Marcia is a Peruvian attorney with experience in Labor Law, Constitutional Law, Human Rights, and Animal Law advocacy. After finishing her college studies, she was deeply interested in International Law and International Human Rights Law. Nevertheless, her concern about animals made her realize that she was able to help animals as a lawyer. “Before 2019, I did not know about the animal law area. Until recently, animal law was an undiscovered area in my country. I am glad that this is changing.”
Marcia comes to the Animal Law LLM program with a desire to learn animal law and help animals globally. Marcia began in animal law as an autodidact and rapidly enrolled in online conferences, courses, and workshops. Since 2020, she has been a delegate and correspondent based in Peru of AFADA, where she drafts lawsuits and other writs in legal proceedings in favor of animals. Also, she has participated in academic conferences, both as an organizer and as a panelist.
In 2021, Marcia opened an animal law area in her law firm, where she is an Associate Attorney (Preston+ Firma Legal). From this area, Marcia led procedurals where animals are the protagonist, using new advocacy alternatives like multispecies family, sentience approach, and constitutional rights. In this area, Marcia and her fellow lawyers draft lawsuits, legal reports, amicus curiae writs, and other advocate actions in animal law cases.
In 2019, Marcia founded Ayllu Vegano Organization, where she was President until 2021 before coming to Lewis & Clark Law School. Ayllu Vegano spreads and teaches animal rights and veganism in Cusco City and the South of Peru from an Andean approach, taking into consideration the culture, idiosyncrasy, and socio-economical particularities of the region. Marcia also led the chapter of Anonymous For The Voiceless in her city of Cusco and participated with other organizations such as the Animal Save Movement and Animal Libre, among others. “I consider myself an eternal animal rights activist.”
Marcia also has taken online courses in The Université catholique de Louvain on International Law and International Human Rights Law. In 2019, she presented research on State Immunity from jurisdiction. Since 2018, she has been a Research Fellow in Ankawa International Human Rights Organization, where she was Director of the Center for Research and Defense of Vulnerable Populations in 2020.
Read some of Marcia’s work here.