Members of Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) chapters are invited to this pre-conference mingler. The SALDF Happy Hour allows students from around the continent who are interested in animal law to meet, share ideas and information, and build stronger SALDF programs. Take this opportunity to meet your peers at the start of an exciting weekend.

The conference will officially begin with an evening reception. We invite you to enjoy appetizers and drinks while networking with fellow conference attendees. And don’t miss the opening Keynote Address by Will Potter!

Kick off the conference with an exciting, interactive session exploring some of the most challenging ethical dilemmas animal law attorneys face in both practice and volunteer positions. Animal law experts Russ Mead and Chris Green will lead attendees through a series of hypothetical scenarios which will examine difficult situations and how to handle them effectively while adhering to the Model Code of Professional Responsibility. Attendees will receive Oregon ethics CLE credits for this session.

Join Ethan Davidsohn, Sous Chef at Bon Appetit, as he guides us through the preparation of a delicious vegan breakfast, and imparts his wisdom about healthy and creative vegan cooking. Grab some breakfast in the hall on your way to the talk!

Too often, animal protection and environmental protection advocates have operated with separate—and sometimes conflicting—agendas. That’s changing, as the two movements are increasingly recognizing and acting on shared interests. Nowhere has this unity of interests become clearer than in the need to address the multifarious harms created by CAFOs (factory farming), and in the desire to build a truly sustainable food system. Are we witnessing the emergence of a single movement that will advocate for pro-animal, pro-environmental—and, ultimately, pro-human—laws?

Companion animals play an increasingly significant role in the lives of most Americans, and yet we continue to struggle with how best to protect their interests. This panel explores the rapidly evolving field of companion animal law and policy with a particular emphasis on sterilization, adoption and breeding practices, breed bans, the no-kill movement, sheltering challenges, and related hot button issues.

Both film screenings are open to the public and do not require conference registration.

While law in the United States has generally progressed beyond outright eradication, predators often enjoy few legal protections even when they are facing extinction. Federal agencies deem predator “control” as an important recovery element for some threatened and endangered species, and even when predators are themselves listed under the Endangered Species Act the law may offer them little protection. Learn about some of the legal and political challenges facing predators in the 21st century, as well as efforts to reform predator management and promote alternative non-lethal models of coexistence.

Undercover investigations at factory farms and slaughterhouses continue to expose blatant violations of animal welfare & food safety laws. The evidence gathered by animal protection groups reveals intentional cruelty and brutal “customary practices” occurring on an appallingly regular basis. Over the past four years, two dozen state legislatures have introduced “ag-gag” bills to protect factory farms by criminalizing undercover investigations at agricultural facilities. This panel will discuss the legislative and litigation strategies the animal protection movement has responded with to protect farmed animals, public health, and the First Amendment.

Lunch will be served in the Legal Research Center building at Lewis & Clark Law School

Could humans enjoy a healthy and safe environment, as well as the benefits of wilderness, by reducing human population, liberating nonhumans and their habitat from human influence, and restoring biodiversity? This panel will explore what human, animal, and environmental rightists should focus on to achieve their shared ends.

The global trade in meat and animal products directly impacts Australia’s livestock industry, and even its iconic kangaroos, in staggering numbers and shockingly inhumane ways. This panel will discuss the implications of, and America’s participation in, the live export of animals overseas as well as the harvesting of Australia’s national symbol for pet food and leather, to see what we here can learn and do.

It is important for animal advocates to understand how advances in criminal animal law are impacting the movement. Our panelists will address critical trends in both U.S. and Canadian anti-cruelty law with an overview of recent statutory amendments and a discussion of the seminal cases decided or ongoing in both countries.

Religion is often perceived as being at odds with animal protection principles. Faith-based thinkers, however, are playing a key role in redefining how our duty toward animals is examined and practiced. Learn how religions can incorporate a more holistic and animal-friendly view of the world and all creation.

Drinks & Appetizers in the Legal Research Center building of Lewis & Clark Law School.

Banquet Dinner and Keynote Address in the Legal Research Center building of Lewis & Clark Law School.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund will present the 2014 Advancement in Animal Law Pro Bono Achievement Awards. Awards will also be presented for the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund Chapter of the Year.

Attorney Recipients:
– Jill Gutierrez
– Bob Knaier
Paralegal Recipients:
– Hsiao-Ting H. Cheng
– Law Firm Recipients:
– Bingham McCutchen LLP
– Brinks Gilson & Lione
– Caldwell Leslie & Proctor, PC
– DLA Piper LLP
– Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP
– Fazio | Micheletti LLP
– Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
– King & Spalding
– Kirkland & Ellis LLP
– Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
– Proskauer Rose LLP
– Winston & Strawn LLP
SALDF Chapter of the Year:
– Florida State College of Law

The speakers on this panel have a combined 40 years experience helping students find jobs in animal law. Whether it be non-profit, governmental, private practice, or corporate employment, these experts will provide the tools and information you need to start your career in animal law.

The field of animal law is developing at a blazing speed, and it can be hard to stay on top of the latest, and most important developments. This panel will explore exciting state and federal animal law legislation and litigation that advocates need to know now.

Animal law is a global phenomenon. What can we do as North American animal lawyers and students to combat animal abuse in other countries? The Kenya Legal Project is one example that addresses this question by creating a unique partnership of law students, lawyers, and professors from the U.S. and Africa to work on the issues of wildlife poaching and trafficking. Panelists will discuss this project as well as other pressing global issues impacting animals.

Historically, the regulation of toxics has divided animal protectionists, who focus on ending the use of animals in testing chemicals and products, and environmentalists, who advocate for more animal testing to yield better information to assist regulators in controlling toxics. Is there common ground? What are the challenges and opportunities?

• Keegan Kuhn, director, “Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret”
• Liz Marshall, director, producer, writer, “The Ghosts in Our Machine”

Documentaries with animal advocacy messages have burst into mainstream culture. Liz Marshall’s “Ghosts in Our Machine” is opening people’s eyes to the animal ‘ghosts’ our society prefers not to think about. The buzz is building about Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn’s film “Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret,” which examines the environmental issues associated with animal agriculture and the curious silence about this topic by environmental organizations. Join “Ghosts…” and “Cowspiracy” filmmakers as they discuss their films and explore how documentaries are transforming the movement.