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Compassion Over Killing (COK) is seeking Litigation Interns for Summer, 2011 (unpaid). Compassion Over Killing is a national nonprofit (501(c)(3)) animal advocacy organization. Working to end animal abuse since 1995, COK focuses on ending and preventing cruelty to animals in agriculture. The 2011 Summer Litigation Interns will work with COK’s Legal Advocacy Program in our West Coast office in Torrance, California.

The Summer Litigation Interns will work on litigation projects aimed at protecting farmed animals; most of these projects are plaintiffs’ litigation. These projects will likely employ a variety of legal theories, relating to areas such as state criminal cruelty laws, false advertising and unfair competition laws, tort liability, environmental protection laws, administrative law, tax, and corporate law. The interns will have opportunities to research new projects as well as assist heavily with ongoing projects. They will work closely with Compassion Over Killing’s general
counsel.

Excellent research and writing skills are required. In addition, the Litigation Intern should be interested in exploring novel approaches to protecting animals through litigation. Candidates with a background and interest in animal protection are preferred, although it is not required. Interested law students should apply with cover letter, resume, writing sample, list of three references, and law school transcript to Compassion Over Killing’s general counsel Cheryl Leahy at cleahy@cok.net.

Monday, November 22, 7:30 pm — Hauser 102

FREE VEGAN DESSERTS!!!

Please join us for a screening of Temple Grandin, a film about an autistic young woman who became, through timely mentoring and sheer force of will, a remarkable pioneer in the humane treatment of livestock. Starring Claire Danes as Temple Grandin.

The ALDF Animal Law Institute is now offering an Animal Law Institute Inaugural Litigation Fellowship. The Fellow will learn to develop state and federal strategic impact litigation and legislation to better the lives and legal status of animals. The Fellow will operate as part of a team, but will ultimately be responsible for the innovation and success of his or her projects while developing litigation skills. The model applicant must have earned a J.D. within the past three years, excelled in school, earned strong work references, and have a sincere and proven interest in animal protection. The primary focus of this clerkship is on civil animal law issues, but Fellows will be exposed to criminal anti-cruelty cases as well.

The Fellowship will begin in January 2011 and last roughly thirty-three months. It will be based at ALDF’s headquarters in Cotati, California. The position offers a salary of $39,500 annually, full medical and dental benefits, and a casual office environment, including companion animals. Applications will be accepted through November 30, 2010, and should consist of a resume with at least two references, cover letter, and legal writing sample. Please send applications by email to Carter Dillard, Director of Litigation, at cdillard@aldf.org.

On October 4^th, the Harvard Law School Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) hosted a lecture by David Wolfson on one of the most pressing issues in animal welfare: factory farming.

Mr. Wolfson has taught, lectured, and written extensively on animal law. As a partner in the Corporate division of the international law firm Milbank Tweed, he has also represented various animal protection groups in litigation and legislative lobbying.

During his talk, Mr. Wolfson gave those in attendance an introduction to the legal, economic, and social issues relating to the booming practice of factory farming in the United States.  Mr. Wolfson explained that factory farming has extremely far-reaching effects, affecting animal welfare, health, labor, environmental sustainability, food policy, and energy efficiency.

He also discussed the legislative framework governing factory farming, describing how the piecemeal arrangement of state and federal laws and the sensitive politics surrounding farming practices present challenges to activists and lobbyists who seek to change the way the industry operates. In particular, Mr. Wolfson discussed the advantages of ballot initiatives, such as California’s Proposition 2, which have offered a more direct and effective route to improving industry standards.

The lecture was very well attended, and the students enjoyed a homemade vegan lunch prepared by two SALDF board members.

Animal Legal Defense Fund Summer Clerkships
Summer 2011 in Cotati, California or Portland, Oregon

The Animal Legal Defense Fund is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the lives and advancing the interests of animals through the legal system. Since 1981, the Animal Legal Defense Fund has won precedent-setting victories that have expanded legal protections for companion animals, wildlife, animals in research labs, and those in factory farming situations.

During the summer of 2011, six promising law students will be given the opportunity to learn more about animal law by participating in the ALDF Summer Clerkships. The clerkship positions are described below.

Criminal Justice Program Clerkship
Responsibilities include reviewing cruelty reports, communicating with law enforcement officers, animal welfare investigators and prosecutors, assisting in the development of proposed legislation, researching a wide range of legal issues, and drafting pleadings and research memoranda. The successful applicant must have a sincere interest in animal protection and be willing to accept a variety of assignments within the expanding field of animal law. The primary focus of this clerkship is on criminal cases involving animal cruelty, but there will exposure to civil animal law issues as well. This clerkship position is offered at the ALDF Office in Portland, Oregon.

Litigation Program Clerkship
Responsibilities include legal research, working with ALDF’s litigation department in developing new cases, and assistance in preparation of pleadings in cases currently being handled by ALDF. The successful applicant must have a sincere interest in animal protection and be willing to accept a variety of assignments within the expanding field of animal law. The primary focus of this clerkship is on civil animal law issues, but there will be exposure to criminal anti-cruelty cases as well. This clerkship position is being offered at the ALDF national headquarters in Cotati, California.

Clerkships are for a period of 10 weeks with a flexible starting date (dependent upon the student’s schedule). They are open to second-year students only. There is a $6,000 stipend for the summer.

Deadline for applications is October 15, 2010. The law clerk will be chosen by November 12, 2010. Law students interested in applying should forward an application form, cover letter, resumé (including 2-3 professional references), original writing sample, and transcript (unofficial is okay) to kwood@aldf.org.  Only complete applications will be considered. In the alternative, materials can be sent to:

Animal Legal Defense Fund
Law Clerk Position
170 E. Cotati Ave.
Cotati, CA  94931
Attention – Kay Wood

The 8th Annual National Animal Law Competitions will be held on February 25-27th, 2011.  The board of SALDF wants to encourage anyone who is interested to participate and pass on a few items from the organizers at the Center for Animal Studies at the Lewis & Clark Law School.

• There are 3 separate competitions: a Legislative Drafting & Lobbying Competition; a Closing Argument Competition; and an Appellate Moot Court Competition.
• The dates of the event are Friday, February 25th (starts in the evening) through Sunday, February 27th.
• Federal judges will preside over the final round of the Appellate Moot Court Competition.
• Registration opened on Thursday, October 7th at 10 a.m. (PST).  We hope that once again this year, Harvard will have an Appellate Moot Court team and perhaps other competitors. Spots fill up quickly!
• The official website is www.NationalAnimalLawCompetitions.org.  Registration forms are already available.

At the end of the 2010 spring semester, the Harvard chapter of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) organized a linen drive to benefit the Animal Rescue League of Boston, an organization dedicated to rescuing homeless animals from cruelty and neglect.

SALDF members set up five donation boxes around the law school campus and dormitories, in which the law school community placed donations of towels, sheets and blankets. The Animal Rescue League desperately needs these items to line the cages of the animals they shelter. Altogether, the linen drive resulted in a large donation consisting of about 5 suitcases worth of linens. When SALDF officers arrived at the Animal Rescue League (where the receptionist was comforting a week-old abandoned kitten) the shelters’ staff members were extremely grateful for the donation, and also expressed relief, as the shelter had been experiencing a severe shortage of linens. While each student who dropped off unwanted linens at the end of the school year probably did not miss the items much, these old sheets and towels will provide much-needed warmth and comfort to neglected animals in the Boston area in the coming months.

SALDF plans to organize a similar drive at the conclusion of the upcoming academic year.

On April 20, 2010, the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in U.S. v. Stevens and struck down a federal ban on videos that show graphic violence against animals. You can read the text of the full opinion here, and you can read an ALDF staff attorney’s view of the ruling here. ALDF submitted an amicus brief in this case.

In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, new federal legislation has been introduced by Representative Elton Gallegly (R-CA) that will prohibit the sale, or offering for sale, of animal crush videos in interstate or foreign commerce. You can contact your representatives through ALDF’s website to encourage them to support HR 5092.

H. 1467:  AN ACT RELATIVE TO TRUSTS FOR THE CARE OF ANIMALS

On June 15, 2010, the Massachusetts House passed the Pet Trusts bill. This bill would create a legally enforceable trust to provide financially for a companion animal after the person dies or becomes unable to care for their animal(s).

HLS SALDF was active in petitioning the Massachusetts House in favor of the bill’s passage.

What the bill does:

This bill would allow for legally enforceable trusts to provide for the care of one or more animals if the trust’s creator becomes incapacitated or dies.  It would do this by authorizing the creation of an enforceable trust that is established with the pet as the beneficiary, while specifying both a trustee for the trust and a caretaker for the pet.  With this legislation, pet owners can be ensured that their wishes and directions regarding their companion animals will be carried out.

Why the bill is needed and why Massachusetts’ current law is not sufficient – the growing trend in state laws permitting pet trusts:

As of August 2009, forty-two states and the District of Columbia have enacted pet trust statutes.  Nineteen of the states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Uniform Trust Code’s provisions for pet trusts.   Georgia currently has pending legislature that is expected to pass in July 2010.

Massachusetts is one of only eight remaining states that continues to have no form of pet trust legislation.  In Massachusetts, a person can currently only assign the assets of a trust to the caretaker of the pet, and hope that the caretaker uses the assets for the care and maintenance of the pet as intended.  Such a trust is not enforceable by law.  The alternative means of providing for a pet through a will is also problematic for the same reason and for the delay of providing access to the funds that can accompany the probate process, leaving the pet at risk for lack of care.

Why the bill is important to Massachusetts constituents and for public policy reasons:

More and more people view their pets as family members and are concerned about the welfare of these animals if the animals should outlive them. The increase in veterinary advances now available to companion animals and the advent of pet health insurance for owners to minimize costs has added to the overall health and lifespan of people’s pets.  Pets are living longer and are an integral part of their families’ lives.   It has been estimated that between 12 and 27% of pet owners include their pets in estate planning.  The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that over 68.7 million households care for a companion animal.  In Massachusetts, it is estimated that 33.3% of households live with a cat or dog (MSPCA Dorr Research).

Not infrequently, municipal shelters and animal rescue organizations find that the incapacity or death of an owner results in abandonment, surrender or the inability to care for the pet.

This bill would allow pet owners to provide financial resources for the care of their animals in the event of incapacity or death, which benefits the owners as well as the pets.  Additionally, the burden placed on municipal shelters and rescue organizations would be eased as pet owners would have a viable, enforceable alternative plan for the care of their animals.

ALDF offers one-year complimentary attorney membership to new law graduates. To see membership benefits or download the application, please visit the national organization’s website:

http://www.aldf.org/article.php?id=1161.