Conley Wouters is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, where he teaches Animal Law, Contracts, and Lawyering Skills. His current research projects focus on laws relating to the treatment of private security canines, and litigation strategies for fighting animal cruelty in rodeo. He has published scholarship on animal law pedagogy, legal storytelling, and Buddhist approaches to legal writing. Conley has presented at various conferences and workshops related to animal law and animal law pedagogy, and he is a member of the Council on Animal Legal Education at GW Law’s Animal Legal Education Initiative. He is also an online LLM Candidate at the Lewis & Clark Center for Animal Law Studies.  

Before becoming a law professor, Conley practiced commercial litigation at a large law firm. Since 2023, he has worked in animal law in a pro bono capacity, and in 2025, he established Karuna Law, a solo practice dedicated to advancing animals’ legal interests. He is a recipient of the Animal Legal Defense Fund Compassionate Counsel Award.