Overview

2014 Animal Law Conference

For information on future Animal Law Conference dates and locations, visit animallawconference.org.

 

22nd Annual

Animal Law Conference

Animal Law in a Changing Environment:

Finding Common Ground

 

October 17 - 19, 2014

Lewis & Clark Law School

Portland, OR

 

Click here to view the Conference Videos!

 

 

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 PostNPRRolling StoneEl 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!

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History of the Conference

Lewis & Clark Law School and the Animal Legal Defense Fund have a rich history hosting and supporting animal law conferences for students, practitioners, scholars and activists. In 1982, ALDF hosted its first-ever animal law conference in San Francisco, California and thereafter held annual conferences until 1992. In 1993, a small contingent of Lewis & Clark SALDF students interested in animal welfare hosted a one-day symposium addressing wildlife issues. From that humble beginning, The Animal Law Conference at Lewis & Clark started its tradition of hosting an annual academic conference to address the subject of animal law. Over the years, the annual Animal Law Conference at Lewis & Clark continued to grow in size and popularity with the support and shared vision of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. At the same time, ALDF continued to host animal law conferences every three years, aptly called “The Future of Animal Law.” In 2013 the Animal Law Conference at Lewis & Clark and ALDF’s Future of Animal Law Conference joined forces to create “The Animal Law Conference.”  As an annual event, the conference will be held at Lewis & Clark Law School, except every third year when the conference will go on the road to a new location. The organizers of the Conference hope that by hosting the event in different parts of the country, it will become accessible to those who may not be able to travel to Portland, Oregon. With this exciting merger, the Animal Law Conference is the preeminent event in the field of animal law today.

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Representative Feedback

  • “Finally, a conference that lives up to its philosophy!”
  • “Best conference I have ever attended - you need more.”
  • “The panelists were wonderful and the cost for students was reasonable.” 
  • “Thanks so much for a wonderful weekend! I had a blast - it was well put together, planned, and went incredibly smoothly. Great job!”

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Past Conferences

    • 2013: 21st Annual Animal Law Conference
    • 2012: Celebrating 20 Years of Animal Law: Looking Back and Forward
    • 2011: Standing Up for Animals: Can a Bad Economy Inspire Greater Goodness?
    • 2010: Animals in Crisis: Using The Laws We Have, Getting The Laws We Need
    • 2009: The Animal: The Links
    • 2008: One Earth: Globalism & Animal Law  
    • 2007: Building Bridges: Strengthening the Animal Advocacy Movement
    • 2006: Market Revolution: Recognizing Animals’ Intrinsic Values
    • 2005: The Art of Animal Advocacy: Using Litigation, Legislation, and Science to Advocate for Animals
    • 2004: Justice for All: Social, Political, and Cultural Influences in Animal Law
    • 2003: Building Animal Friendly Communities through Legislation, Community Action, and Legal Advocacy
    • 2002: Issues of Enforcement in Animal Law
    • 2001: Politics of Animal Law
    • 2000: Controversies in Animal Law
    • 1999: The Animal/Human Conflict: Law, Culture & Activism
    • 1998: Animals in the Global Marketplace: Science, Society & Industry
    • 1997: Law and Urban Planning: The Ethical Place for Animals
    • 1996: Legal Issues Concerning Animals of the Pacific Northwest
    • 1995: Perspectives on Domestic and Captive Animals
    • 1994: Marine Mammal Symposium
    • 1993: Wildlife Law Symposium