After graduating with a JD and LLM in Animal Law from Lewis & Clark, David joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF). As a staff attorney with ALDF’s Criminal Justice Program, David works to ensure that justice is done on behalf of animal cruelty victims through trial support, amicus briefs, legislative efforts, and educational programs. David additionally teaches as an adjunct professor in Lewis & Clark Law School’s animal law program, and has been published in Animal Law Review.
“The Animal Law LLM program offers a unique opportunity to acquire a deeper understanding of animal law issues, in a fashion tailored to each student’s interests. For me, this meant I was able to not only expand my work in animal law as a field, but also identify and build synergy where animal law intersects with emergent areas being developed by other legal practitioners and advocates—such as victim’s rights law. Additionally, the Animal Law LLM gave me strong animal law mentorship and practical experiences both in and outside the classroom. As a result, as a LLM student I saw my legal efforts making a direct positive impact on behalf of animals, and also was able build on my prior career in higher education to make strides towards my goal of more thoroughly integrating animal law into how students and attorneys learn and think of the law. I can say with certainty that my life—professionally and personally—has been profoundly changed for the better by my experiences in Lewis & Clark Law School’s animal law program.”