2014 Overview

Animal Law in a Changing Environment: Finding Common Ground

The Animal Law Conference is the central gathering point of the global animal law community. The Animal Law Conference gives attorneys, law students, professors, and activists from around the world a place to share ideas, knowledge, and practical skills about advancing the interests of animals through the legal system. Today, the conference has become one of the largest and most popular of its kind, featuring some of the most respected voices in the field of animal law.

This year’s conference will feature cutting-edge topics such as “ag gag” legislation and challenges; closing the gap between animal law and environmental law; human consumption and population growth as animal rights issues; national and international trends in criminal and civil law; animal law employment opportunities; animal testing issues; the role of documentaries in animal advocacy; and the intersection of animal law and religion. These topics will be presented by the best and brightest experts in our field including the Center for Animal Law Studies Assistant Dean & Executive Director Pamela Frasch, Animal Legal Defense Fund’s (ALDF) Founder and General Counsel Joyce Tischler, Environmental Law Institute Senior Attorney Bruce Myers, Lewis & Clark Law School’s Clinical Professor of Law & Animal Law Clinic Director Kathy Hessler, ALDF’s Litigation Program Director Carter Dillard, and Animal Law Coalition General Counsel Russ Mead, among many others.

Will Potter, of GreenIsTheNewRed.com, will be our Friday evening keynote speaker. Will is an award-winning journalist, author, and TED Fellow based in Washington, D.C. who focuses on the animal rights and environmental movements, and civil liberties post-9/11. His reporting and commentary have been featured in the world’s top media outlets, including the Washington Post, NPR, Rolling Stone, El Pais, and Le Monde.

Our Saturday night keynote speaker will be Kierán Suckling, the co-founder and executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, arguably the most exciting and forward-thinking environmental group in the U.S. today. Described as witty, acerbic, passionate, and controversial, Suckling will be sure to inform and challenge our audience.

The Animal Law Conference is co-presented by Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School, and the Lewis & Clark Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. We look forward to seeing you there!