State Bar Association Animal Law Sections

Bar Associations Animal Law Sections and Committees

This is a simple, though not comprehensive, list of legal law committees in the United States.  Information will be added and this article will be updated from time to time, so check back if you are searching for such data.  The two links below also contain a great deal of information.

Animal Law Directory   A Who's Who of Animal Law


Animal Law Websites  This is an ALF page and some of the links no longer work, but many still do.

I'll try to keep this information brief, but if you live in one of these states or are active in their politics, please keep this resource page in mind and find what you can about the animal politics in your state.

At the top of the list is the animal law section of the American Bar Association.

Check out this website. You will learn all about the Humane Education Public Service Project or as they call it - HEART. Its primary objective of the Humane Education Project is "to cultivate compassion and empathy in our youth toward animals and foster respect for the environment." hmmmm I see no mention of fostering respect for other people, their rights or their private property, do you?

HEART even published a comprehensive Humane Education Training Manual. According to the website, it "includes detailed lesson plans, teaching tips, classroom communication strategies, school outreach guidelines, state humane education laws, and related articles. The curriculum addresses a wide range of animal-related issues such as responsible companion animal care, animal cruelty laws, dog and cat population and homelessness, puppy mills, dogfighting, the violence link, factory farming, endangered species, habitat destruction, pollution, and global warming." Well, that is an ambitious and monumental undertaking, isn't it?

The website offers books for sale, too, including Litigating Animal Law Disputes: A Complete Guide for Lawyers; The Lawyer's Guide to Dangerous Dog Issues and Wildlife Law: A Global Perspective.

States other than Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania that have affiliated ABA law committees are Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon and Washington.

Arizona.  Stephanie Nichols-Young is the founder of the AZ state bar ALS and is president of the ADLF of AZ.  She is also president and board member of the environmental group, Wilburforce.

Connecticut.  Formed in 2002. In 2008 they held a conference entitled “Justice for Animals: The State of the Law in Connecticut.” Speakers included Connecticut State Representative Diana Urban; Animal Legal Defense Fund Attorney Dana Campbell; Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph LaMotta; American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Attorney Debora Bresch; Jeanne Milstein, Connecticut child advocate; Owen Little, animal control officer; Susan Linker, vice president and director of Connecticut Votes for Animals and CEO of Our Companions Domestic Animal Sanctuary; and Joanne Bourbeau, New England regional director of the Humane Society of the United States.

Illinois. These links were very slow today. Maybe they are working on them. I will check back later.

Maryland  Check out the information on their 2010 Animal Law Symposium.  "The Animal Law Section is pleased to partner with the Journal of Animal Law and Ethics at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Law to publish the articles, commentaries, or papers for the first-ever regional Mid-Atlantic Symposium on Animal Law. The symposium will be hosted by the Animal Law Section of the Maryland State Bar Association, in conjunction with the University Of Baltimore School Of Law and the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Law. The Impact On & Opportunities For Animals in the Current Political and Economic Climate will be on Friday, April 9, 2010, from 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. at the University Of Baltimore School Of Law. See the website for the 11 member council that heads this committee."

Michigan

Minnesota Council members: Michael Ablan, Collette Adkins Giese, Rebecca Bell, Katherine Bloomquist, Kathryn Boyne, Amy Draeger, Barbara Gislason, Michael Heise, Amy Mason, Vicki McIntyre, Joan Schulkers, Christine Weflen, and Ellen Weinstock.  The Legislative Representative is Vicki McIntyre.

Missouri Though the website does not have a special section for the animal law committee, this link will show what types of legislation they are active in.

New Jersey

New York   If you live in NY, be sure to check this one out

Ohio  You have to be a member to access their select committees and that information.

Oregon  In contrast, the state of Oregon is not secretive and went all out on their website.

Pennsylvania . They don't offer much information at all. The Animal Liberation Front links (top of this article) had a link, but it no longer works.

Texas
You can find more info about the Texas web archived in November 2009 and December 2009.  The following is a brief recap:


Randy Turner has been practicing law for almost 30 years and is a partner in Turner and McKenzie in Fort Worth, Texas. Turner regularly represents rescue groups, humane societies, and animal rights activists in civil and criminal cases and is a frequent lecturer on animal law. He has worked as a volunteer in orangutan conservation in Borneo, elephant conservation in Kenya, and black rhino conservation in Zimbabwe.

Sandra K. Patton is an attorney with the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission. Based in Houston, her responsibilities include all aspects of legal work. Sandra volunteers her time with the Humane Society and the SPCA of Houston and is a foster mom for Homeless and Orphaned Pet Endeavors (HOPE), an all-foster, no kill animal adoption group.

Bill Davis practices appellate law at the office of the Solicitor General in Austin. He has published commentaries on animal law in The Federal Lawyer and the Lewis and Clark School of Animal Law Journal. Davis was one of the presenters at the Fourth Annual Animal Law Institute hosted by the State Bar of Texas ALS. He is a member of the ALDF and the Farm Sanctuary.

Amy Bures Danna practices law with The Clary Firm in the areas of Civil Litigation, Toxic Tort, Wills & Trusts, and Animal Law. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston Law Center, where she lectures on a full range of Animal Law topics. She has presented Animal Law educational seminars which are attended by veterinarians, lawyers, rescuers, vegans, animal control officers, shelter administrators, and pet enthusiasts. Danna was appointed to the City of Houston/Harris County Task Force on Animal.

Don Feare practices civil litigation and criminal defense in Arlington. He regularly handles a large volume of animal law cases and a variety of seizure and dog bite related cases. Don is a member of the board and the legislative committee of the THLN and on the TFACS BOD. He is also a photographer and contributor to Nature Photographer magazine. In addition, he speaks to civic and animal groups throughout the country. Don lives on the sanctuary he established in the late 80’s known as the Wildflight Rescue Foundation. Don is also an Adjunct Professor at Texas Wesleyan School of Law where he teaches Animal Law.

Dawn Reveley has practiced law for 20 years and is licensed in Texas and in Michigan. She practices business law and litigation representing small businesses, most of which are animal care providers. Dawn is one of the founding members of the ALS, and she has spoken nationally on animal law and equine law issues and on the establishment of State Bar Animal Law Sections for other states. She serves on the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and is active in animal-related businesses and hobbies. She has bred, trained and shown horses and golden retrievers for over 30 years.

"Skip” Trimble is a member of this group and the ALDF....and the Texas Humane Legislative Network ....and Animal Protection Institute (Born Free) ... and Dallas Animal Control....and Metroplex Animal Coalition.

Washington. 

Local bar associations with animal law committees

Cleveland

Tulsa

New York City  This standing committee deals with legal issues pertaining to animals, including legal, regulatory and policy issues affecting non-human animals, both wild and domestic. Again, the actual committee member listing is for members only. You can search on the website - search engine at bottom of page - for "animal" to get more information on legislation they have worked on etc.

St. Louis.   Diana Vuylsteke is the contact for this committee though I couldn't find a website. Diana Vuylsteke represents large industrial corporations on legislative and regulatory issues pertaining to energy costs. She is a registered lobbyist and represents Anheuser Busch, The Boeing Company, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Monsanto, Proctor & Gamble and Pfizer on energy legislation. Ms. Vuylsteke has frequently served as counsel to industry in electric, gas, water and sewer rate cases filed by major utilities. She has served as counsel to industry in merger proceedings, rulemaking and appeals from regulatory decisions before the Missouri and Kansas courts. She is also a member of the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation.

Kansas City

Washington D.C

Chicago. You must be a member to login and gain access to the Animal Law committee information.

San Francisco. Tom Cushing,  San Francisco County Bar Association Animal Law Committee, is the contact person.

San Diego

Los Angeles