Joseph Mayson, from Cape Town, South Africa, was a recipient of our International Advocates Animal Law LLM Scholarship. Upon graduation, Joseph began working for PETA at the offices in Virginia as part of the Optional Practical Training program.
Relative to his short career, Joseph has considerable experience in academic and practical spheres. Prior to graduating from his LLB, Joseph undertook many internships for social justice firms where he contributed to litigation, policy and research projects. In his final year, Joseph had his article, “The Constitutional Conundrum of Speciesism” published in the legal journal Responsa Meridiana and received the Spoor & Fischer Legal Writing Award for the same article. He has also co-authored sections of the 2016 and 2017 Annual Survey of Mineral Law (South Africa) publications. After graduating, Joseph worked as a legal researcher for Phuhlisani NPC (Cape Town), where he produced a legal compendium of mineral law in South Africa, accompanied by a case study and explanatory videos for social justice activists in the mining sector. While at Lewis & Clark, Joseph was one of three winners of the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s writing contest, enabling him to attend the organization’s Annual Justice Fundraising Gala. During his time in the LLM program, Joseph worked part-time for Animal Law Reform South Africa - an nonprofit organization co-founded by LLM graduate, Amy Wilson ’18.