Announcing: The Joyce Tischler Scholarship for Animal Law Education is established by the International Society for Animal Rights

We’re pleased to announce the creation of a new Animal Law LLM annual scholarship established by the International Society for Animal Rights (ISAR), a not-for-profit organization that works to advance animal rights through education and legal change, in honor of Lewis & Clark Law School Professor of Practice Joyce Tischler.

Professor Tischler was instrumental in the creation and development of the field of animal law, dating back more than forty years to her early work. Given her pivotal role in launching the field we now know as animal law, Professor Tischler is affectionately referred to as “the Mother of Animal Law.” She has been a trailblazer in the field of animal law for more than forty years and has dedicated her career to improving the lives of animals through the legal system. In 1979, she co-founded the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), the first nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting animals through the legal system. She served as the ALDF’s first executive director and conceived of, litigated, and directed cutting-edge lawsuits aimed at protecting the interests and rights of animals until her retirement in the spring of 2019. Professor Tischler then joined the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School as a Professor of Practice. “After coming to Lewis & Clark, Joyce has continued her groundbreaking work through the classes she teaches, the books and articles she writes, and the creative approaches she brings to address the thorniest animal law issues. It is no exaggeration to say that the students truly love her, and are inspired by her example,” said Professor of Law and the Brooks McCormick Jr. Scholar of Animal Law and Policy, Pamela Frasch. Professor Tischler is internationally recognized for her work and speaks across the globe on issues germane to animal law, rights and protection.

The Joyce Tischler Scholarship will provide full-tuition (for 26 credits), student health insurance, campus housing, and partial meal plan for an Animal Law LLM international student to obtain their degree in our in-person program. The Animal Law LLM is the world’s first and only advanced legal degree program in animal law, established in 2012. It is offered in-person and also fully online. The program is designed for U.S. and international law school graduates who want to focus on animal law in practice, academia, research, or public policy. The courses are taught by distinguished faculty and practitioners. Of the scholarship named in her honor, Professor Tischler says: “Teaching animal law to law students gives me enormous pleasure and is a central part of my legacy in this field. Thus, I’m deeply honored that Professor Henry Mark Holzer and the International Society for Animal Rights have chosen to name this scholarship after me.” The scholarship will be awarded annually to an outstanding international Animal Law LLM student who demonstrates both academic excellence and commitment to animal rights law, as selected by the Center for Animal Law Studies.

This year’s scholarship was awarded to Vanessa Gischkow Garbini. Vanessa is a Brazilian attorney in the fields of International Law, Human Rights and Animal Law. She received her LL.B. cum laude in Law from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (2013), where she also accomplished her Specialization in Public and Private International Law (2017) and her Master’s Degree in International, European and Comparative Law (2019). She also holds a Diplôme d’Université in Comparative and European Law of Contracts and Consumer Law from the University of Savoie Mont Blanc, Chambéry, France (2011). Realizing that non-human animals are the most underrepresented group in society motivated Vanessa to direct her efforts and her knowledge in international law towards the protection of animals. In addition to pursuing her LLM, she has been dedicated to volunteering for animal rights NGOs, such as the Brazilian Vegetarian Society, where she has become a local coordinator.

On September 8, 2021, CALS hosted a virtual event to honor Professor Henry Mark Holzer, longtime chairman of ISAR, and Professor Tischler for their early work to help establish the animal rights law movement and to celebrate the announcement of the Joyce Tischler Scholarship for Animal Law Education. Professor Tischler credits Professor Holzer with being “the first Animal Rights lawyer” in the U.S., pointing to his groundbreaking litigation (Jones v. Butz and Jones v. Beame), as well being the editor of the Animal Rights Law Reporter (1980-1983), and the planner and mastermind behind the First National Conference on Animal Rights Law. This historic conference, held 40 years ago in New York City in November 1981, is where most of the founding generation of animal lawyers met for the first time; Professor Holzer in addition to organizing the conference was a speaker, as was Professor Tischler. A recording of the virtual event, including remembrances by Professors Holzer and Tischler, can be viewed here.

The Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) was founded in 2008 with a mission to educate the next generation of animal law attorneys and advance animal protection through the law. With vision and bold risk-taking, CALS has since developed into a world-renowned animal law epicenter, with the most comprehensive animal law curriculum offered anywhere. In addition, CALS is the only program that offers an advanced legal degree in animal law, now offered both in-person and online, and three specialty animal law clinics. CALS is a nonprofit organization and is only able to provide these educational opportunities through donations and grants.