Now in Full Swing - Summer Intensive Animal Law Program

The Summer Intensive Animal Law Program here at Lewis & Clark Law School (L&C) is now in full swing.  We love this time of year because we get to spend it with incredible visiting animal law experts, visiting students, plus our own amazing L&C students.

Professor Rebecca Huss, visiting from Valparaiso University School of Law, and Professor Ramona Ilea, visiting from Pacific University, have been with us for nearly two weeks.  The time has flown by, much to our great dismay. 

Huss, who is teaching the first-time L&C course, Transactional Approach to Animal Law, teaches business associations, mergers & acquisitions, animal law, securities regulation, and business planning at her home institution.  Huss is very active in the animal law field and has written and lectured on a variety of topics.  She is, however, perhaps best known for her role as Guardian/Special Master for the dogs seized from Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels.

Ilea is teaching another first-time course, Animal Legal Philosophy & Development.  She, lucky for us, is no stranger to L&C having lectured on the topic of animals, ethics and philosophy in the past.  Ilea, a long-time animal advocate, is always a big hit with the students.  Her work focuses on the notion “that it is possible for philosophical work to contribute to public debates and social issues in ways that do not undermine our roles as philosophers.”  Additionally, she aims “to show philosophers interested in doing publicly engaged philosophy how to do so in a responsible and effective manner by articulating the methodologies implicit in the work of exemplary engaged philosophers.”  She offers valuable training and insight to our students and forces them to think in unique ways about the law.

Professor Huss & Ilea’s classes will soon be concluding but we are looking forward to welcoming our next visiting professor, Joyce Tischler.  Tischler, known far and wide as “the mother of animal law” is co-founder and general counsel of our partner organization, Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF).  Joyce will be teaching yet another first-time class, Farmed Animals: Law & Policy.  We can’t wait!  We hear the same from the students.  There is much pent up demand for this class and for the opportunity to focus on the many complex legal issues affecting farmed animals.  This class is already so popular, we look forward to offering it during the regular academic year, where it will be taught by our very own executive director and assistant dean, Pamela Frasch. 

Soon after “The Mother’s” visit, we will be welcoming visiting professors Steven Wise, Mark Cushing and David Cassuto.  Here at L&C, Wise has been a staple item during the summer (not to mention at the National Animal Law Competitions & The Animal Law Conference at L&C) and his class, Animal Rights Law & Jurisprudence, is always a big success.  The same is true of Mark Cushing, who will be teaching Emerging Law, Policy & Politics of Companion Animals.  We also look forward to Cushing’s return in the fall to teach a new course focusing on animal law legislative drafting and lobbying.  Cassuto is a first-time visiting professor here and comes to us from Pace University Law School.  He will be teaching International Wildlife Law.  At his home institution, Cassuto teaches in the areas of property, professional responsibility, animal law, water law, international comparative law, and legal and environmental theory.

More on these visiting professors, their work and their courses later.  Stay tuned….

There is still time to register for summer courses, so don’t miss out!  The laid-back yet intensive tone of our summer program is truly special and facilitates a supportive and dynamic learning environment.  For more information, please visit the Registrar’s summer program webpages.