The 33rd annual Animal Law Conference brought together legal professionals, law students, nonprofit leaders, and advocates from around the world for an inspiring weekend of education, discussion, and collaboration centered on advancing animal protection through the law.
Dates & Location
October 17–19, 2025
Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk
Hybrid format (in-person + virtual)
Registration
Total registrants: 570
(in-person and virtual)
Legal Professionals: 199
Law Students: 214
Nonprofit/Public Interest: 132
Animal Activists: 25
Our Sponsors
Highlights & Reflections
The 33rd annual Animal Law Conference was held October 17–19, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois, and online, this year’s hybrid event welcomed more than 570 registrants. The conference once again provided a forum for thought-provoking dialogue, cutting-edge legal insight, and meaningful community building across the animal protection movement.
The weekend began with a lively Friday evening welcome reception, where attendees reconnected with colleagues, met new collaborators, and enjoyed plant-based refreshments before a full weekend of programming.
Saturday’s sessions explored some of the most timely and challenging issues in animal law and policy. Topics included the evolving legal status of animals, strategies for farmed animal protection, environmental justice intersections, and the next frontier of corporate accountability for animal welfare. Expert panels and plenaries fostered thoughtful discussion and practical takeaways for advocates working in litigation, legislation, and education.
The day concluded with the annual banquet dinner, awards ceremony, and keynote presentation, celebrating excellence and leadership in animal law and advocacy. This year’s Animal Law Conference Awards recognized outstanding contributions across the movement: the Animals in Focus Media Award was presented to Kenny Torrella; the Lifetime Achievement Award honored Professor David Favre of Michigan State University College of Law; and the Leadership in Animal Protection Award was presented to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who also delivered the evening’s inspiring keynote presentation. Her remarks highlighted the critical role of courage and integrity in advancing justice for animals and reinforced the power of the law as a force for meaningful change.
Sunday’s programming continued the momentum with in-depth panels on global perspectives in animal advocacy, the ethics of emerging technologies, and the expanding role of youth and early-career professionals in shaping the future of animal law.
What stood out about this year’s conference was the shared sense of purpose, a recognition that while the challenges animals face are complex, the collaboration and innovation across the movement continue to grow stronger each year.
If you missed the 33rd annual Animal Law Conference, the recordings and resources are available online.
2025 Photo Album
Friday
Welcome Reception
The conference kicks off with an evening reception in the Chicago Ballroom at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk hotel. 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.
Saturday
Registration, Light Breakfast & Coffee
Saturday
The Role of Media in Animal Advocacy
This panel explores the evolving role of media and journalism in covering animal rights and welfare issues and shaping public understanding of animal legal issues. From navigating editorial constraints to amplifying underreported stories, panelists will discuss the challenges and ethical considerations in reporting on animals and the impact it has on advocacy.
Saturday
Break
Saturday
Legislating for Animals at Every Level
From local ordinances to state, provincial, and national legislation, passing animal protection laws depends on skilled advocates and attorneys working in the governmental sphere. This panel features legislative strategists and legal experts from the US and Canada who’ll discuss how public policy is crafted, negotiated, and passed — and the power it has to protect animals.
Saturday
Lunch
Saturday
Gaps in Companion Animal Legal Protection
Companion animals occupy a cherished role in society, yet they can fall through legal cracks. This panel will explore gaps in the laws protecting companion animals in three contexts: the use of dogs in security work, the excessive use of force by law enforcement, and stray animals. Panelists will share legal remedies, veterinary insights, and how to shift societal norms through advocacy and litigation.
Saturday
Break
Saturday
Free Speech & Animal Activism
Animal protection often clashes with powerful industries and special interests. This panel will explore the legal landscape of undercover investigations, social media advocacy, “hunter harassment” laws, and the broader implications of free speech for advocates and whistleblowers.
Saturday
Break
Saturday
Factory Farming & the Fight for Enforcement
Factory farms are among the most secretive and unregulated institutions affecting animals. This panel focuses on enforcement challenges, investigations, ventilation shutdown, and how the legal system can hold industrial animal agriculture accountable.
Saturday
Pre-banquet Reception
Saturday
Banquet Dinner, Awards Ceremony, and Keynote Presentation
7:30 – 7:50 p.m.: Welcome Remarks & Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Pro Bono Achievement Awards
Megan Senatori, Executive Director, Center for Animal Law Studies, Lewis & Clark Law School
Chris Green, Executive Director, Animal Legal Defense Fund
Tom Linney, Pro Bono Program Director, Animal Legal Defense Fund
7:50 – 8:20 p.m. Awards Ceremony
Animal Law Conference Animals In Focus Media Award presented to Kenny Torella, Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Michigan State University Law Professor David Favre & Leadership in Animal Protection Award presented to Dana Nessel
8:20 – 8:45 p.m.: Keynote Presentation
Introduced by Chris Green, Executive Director, Animal Legal Defense Fund
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel
A special thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, Carol House Furniture, for sponsoring the Keynote presentation.
Sunday
Light Breakfast & Coffee
Sunday
Legal Victories: Lessons & Insights
Highlighting recent wins for animals, this panel will showcase how litigation and policy strategies are evolving. Panelists will share what it takes to turn legal action into lasting change for endangered species, animals in entertainment, and the fur industry.
Sunday
Break
Sunday
Engaging the Next Generation & Expanding Outreach
Sustaining a movement means inspiring the next wave of animal advocates and reaching wider audiences. This panel brings together leaders and educators to discuss how to reach, motivate, and empower students, young professionals, and other communities.
Sunday
Break
Sunday
Ethical Issues in Animal Lawyering
What ethical frameworks guide representation in animal law matters? This closing panel will explore how the Model Rules of Professional Conduct apply to animal advocacy, helping lawyers ethically engage in the difficult task of translating animals’ voices into the framework of law.
Recognizing & Managing Compassion Fatigue for Animal Welfare Professionals (available now)
Compassion fatigue is a possible consequence of distress resulting from caring for and helping traumatized or suffering people or animals. This pre-recorded, one-hour presentation guides participants through the definition, symptoms, and causes of compassion fatigue, and will discuss strategies and techniques to help participants embrace a lifestyle and outlook that lowers compassion fatigue levels.
Global Perspectives on Advancing Animal Law (available now)
This pre-recorded session brings together a diverse panel of international experts to examine emerging issues and innovations in global animal law. Topics include France’s préjudice animalier concept, which recently extended aspects of legal personhood to companion animals in two court rulings; collaborative strategies for strengthening animal protection in Zimbabwe; a comparative analysis of various European jurisdiction’s representation of animal interests in legal proceedings; and a timely discussion on the legal safeguarding of animals during natural and humanitarian disasters.
Felix Aiwanger
Jessica Blome
Marina Bolotnikova
Ana Bradley
Ilana Braverman
Pamela Byce
Chris Carraway
Adrienne Craig
Alyssa Crowell
Lora Dunn
Jan Dutkiewicz
David Favre
Pamela Frasch
Dr. Michelle Gonzalez
Chris Green
Yvonne Gurira-Mushunje
Caitlin Hawks
Hira Jaleel
Tené Johnson
Daniel Kolde
Madeline Krasno
Camille Labchuk
Marine Lercier
Matthew Liebman
Tom Linney
Elizabeth MeLampy
Dana Nessel
Jaime Olin
Pete Paxton
Alicia Prygoski
Rajesh Reddy
Andrea Rodricks
Megan Senatori
Patricia Smith
Haley Stewart
Joyce Tischler
Kenny Torrella
Allison Troy
Ledy VanKavage
Taylor Waters
John Watson
Conley Wouters
The following materials accompany the conference presentations and are relevant to panel topics. These materials are applicable to attorneys seeking continuing legal education (CLE) credits for attending the conference. We will not provide binders or CD/DVDs of materials available for purchase.
The Role of Media in Animal Advocacy
- 43 lab monkeys escaped in South Carolina. They have a legal claim to freedom.
- Big Milk has taken over American schools
- Most animal cruelty is legal on the farm. A judge is questioning that.
- Regarding Animal Cruelty and its link to Other Forms of Violence
- Reporting on Animal Welfare
- Republicans want to put pigs back in tiny cages. Again.
- The Aubrey Plaza ad for Big Dairy that may have violated federal law, explained
- The Supreme Court is about to decide the fate of millions of pigs
- The US government’s war on wildlife, explained in 3 charts by Kenny Torella
- The viral story of a girl and her goat explains how the meat industry indoctrinates children
- This overlooked cause of PTSD is only going to get worse by Kenny Torella
- Undercover audio of a Tyson employee reveals “free-range” chicken is meaningless
Legislating for Animals at Every Level
- 2023 Year in Review Compendium – Canada
- Canadian Animal Anti-Cruelty Legislation – Charles Hall
- Model National Animal Welfare Act – Favre and Olin
- The Opposing the Cultivation and Trade of Octopus Produced through Unethical Strategies – S.1947
- Winnipeg Humane Society joins calls for city to adopt breed-neutral legislation
- ALC Presentation
Gaps in Companion Animal Legal Protection
- 2024 Midyear Meeting Louisville Kentucky, February 5, 2024
- Why All Healthy Laboratory Animals Should Be Rehomed, No Matter How Small
- Beagle Resolution
- BILLS-To amend the Animal Welfare Act to allow for the retirement of certain animals used in Federal research
- BILLS-To amend the Animal Welfare Act to expand and improve the enforcement capabilities of the Attorney General
- The End of the Lab Rat?
Free Speech & Animal Activism
- 2023.03.17-ECF-17-KFAI-Amicus
- Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act of 2010
- S02E04 l Animal Experimentation and Justify with Maddie Krasno
- Animal Lab Workers Experience Mental Health Struggles, but Are Rarely Heard From
- Animal Law Podcast #87: The Case of the Vanishing Comments
- Brown v. Kemp
- Evidence Shows University of Wisconsin-Madison Illegally Censors Critics of Animal Testing
- Hunter Protection Laws PPT-9.12.24 webinar
- Episode 20: Maddie Krasno shares and insider perspective of primate research
- NIH ban on animal testing comments violate speech rules, court says
- Opinion | I worked at the UW primate lab, and the inhumanity still haunts me
- She worked in animal research now she’s blocked from commenting on it
- 3Rs Webinar: The Case for Justify: Empowering Animal Lab Workers to Share Their Stories
- Trailer: Operation Wolf Patrol
- ALC Presentation
Factory Farming & the Fight for Enforcement
- 2019 Report – State Enforcement Report
- 2020-08-25 Emergency Rulemaking Petition to USDA Final
- ALDF v Kelly
- Do Animal Protection Laws Address Widespread Cruelty? Unique Challenges and Potential for Addressing Institutional Abuse to Farmed Animals
- JOTS Application for Warrant
- NC Ag-gag Opinion 2023-02-23
- Enforcement of State Farmed Animal Welfare Laws
- ALC Presentation
Legal Victories: Lessons & Insights
- 2022-11-21 West Indian Manatee Listing Petition
- DKT 016-1 and -2 2025-06-17 ORDER Denying MOT for Inj Pending Appeal
- DKT 022 2025-07-28 Appellant’s Brief
- DKT 046 2025-09-26 Appellee’s Brief
- DKT 172 2025-04-11 ORDER Granting Injunctive Relief for Plaintiff
- DKT 190 2025-05-19 ORDER and Permanent Injunction
- NOI West Indian Manatee Reclassification Petition 03-21-2024
- Forget the camel
- Forget the Camel: The Madcap World of Animal Festivals and What They Say about Being Human
- ALC Presentation
Ethical Issues in Animal Lawyering
Virtual Sessions
Recognizing & Managing Compassion Fatigue for Animal Welfare Professionals
Global Perspectives on Advancing Animal Law
- A Comparative Analysis of the Animal Protection Laws in the United & Switzerland
- Felix Aiwanger – A Family Law Approach to Animal Rights ANRLR Vol 19 edited
- From Local to Global Altamush Saeed
- CALS Ambassador Focuses on Helping Farmed Animals in Zimbabwe
- Pasado, presente y futuro del Derecho Laboral de los Animales – Marine Lercier
- Lercier – Lanna Lino before the courts presentation
- Lercier – Animals in Disasters Presentation
- Gurira-Mushunje – presentation
- Aiwanger – presentation
- M. Lercier – Lanna & Linno before the courts_ The Emergence of ‘Préjudice Animalier’
- Pour un aggiornamento de la responsabilité civile – vers la reconnaissance d’un préjudice animal pur
- Legal News Animals – Préjudice Animalier
- A. Best – Planning For Animals in Disasters- A case for Disaster Risk Reduction
- K. Thompson – Facing disasters together- how keeping animals safe benefits humans before, during and after natural disasters
- Revised – ICARE presentation – Animals in Disasters (NA) Animal Law Conference
- S. Glassey – Animal disaster management
The conference has been approved for 10 General Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits, including 1 Ethics credit, by the MCLE Board of the Supreme Court of Illinois. Most states accept credits from other mandatory CLE states, but please check with your local bar association to confirm. Attorneys seeking CLE credits should submit approval paperwork to their local bar association or retain the certificate of attendance which will be provided to attorneys.
Please direct any questions relating to CLE credits to events@aldf.org.
Information via the American Bar Association (ABA) regarding CLEs.