First, what is animal law? In general, it relates to the legal protection and/or regulation of all non-human animals. For example, I am the general counsel for a few animal shelters in Ohio. Issues such as corporate formation of animal-related LLCs, implementation of proper insurance to protect those involved with the animal concern, and law suits filed by visitors and vendors to animal protection facilities are common issues that must be handled. There are also more large-scale animal concerns such as ranches, farms, and endangered species that involve animal, as well as more general environmental legal issues.
One of the biggest difference in the representation we perform for animal cases is that we do so on a pro bono basis (without charge). The reason is that I love animals, especially wolves and dogs. I do some legal work for Wolf Creek Wolf Habitat & Rescue in Brookville, Indiana. They are good people doing wonderful work in the protection and raising of wolves that would otherwise most likely be killed.
At an Ohio Bar Association in Cleveland, Ohio, I gave a presentation on animal law and how it effects other legal practices, including corporate, criminal, family, and general environmental law. Many, if not most, legal practitioners, at one time or another, will encounter an animal law case. Examples here include divorce with custody disputes over the family pet, the scary link between animal abuse and serial murder, dog bite law suits, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
More and more, society in general is turning on to the concerns of factory farms, slaughter houses, puppy mills , and other abusive situations. There will never be a day when non-humans have the same legal rights as we humans, but it would be nice if a little more understanding of and respect for the plight of animals was commonplace in our culture.
1 TMBC has offices in Tipp City, Enon, West Chester, and Spring Valley, Ohio. Check us out and contact us through www.bambergerlaw.com
2 Check them out at wolfcreekhabitat.org. They operate on donations and visitor fees alone. For a fee, you can go “sit with the wolves’; a definite bucket-list experience.
3 The Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. §1531 et seq. (1973) is under constant attack by some in Congress and around the nation.
4 A little-known fact: The Amish communities are some of the worst violators of still-weak puppy mill laws.
No Comment