Join us as we kick off the conference with an evening reception in the Grand Foyer at the Grand Hyatt Washington hotel, in Washington, DC. Conference attendees will receive their event badge before being treated to a fun evening of networking with fellow attendees while enjoying plant-based appetizers and drinks. The welcome reception will not be livestreamed. 

Welcome remarks by:

Some of the greatest barriers to animal protection are built into the law itself. This panel examines legal exemptions that purport to shield harmful practices from accountability, including common farming exemptions in state animal cruelty laws and emerging climate-related exemptions to industrial animal agriculture. Panelists will use real life examples to demonstrate that common exemptions do not, in fact, put farmed animals outside of legal protection. 

Laws aimed at consumer protection and removing inhumane products from state marketplaces laws are increasingly effective avenues for advancing animal protection. Panelists will discuss litigation strategies, government enforcement, and recent cases— including an antitrust class action lawsuit against beef processors and cases since the Supreme Court upheld Proposition 12 in California. 

This session explores emerging issues at the intersection of companion animal law, advocacy, and practice. Panelists will discuss groundbreaking new Colorado law that codifies the human-animal bond as a social determinant of health, expanding legal services to advocate for companion animals in private practice, and the complicated legal status of horses.

This panel examines recent federal and state enforcement efforts and whether they are likely to result in concrete improvements for animals. Panelists will discuss contemporary enforcement efforts, including litigation under the Animal Welfare Act, and strategies for improving compliance and expanding protections through government action and legal advocacy. 

Animal hoarding cases present unique legal, practical, and animal welfare challenges. Panelists will discuss innovative judicial approaches, prosecution strategies, and long-term solutions that prioritize both animal welfare, avoiding offender recidivism, and community safety. 

Join us Saturday evening for the banquet dinner, awards ceremony, and a special program. We’ll honor Bruce Wagman, Pamela Frasch, and Sonia Waisman with Lifetime Achievement Awards, and present the Animals in Focus Media Award to Melanie Kaplan, who will share remarks from her new book, Lab Dog. We’ll also present the Leadership in Animal Protection Award to Senator Cory Booker, followed by a special pre-recorded keynote address from Senator Booker. Copies of Lab Dog will be available for purchase and signing. 

Animal protection professionals regularly confront difficult ethical questions alongside their legal obligations. This session explores the ethical tensions that may arise within animal welfare institutions and considers how these challenges shape policy, practice, and decision-making. 

2026 marks sixty years since passage of the Animal Welfare Act. As we celebrate this milestone, speakers from diverse perspectives will discuss the law’s achievements to date, critique its shortcomings, and consider whether the AWA is fulfilling its promise. Panelists will combine a retrospective view with a forward-looking vision for what AWA reforms are needed to better protect animals today.