fur farming, citing a reduction in global fur production, international prohibitions on fur farming, and new regulations on fur farming in the United States.

The next panel on Sunday, Engaging the Next Generation and Expanding Outreach, was moderated by Alyssa Crowell, Law School Programs Attorney for ALDF. Each panelist covered ways the next generation can become involved in the animal legal activism movement. Ilana Braverman, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer for Greener by Default, focused on encouraging students to make more sustainable and animal friendly food choices. Hira Jaleel, Lewis & Clark Law School Visiting Assistant Professor, shared the importance of teaching students animal law. Tené Johnson, Associate at Latham & Watkins LLP, highlighted pro bono animal law work while at a private practice law firm. Allison Troy, Research Director at Faunalytics, elaborated on statistics showing an increase in positive attitudes towards animal and environmental protection by Gen Z.

The last panel of the Animal Law Conference was an engaging conversation on Ethical Issues in Animal Lawyering, moderated by Professor Pamela Frasch, Brooks McCormick Jr. Scholar of Animal Law and Policy at Lewis & Clark Law School. This panel featured Matthew Liebman, Associate Professor and Chair of the Justice for Animals Program at University of San Francisco School of Law and Taylor Waters (Lewis & Clark Animal Law LLM alum), Farm Animal Advocacy Staff Attorney and Vermont Law & Graduate School and Head of Programs at Animal & Vegan Advocacy Summit. Panelists covered what it means to have an animal client within the framework of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct and methodically considered pertinent rules of professional conduct within the framework of animal law.

The 33rd Animal Law Conference was a worthwhile educational and collaborative community experience for students and professionals alike. This year’s conference explored the many facets of animal law, allowing the attendees to take away a large wealth of information from the conference.

CALS thanks everyone who attended this year’s Animal Law Conference, both in-person and online, and extends a special thank you to this year’s event sponsors: Carol House Furniture, Stray Dog Institute, Cat Koshkin, and Patrick Cleary.

About the Author: Katherine (Kat) Engelken is a 3L pursuing her JD and certificate in animal law. Kat’s main interests are in wildlife law and companion animal law, but she enjoys all facets of animal law. Kat is currently working on projects to advocate for the protection of abandoned hunting dogs in South Carolina. She is thankful to have attended the Animal Law Conference through a scholarship from Animal Legal Defense Fund and to write the blog post for CALS.

The Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) was founded in 2008 with a mission to educate the next generation of animal law advocates and advance animal protection through the law. With vision and bold risk-taking, CALS has since developed into a world-renowned animal law epicenter. In addition to JD study, CALS offers an advanced degree program in-person and online. CALS’ Alumni-in-Action from more than 30 countries are making a difference for animals around the world. CALS is a self-funded Center within the law school operating under the Lewis & Clark College 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, and is able to provide these educational opportunities through donations and grants.