Pamela Frasch Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award for Animal Law: Cases & Materials

Pamela Frasch, Brooks McCormick Jr. Scholar of Animal Law and Policy and founder of the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS), received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 34th Annual Animal Law Conference on October 17, 2026. She shared the honor with her longtime co-authors Sonia Waisman and Bruce Wagman, in recognition of their seminal textbook, Animal Law: Cases and Materials. More than 25 years after its original publication, the casebook remains a cornerstone of animal law education.

Establishing Animal Law as a Discipline

When Animal Law: Cases and Materials was first published in 2000, it was the first comprehensive casebook of its kind. At the time, animal law was still in its infancy as an academic field, without a formal academic structure. Frasch, Wagman, and Waisman pooled their combined experience as legal practitioners, educators, and advocates to organize animal law into a formal syllabus. Carolina Academic Press (CAP) agreed to publish the groundbreaking text, with CAP founder Keith Sipe describing it as “an easy decision” and a “perfect fit,” particularly given his own history of animal protection work.

In the foreword to that landmark 2000 edition, the authors addressed the question they had faced for years: What is animal law? They wrote simply: “You are reading our answer. Animal law is, in its simplest (and broadest) sense, statutory and decisional law in which the nature — legal, social, or biological — of nonhuman animals is an important factor.”

Drafting the first edition was a multi-year endeavor. Frasch, Waisman, and Wagman — joined by Scott Beckstead for the initial release — methodically compiled and organized animal cases and strategically structured the text around core legal headings, like torts, contracts, criminal law, and constitutional law. This established distinct legal doctrine where animals were central to the law, allowing faculty across the country to introduce and gain approval for animal law courses.

Animal Law in Academia

Reviewing the first edition of the casebook in the Lewis & Clark Animal Law Review, the late Steven Wise emphasized the book’s immediate impact on the field: “Until this year, every law school course that concerned nonhuman animals had at least this in common: no casebook. … When there is no casebook, students may be deluged with photocopies of book excerpts, articles, and cases they snap into binders. This gives the impression of experiment and transience, of insubstantiality and ephemerality, when compared to the permanence, weight, and gravity that the bound heftiness of a regular casebook suggests.” Additionally, Wise “strongly recommended” the casebook, affirming that it “taught me much and proved its worth and meddle as an invaluable resource in the real and difficult world of animal protection litigation.”

More than 25 years and seven editions later, the book continues to define the discipline, evolving alongside a rapidly changing legal landscape to incorporate shifting legislation, landmark judicial decisions, and evolving societal views of animals. Today, it has been adopted by more than 160 law schools across the United States, fulfilling the vision set out by its authors in 2000: to provide a template for law schools and cultivate a “burgeoning herd of animal law attorneys.”

Pamela Frasch’s Enduring Legacy

Frasch’s impact extends far beyond academic publishing. Prior to founding CALS, she served as General Counsel for the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF). In 1996, she established ALDF’s Criminal Justice Program, which has since supported the investigation and prosecution of thousands of animal abuse and neglect cases nationwide. She also spearheaded pioneering legislation, including serving as principal author for Oregon’s first felony anti-cruelty law. Frasch began teaching animal law at Lewis & Clark Law School in 1998, later serving as the nation’s first Dean of Animal Law from 2010 to 2020. Through her leadership at CALS, her advocacy, and her foundational casebook, Frasch has played an integral role in shaping modern animal law education.

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 35+ countries are making a difference for animals around the world. The advanced degree program is offered in-person and online. CALS is a self-funded Center within the law school operating under the Lewis & Clark College 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, and is able to provide these educational opportunities through donations and grants.