Animal law is the fastest developing field of law in the nation. It is an interdisciplinary practice, encompassing several areas of the law such as property, contracts, torts, constitutional law, criminal law, and even intellectual property. In addition, there are federal and state laws specific to animals, such as trusts and cruelty statutes. This class will focus upon both areas. There will be a strong emphasis on your communication skills: thoughtful and consistent class participation is required.



The Course is broken into three modules: First, you will identify and discuss the existing core concepts in law which affect and govern animal law. You will identify relevant precedent and rules of law from traditional areas of law as applied to animal law. During this portion of the court, you will apply your working knowledge of these traditional areas of law to animal law issues. Second, you will identify precedent and rules of law specific to animal law. During this portion of the course, you will obtain a working knowledge of federal and state legislation and court decisions in the practice of animal law. Third, whereas this is a dynamic field with new developments occurring regularly, we will incorporate these developments and new legal issues that may occur during the course into our discussions. A goal of this class is to develop critical thinking processes by challenging the current legal system in relation to animals.