6 Ways for Law Students to Get Involved with Animal Law

When I quit my job and came to law school, I knew I wanted to be a public interest lawyer. I knew that I cared about animals and the climate. But, I wasn’t sure how those interests could blossom into a career. I had been an ethical vegan for several years at that point, but the field of animal law was still quite mysterious to me.

Since then, I have had the opportunity to be involved in a range of exciting and rewarding projects that have taught me a great deal and helped make the world a better place for all living beings. I have drafted legislation that was introduced at the state level, aided attorneys defending animal protection laws in court, and cultivated a community of budding animal lawyers. I will be eternally grateful to all those who have helped me along this path. In that spirit, here are 6 ways for you to get involved that I wish I had known about sooner.

1. Join the American Bar Association (and/or your local bar association)

Membership to the American Bar Association (“ABA”) is free for current law students. As a member, you can attend monthly meetings to network and learn more from experts and professionals in the field. Students can even get involved in leadership as Student Vice Chair for a subcommittee that interests you.

The ABA has two major committees relating to animal law issues: the International Animal Law Committee (“IALC”) and the Animal Law Committee (“ALC”). The ALC also has several subcommittees dedicated to specific areas of animal law; from Animals in Agriculture to Equine Law.

Most prominent local bar associations will also have some sort of animal committee or animal bar you can join for free as a student. This can be a great way to meet practitioners in your locality and help organize events with like-minded lawyers.

2. Write something (and get it published)

There are several peer-reviewed legal journals that are either fully dedicated to or include coverage of animal law, most of which accept submissions and publish work from current law students. These include:

• Animal Law Review

• Global Journal of Animal Law

• Journal for Critical Animal Studies

• Journal of Food Law and Policy

• Michigan State Animal and Natural Resource Law Review

• Mid-Atlantic Journal on Law and Public Policy

• University of Louisville Brandeis Journal of Animal and Environmental Law

• and more…

In addition to journals, the ABA’s two animal law committees publish newsletters that accept and welcome student submissions. Unlike full length journal articles, which can run over 12,000+ words, the ABA newsletters usually look for pieces in the 1,500–2,000 word range on current legal topics related to that committee’s subject area.

Finally, to demonstrate your interest in animal protection and gain practice in writing to a more general audience you can always submit letters to the editor, opinion pieces, articles, and blog posts to a whole host of media outlets. You can even start your own blog on a site like Medium to share your writing with the world.

3. Get involved at your law school

There are over 200 Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (“SALDF”) Chapters at law schools across the U.S. and around the world, as well as several other Animal Law Societies. Speaking as my school’s SALDF Chapter President, there are many ways to get involved with your school’s organization — you can volunteer as a first year representative, join the E-Board, or just show up to events and show your support.

If your law school does not currently have an active animal law organization you should consider starting your own! The Animal Legal Defense Fund (“ALDF”) offers resources to new and existing chapters.

Outside of student organizations, some law schools also offer students the ability to work directly in the area of animal law through clinics or volunteer projects. UCLA Law, for example, has a Dog Administrative Hearings Clinic where students represent clients whose companion dogs have been the subject of complaints. Lewis and Clark’s law school even has two animal clinics: the Animal Law Clinic and the Animal Law Litigation Clinic.

At GW Law, I have been able to get involved in our school’s Animal Welfare Project. As part of the project, students are able to work on useful educational tools like updating state law surveys — I was even able to draft legislation that made its way into the D.C. Animal Care and Control Omnibus Act of 2019.

Just like with journals or SALDF chapters, if your law school does not currently have any opportunities for students to work on issues pertaining to animal law, consider starting one! Reach out to students who already do this work at other schools for advice, and then connect with faculty members who may be willing to oversee your student work.

4. Volunteer in your local community

Not everything you do while you’re in law school has to be strictly law-related. Getting involved in your community’s animal protection scene can be a great way to compliment your academic experience with lobbying, research support, or direct work at a shelter or sanctuary.

Advocacy groups like New York’s Voters for Animals Rights or DC Voters for Animals that are regionally-specific are often looking for passionate advocates to help lobby local officials or support their municipal legislative efforts. National groups like HSUS and The Humane League are also always looking for local grassroots volunteers and District Leaders.

5. Take relevant courses (and consider classes at other schools)

167 law schools across the U.S. and Canada offer at least 1 course in animal law. Even beyond courses labeled as “animal law” classes, every law school has a host of course offerings that those interested in animal law should take. Perhaps most important are environmental and administrative law. But animal law topics can also be found in food law, trusts and estates, First Amendment law, and so many more courses!

If your school does not offer an animal law class, ALDF offers grants to help get animal law classes off the ground. Consider working with ALDF and your law school’s administration to bring an animal law class to your curriculum.

Additionally, the ALDF also offers scholarships for law students around the world to take courses at Lewis and Clark’s Law School. Thanks to the generosity of the ALDF, I was able to take a summer course on Animal Rights Jurisprudence with Steven Wise — and I have friends and colleagues who through the same scholarship program were able to take summer classes on the ethics of animal testing, international wildlife law, and aquatic animal law.

6. Intern at an animal protection organization

Finally, the best way to get into animal law is to get on-the-ground experience working with lawyers who practice animal law at one of the myriad of animal protection nonprofits across the country that offer legal internships or fellowships.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of organizations to consider:

• Animal Equality

• Animal Legal Defense Fund

• Animal Outlook

• Animal Welfare Institute

• ASPCA

• Farm Sanctuary

• The Humane League

• The Humane Society of the United States

• Mercy For Animals

• PETA

There are also many food justice and environmental organizations that are well worth interning at even if you are most interested in animal law. For example, groups like EarthJustice and the Center for Biological Diversity use the law to protect wildlife and endangered species, and Food & Water Watch dedicates significant resources to fighting factory farm operations.

Every organization will be looking for something different in their summer or semester interns, but from personal experience I can safely say that you can obtain an internship position at one of the organizations mentioned above without any prior animal law experience.

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Animal law can feel like a niche subject area and that can make it somewhat daunting for new law students who care about nonhuman animals but are not sure if or how they could turn that passion into a career. I am always happy to speak with law students about my experience and to help guide them towards resources that may help them foster their own career as a legal advocate for nonhuman animals. Please feel free to reach out to me at michael.swistara@gmail.com.

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