Dr. Raj Reddy Named Assistant Professor of Animal Law

After a nationwide search, the full faculty has selected Dr. Rajesh K. Reddy as Assistant Professor of Animal Law for the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) at Lewis & Clark Law School. His role will begin on September 1, 2023. CALS’ Assistant Dean and Executive Director, Pamela Hart, shares that: “We are tremendously grateful for the support of our donors who have made it possible for us to create one of only a handful of tenure track animal law professor positions in the country, and we could not be more thrilled that Dr. Reddy will be filling the role.”

Dr. Reddy earned his JD From Lewis & Clark Law School in 2017. During his time as a student, he served as Co-Director of the Lewis & Clark Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter, Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Animal Law Review, and he worked as a law clerk for CALS. He also holds a PhD from the University of Georgia. Dr. Reddy was hired as a Visiting Professor in 2017 before his role expanded beyond his teaching duties to first to oversee Lewis & Clark’s Advanced Degree Animal Law Program and then its Global Animal Law Program. He will continue to serve as the Director of the Animal Law Program.

Outside of CALS, Dr. Reddy is actively involved in the American Bar Association’s Animal Law Section. He is also a co-drafter of the Convention of Animal Protection for Public Health, Animal Well-Being, and the Environment, a draft treaty that seeks to elevate animal welfare globally. Dr. Reddy has also worked with the Animal Legal Defense Fund to push for discovery rights for a group of hippopotamuses facing mass slaughter in Colombia. This work resulted in a U.S. court order recognizing the legal personhood of nonhuman animals.

Eager to transition into his new role this Fall, Dr. Reddy reflected on the special meaning the appointment holds for him as an alum of Lewis & Clark: “If not for CALS, I would never have known that the field of animal law even existed. It was Lewis & Clark’s standing as the premier animal law institution in the world that inspired me to submit my JD application in 2013. And while I had the honor of joining CALS upon graduation, transitioning into this formal faculty role a decade after my journey began—and at the very same institution that inspired it—is moving beyond words. I couldn’t be more excited to begin writing this next chapter in my career.”

The Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) was founded in 2008 with a mission to educate the next generation of animal law advocates and advance animal protection through the law. With vision and bold risk-taking, CALS has since developed into a world-renowned animal law epicenter. CALS’ Alumni-in-Action from over 20 countries are making a difference for animals around the world. CALS is a nonprofit organization funded through donations and grants.