Megan A. Senatori
Executive Director, Center for Animal Law Studies
Biography
Megan Senatori is the Executive Director of the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS).
Senatori joined CALS in 2019 as the Director of Strategic Initiatives before she was promoted to Associate Director in 2020. Her work focuses on strategic priorities, innovative programming, and long-term growth initiatives aimed at strengthening animal law education and expanding protections for animals. She has been instrumental in shaping CALS outreach, development and communications efforts and leads new opportunities to grow the discipline and advance animal protection efforts through academia.
An accomplished litigator with almost two decades of experience in private practice, Megan served as Litigation Practice Group Chair for five years for a 120 attorney law firm with litigators across three offices in Wisconsin and Minnesota just prior to joining CALS in 2019. Her litigation practice consisted of a wide-range of complex civil litigation. She also represented veterinarians and veterinary clinics, as well as litigated cases to advance protections for animals, including cases involving animal cruelty, breed specific legislation, the police shooting of companion dogs, tort cases involving companion animals, custody/placement disputes, domestic violence, and more. She served as co-author of an amicus brief before the United States Supreme Court on behalf of a group of 43 law professors to argue in United States v. Stevens that preventing animal cruelty is a compelling governmental interest to be respected by the Court. She was honored with the Animal Legal Defense Fund Pro Bono Achievement Award in 2013 for her animal protection work.
Megan has been teaching animal law since 2003, including teaching the first-ever animal law courses at the University of Wisconsin Law School and at Marquette University Law School. Both courses covered the fundamentals of animal law and she taught those courses through 2013. She also taught a seminar course in Negotiations, Mediation & Arbitration at the University Wisconsin Law School for several years. She routinely presents to attorneys, veterinarians, humane officers and law enforcement regarding animal protection issues, including teaching a portion of the annual Wisconsin Humane Officer Certification Program for the State of Wisconsin for more than a decade. From 2006 to 2019, she annually guest lectured at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in the Practice Skills Course regarding issues such as record keeping, informed consent, and regulatory issues. She has taught at Lewis & Clark Law School since 2020, currently teaching in the online animal law advanced degree program.
Megan also has significant experience regarding the link between animal cruelty and domestic violence. In 2001, she co-founded Sheltering Animals of Abuse Victims (SAAV) a volunteer-powered nonprofit organization based in Wisconsin that recognizes animals as vital family members and arranges for their safe harbor when a domestic abuse victim seeks refuge from an abuser. She continues to serve as President and oversees services. Megan has been featured for her work on the link in O Magazine and a variety of other publications.
Specialty Areas and Course Descriptions
Companion Animal Law and Policy
Emerging Topics: Veterinary Animal Law
Academic Credentials
- JD, 2001, University of Wisconsin Law School, cum laude
- BA, 1998, University of Wisconsin - Madison, with honors in Political Science and a Certificate in Women’s Studies
Bibliography
- Lawyers Can Play a Vital Role in Facilitating Refuge for Humans and Animals
Impacted by Domestic Violence (published in the American Bar Association, Animal Law Committee Newsletter) - The Second Revolution: The Diverging Paths Of Animal Activism and Environmental Law (published in the Wisconsin Environmental Law Journal and re-published in Environmental Ethics and the Law);
- The Future Of Animal Law: Moving Beyond Preaching To The Choir (published in the Journal of Legal Education and re-published in other languages, co-authored with Professor Pamela Frasch).
Latest Presentations
- “Protecting People & Pets from Domestic Violence” (panelist), American Bar Association & American Veterinary Association Webinar, October 2025
- “Protecting Domestic Violence Survivors and their Companion Animals (speaker), Hawaii Bar Association, October 2025
- “Gaps in Companion Animal Legal Protection” (moderator), Animal Law Conference, October 2025
- “Supporting Vulnerable People and Pets During Housing Crises: Policy and Practice Solutions” (panelist), New York State Bar Association, July 2025
- “How Lawyers Can Support Survivors and their Pets”, (speaker), Los Angeles County Bar Association, Dog & Cat Committee, July 2025
- “Wisconsin Law Overview for Humane Officer Certification”, (speaker), Law Enforcement Training Institute, annually 2010 to present
- “Animal Law Education: Innovations, Impacts and Opportunities” (panelist), Animal Law Conference, October 2023
- “Reimagining Sanctuary for Human and Animal Survivors of Domestic Violence” (speaker), Animal Law Conference, October 2022
- “Sustainable Protein: The Legal, Business, and Ethical Dimensions” (moderator) for “Labeling Controversies, What Can Businesses Call their Alt Protein Innovations and Why Does It Matter”, March 2022
- “Preserving the Human-Animal Bond and Preventing Neglect by Facilitating Access to Care” (moderator), Animal Law Conference, October 2021
- “Animal Law Clinicians: Training the Next Generation (moderator), Animal Law Conference, October 2019
Latest Appointments
Co-Chair, Companion Animal Subcommittee, Animal Law Committee, American Bar Association (2024-present)
Vice Chair, Domestic Violence Awareness, Animal Law Committee, American Bar Association (2025-present)
Member, Animal Law Committee, American Bar Association (2004-present)
Fellow, Wisconsin Law Foundation (2015-present)
Fellow, American Bar Association (2017-present)
Latest Awards and Honors
Rising Star, Law & Politics
Rising Star, Wisconsin Law Journal