Animal Law Section

Animal law has quickly emerged as a specialty legal field in law schools (Harvard, Duke, Georgetown, Hastings, Rutgers, and the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College, which publishes the Animal Law Journal). Animal-centered litigation appears more routinely on court dockets as pet owners sue to recover damages. Nationwide, legislatures debate the passage of bills addressing issues at the boundaries of human-animal relationships. In 2010 Carolina Academic Press published the fourth edition of a 780-page volume on animal law, the first casebook of its kind.

Animal law has useful applications for practitioners in many areas including landlord-tenant, criminal, wills and trusts, personal injury and tort claims, nonprofit organizations, agricultural, local government, and administrative law.

In addition to providing a forum for members to exchange ideas, study, and understand laws, regulations, and case law pertaining to all areas of animal law, initial goals of the Animal Law Section include:

• Establishing an annual seminar and eventually a multistate MCLE animal law institute
• Publishing an Animal Law Reporter for the Pacific Northwest or nationwide
• Printing and distributing quarterly email or paper newsletters to section members, soliciting articles from practitioners, academics, and others
• Producing animal law-related pamphlets for the public
• Providing information to and facilitate cooperation with government agencies and nongovernmental humane societies, rescue organizations, and animal sanctuaries
• Organizing brown-bag lunches and round tables to address animal law matters in a short time frame.

Annual Report |   Budget  |   Bylaws  |  Year in Review

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Section Executive Committee Elections

The Section is conducting elections for open positions on the executive committee.

Voting is scheduled for June 5-19, 2023. All voting members of the Section will be sent an electronic ballot from SurveyMonkey via email on June 5, 2023.

Candidate Information, Open Positions, and Terms
For more information about the Section and its executive committee, please review the Section's bylaws. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by position.

Secretary
One position open. Remainder of current term ending Sept. 30, 2024.

Candidate: Amber Cognata | Resume | Statement of Interest

Treasurer
One position open. Remainder of current term ending Sept. 30, 2024.

Candidate: Frederic J. Moll

At-Large Member
One position open. Remainder of current term ending Sept. 30, 2023.

Candidate: Jason Foust | Resume | Statement of Interest

At-Large Member
One position open. Remainder of current term ending Sept. 30, 2023.

Candidate: Adam Karp

At-Large Member
One position open. Remainder of current term ending Sept. 30, 2023.

Candidate: Owen Sutanto | Resume | Statement of Interest

At-Large Member
Four positions open. 1-year term: Oct. 1, 2023 -Sept. 30, 2024.

Candidate 1: Jason Foust | Resume | Statement of Interest

Candidate 2: Kirsten Gregory | Resume | Statement of Interest

Candidate 3: Adam Karp

Candidate 4: Owen Sutanto | Resume | Statement of Interest

For question email sections@wsba.org.

Executive Committee

Please contact subcommittee members for details on their upcoming meeting dates and locations.

For general questions, or to request archived issues of the section newsletter, please send your inquiry to sections@wsba.org. To get involved and learn more about the Animal Law Section, please contact the section chair, Leila Arefi-Pour.