Robyn Pekala

Robyn is returning to the law following a hiatus to raise her family and is excited to begin a new career in Animal Law. She was inspired to pursue this new path by her compassion for animals and by Mahatma Ghandis quote: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

After receiving her J.D from Harvard Law School, Robyn was a tax attorney at Morrison & Foerster in the Bay Area for ten years. She counseled multinational corporate clients on complex state tax issues, assisted on cases involving issues with constitutional implications at the California and U.S. Supreme Courts, and wrote numerous articles in her area of expertise.

She is seeking an LLM from CALS so she can fully immerse herself in Animal law, learn from the distinguished faculty, and connect with like-minded scholars and professionals. She is committed to using her skills and experience as an attorney to advocate for the welfare of animals and hopes to work for a nonprofit animal rights organization upon graduation.

Robyn is a member of the Pro Bono Network for the Animal Legal Defense Fund. She is a member of the California Bar and has been admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District, and U.S. Supreme Court.