6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Welcome Reception and Awards Ceremony

Manhattan Penthouse, 80 5th Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10011

The conference will kick off with an evening reception at the Manhattan Penthouse, near Union Square. We invite you to enjoy appetizers and drinks while networking with fellow conference attendees. The Animal Legal Defense Fund will also present the 2016 Advancement in Animal Law Pro Bono Achievement Awards.

7:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Welcomes & Introductions

Pamela Frasch, Assistant Dean, Animal Law Program; Executive Director, Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School

David Yassky, Dean, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University

Stephen Wells, Executive Director, Animal Legal Defense Fund

Linda B. Rosenthal, New York State Assembly member

Awards Ceremony

Pamela Hart, Animal Law Program Director, Animal Legal Defense Fund

Tom Linney, Senior Pro Bono Manager, Animal Legal Defense Fund

All panel sessions on Saturday will take place in the Schimmel Center at Pace University. Continental Breakfast will be available in the Schimmel lobby from 7:30-9:00 a.m.
Schimmel Center, 3 Spruce Street, New York, NY 10038

9:00 – 9:15 a.m.

Welcome

Kathy Hessler, Clinical Professor of Law and Animal Law Clinic Director, Lewis & Clark Law School

9:15 – 10:30 a.m.

Keynote Presentation

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Steven Wise, President, Nonhuman Rights Project

Introduction: Stephen Wells, Executive Director, Animal Legal Defense Fund

Probably the best known attorney in the animal rights movement, Steven Wise is the President of NHRP, a group whose mission is “to change the legal status of appropriate nonhuman animals from mere ‘things,’ which lack the capacity to possess any legal right, to ‘persons,’ who possess such fundamental rights as bodily integrity and bodily liberty.” Its first lawsuits were filed in 2013 on behalf of four captive chimpanzees in New York State. Wise will address what these lawsuits have accomplished in the court of public opinion, what challenges are looming, and the future of legal rights for nonhuman animals.

10:30 – 10:45 a.m.

Break

Book signing in lobby by Steven Wise, President, Nonhuman Rights Project

10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Current Litigation Approaches to Factory Farming

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Eli Holmes, Attorney, Blue River Law, P.C.

Jessica Culpepper, Food Safety & Health Attorney, Public Justice

Moderator: Susan Hankin, Associate Professor of Law, University of Maryland, Francis King Carey School of Law

Factory farming is one of the most significant animal protection issues of our time. The negative effects of this egregious system on the animals, the environment, and human health are similar in all places where factory farming is in place. Our panelists will explain the legal approaches being taken to counter this national (and international) issue.

12:00 – 1:15 p.m.

Lunch Break

We will have a 75 minute lunch break for participants to grab a bite to eat in one of the many nearby restaurants or food carts. We recommend consulting our Plant-Based Dining Guide or Happy Cow, for restaurant options in the area. Best Bites of the Big Apple is another great resource for local plant-based dining options.

1:15 – 2:30 p.m.

Shaking Up the Food Supply: Reimagining Our Plates

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Carter Dillard, Director of Litigation, Animal Legal Defense Fund

Chris Kerr, Partner, New Crop Capital and Entrepreneur in Residence, The Good Food Institute

Michele Simon, Executive Director, Plant Based Foods Association

Moderator: Pamela Hart, Animal Law Program Director, Animal Legal Defense Fund

“Remaking meat is one sector of the food industry that is ripe for innovation and growth.” ~ Bill Gates

One of the most exciting developments in the animal protection movement is the growth of start-up and well-established businesses creating products that replace animal ingredients: plant based meats, and foods made without eggs or dairy. These companies are audacious and, in some cases, well-funded. Hear the latest from this cutting-edge industry.

2:30 – 2:45 p.m.

Break

Book signing in lobby by Steven Wise, President, Nonhuman Rights Project

2:45 – 4:00 p.m.

Military Working Dogs: War Heroes Treated as Property

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Mark Eichelman, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired), U.S. Army JAG Corps

Ryan Henderson, SGT (Retired), 1/504 PIR 82nd ABN DIV

Moderator: Joyce Tischler, Founder and General Counsel, Animal Legal Defense Fund

Currently, more than 2,500 military working dogs (MWDs) serve in the United States Armed Forces. Because of their unique ability to detect life-threatening situations, it is estimated that a MWD may save the lives of 150 to 200 soldiers, resulting in far more soldiers returning home to be reunited with their loved ones. What happens to these dogs after they are no longer useful to the military? This panel will address Robby’s Law, a federal law intended to assure that MWDs are no longer left behind overseas as surplus equipment; the controversy surrounding the application of Robby’s Law; the physical and psychological challenges that retired MWDs face and a recognition of the undeniable bond between military dogs and the human soldiers they served beside.

4:00 – 4:15 p.m.

Break

Book signing in lobby by Steven Wise, President, Nonhuman Rights Project

4:15 – 5:30 p.m.

Aquatic Animal Law

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Kathy Hessler, Clinical Professor of Law and Animal Law Clinic Director, Lewis & Clark Law School

Dr. Lynne Sneddon, Director of Bioveterinary Science, University of Liverpool

Moderator: Dr. Paul Locke, Associate Professor, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Aquatic animals are often left out of conversations identifying problems and priorities for animal protection. They are generally excluded entirely from the legal frameworks of protection and regulation upon which advocates for other animals may rely. Additionally, there is too little understanding about the physical, psychological, and emotional capacities of these animals. This is compounded by too little information regarding the animal welfare, environmental, public health, consumer, and worker safety issues associated with aquatic animal production, transportation, slaughter, processing, breeding, testing, use, and exhibition. This panel will address some of the scientific and legal aspects of these matters in order to foster more informed policy development and will explore opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration and problem-solving.

All panel sessions on Sunday will take place at Pace University in Lecture Halls North and South, on the 2nd Floor. Continental Breakfast will be available outside of the lecture halls from 7:30-9:00 a.m.
Pace University, 1 Pace Plaza (entrance off of Park Row), New York, NY, 10038

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

Lecture Hall North: Careers in Animal Law

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Nicoletta Caferri, Chief, Animal Cruelty Prosecutions Unit, Queens County District Attorney’s Office

Lora Dunn, Interim Director and Staff Attorney, Criminal Justice Program, Animal Legal Defense Fund

Jane Hoffman, President and Board Chair, Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals

Mariann Sullivan, Lecturer in Law, Columbia Law School and Host, The Animal Law Podcast

Amy Trakinski, Managing Director, VegInvest

Moderator: Tom Linney, Senior Pro Bono Manager, Animal Legal Defense Fund

A career in animal law! That’s what’s on everyone’s mind. Whether it be non-profit, governmental, private practice, or corporate employment, these experts will provide the tools and information you need to start your career in animal law.

Lecture Hall South: Ethics and Animal Issues

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Russ Mead, General Counsel, Animal Law Coalition

Kick off the morning with an exciting, interactive session exploring some of the most challenging ethical dilemmas animal law attorneys face in both practice and volunteer positions. Animal law expert Russ Mead will lead attendees through a series of hypothetical scenarios, which will examine difficult situations and how to handle them effectively while adhering to the Model Code of Professional Responsibility. (1 hour of New York state CLE ethics credit, pending approval).

9:00 – 9:15 a.m.

Break

9:15 – 10:15 a.m.

Lecture Hall North: Animals and the First Amendment

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Justin Marceau, Associate Professor, University of Denver, Sturm College of Law

Jim Oleske, Associate Professor of Law, Lewis & Clark Law School

Moderator: Mariann Sullivan, Lecturer in Law, Columbia Law School and Host, The Animal Law Podcast

The first amendment has an important role in the litigation of animal rights work. Cutting-edge free speech doctrines – ranging from the right to lie, to the right to record and to prohibitions on buffer zones – are at the core of challenges to Ag-Gag laws, food libel laws, and possibly hunter harassment statutes. At the same time, supporters of animal protection often find themselves supporting prosecutions, statutes, and limits on the uses of animals for art that may have free speech implications. In addition to the Free Speech Clause, the Free Exercise Clause and related religious liberty statutes have also been successfully used to challenge the application of animal welfare laws. Just how vulnerable such laws may be to future challenges remains profoundly unclear in light of the Supreme Court’s unsettled religious freedom jurisprudence.

Lecture Hall South: Inaugural Law Student Scholarship Panel

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Caitlin Foley, Associate, Commercial Litigation Group, Perkins Coie, LLP
Paper submission: Regulating Feedlots: Approaches to Containing Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, University of Chicago Law School, 2016

Elizabeth Foubert, 3L, The John Marshall Law School
Paper submission: Occupational Licensure for Pet Dog Trainers: Dogs are not the Only Ones Who Should be Licensed, The John Marshall Law School, 2016

Angie Ostrowski, Tax Staff, Ernst & Young
Paper submission: (Elephant) Death and Taxes: Proposed Tax Treatment of Illegal Ivory, Lewis & Clark Law School, 2015

Moderator: Rebeka Breder, Associate Counsel, Boughton Law

Introductions: Nicole Pallotta, Academic Outreach Manager, Animal Legal Defense Fund

Students, the next generation of animal lawyers and policy makers, are already doing great work exploring cutting edge legal theories as well as considering practical ways to use the law to help animals. For the first time, we are showcasing some of this work. This panel features three authors chosen to present their papers, which were selected by a committee of prominent practicing attorneys from over 30 submissions. These students, as well as those who received honorable mention for their submissions, will have the opportunity to have their papers posted on the conference website. Come and hear their ideas and help shape the conversation as it moves forward.

Papers that received honorable mentions, along with all other materials submitted by conference speakers, are posted on our conference Resources page.

10:15 – 10:30 a.m.

Break

10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Lecture Hall Hall North: Captive Wildlife

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Jessica Blome, Deputy Director, San Francisco Ethics Commission

Delcianna Winders, Academic Fellow, Animal Law & Policy Program, Harvard Law School

Moderator: Gabrielle Bright, 2L, Lewis & Clark Law School

The past decade has marked a significant shift in human perception of wildlife, with many accepting that wildlife ought to be free to live independent of humans. This panel will provide insights into what has worked to make a dent in the status quo for captive animals and what we can expect in the future.

Lecture Hall South: Gender and Race within the Animal Protection Movement

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Joyce Tischler, Founder and General Counsel, Animal Legal Defense Fund

Carolyn Walker, Partner, Stoel Rives LLP

Moderator: Raj Reddy, 3L, Lewis & Clark Law School

Charges of racism and sexism within the animal protection movement are causing some to question whether it is time for a broad-based internal reflection and hard questions. These experts will explain the problem and explore solutions.

11:30 – 11:45 a.m.

Break

11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

Lecture Hall North: What’s New in Litigation and Legislation?

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Sara Amundson, Executive Director, Humane Society Legislative Fund

Christopher Berry, Staff Attorney, Animal Legal Defense Fund

Moderator: David Rosengard, Criminal Justice Program Fellow, Animal Legal Defense Fund

A perennial favorite at the Animal Law Conference, we bring the experts to you. The field of animal law is developing at a blazing speed, and it can be hard to stay on top of the latest, and most important developments. This panel will explore exciting state and federal animal law legislation and litigation that advocates need to know now.

Lecture Hall South: Animal Law around the Globe

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David Cassuto, Professor of Law,, Pace Law School; Director, Brazil-American Institute for Law and Environment (BAILE)

Charlotte Blattner, MLaw, PhD Candidate in International Law, Doctoral Program “Law & Animals,” Law Faculty, University of Basel; Visiting International Scholar, Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School

Moderator: Natasha Dolezal, Director, International Animal Program and Deputy Director, Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School

Animal protection issues around the globe have become increasingly complex in recent years. With illegal poaching, intensive farming, and ritualistic killing on the rise, no one can afford to ignore the problems that occur across borders. This panel of experts will reveal the most important, and troubling, trends in animal protection, and discuss the role the United States has played in promoting or curbing those trends. Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of the challenges facing wild and domesticated animals in select countries, and what they can do to help.

12:45 – 1:00 p.m.

Lecture Hall North: Closing Remarks

Stephen Wells, Executive Director, Animal Legal Defense Fund

Lecture Hall South: Closing Remarks

Pamela Frasch, Assistant Dean, Animal Law Program; Executive Director, Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School