animal law is the new pink which was the new black which at one point was the new disco.

[brian lauter]

Is animal law the next intellectual property?  Probably not, but it is blowing up this week.

First, about three hundred people signed up to take Davis’ Animal Law class.  Nobody I talked to had any idea what the class was about (besides, obviously, law somehow pertaining to animals), but one person probably told one other person that it was interesting and/or easy and within twenty minutes half of the school was enrolled in Animal Law.

Apparently the first day of class didn’t really provide any answers regarding the subject matter either.  The response I got when I asked a friend what the class was about was, “I don’t know, he was talking about chickens for a really long time, though.”

Then, I read today on WSJ Law Blog that Bob Barker of Happy Gilmore fame just donated $1 million to the University of Virginia to establish an animal law program there.  Since his retirement, Barker has apparently been handing out his leftover Plinko chips to law schools all over the country, helping fund animal law curricula at schools like Harvard, Columbia and Northwestern.

Once again, however, the substance of animal law remains a mystery.  Neither the blog nor the press release explains what animal law actually is, but now that we know Bob Barker is behind it, I think its safe to assume that it centers around slapping people who don’t spay or neuter their pets with multimillion dollar lawsuits (“The price is wrong, bitch!” *judge slams gavel*).

So apparently animal law is where the money’s at.  Who knew?

Interested in becoming an animal lawyer?  Check out the International Institute for Animal Law, get an internship with an animal lawyer, or start an Animal Law Review at your school.

Comments

[Joel Leppard]

Hello Brian-

[Full disclosure --I am interested in animal law.]
Thanks for your post about Animal Law. I'm glad to see it's so popular at UC Davis. Thanks also for the links. The most popular student organization for those interested in the legal status of animal is the Animal Legal Defense Fund. www.aldf.org/section.php?id=139

I'm taking Animal Law currently. While my course focuses on Pet law, most courses focus on the legal and ethical issues that en company our relationship with non-human animals. The area is currently one of the fastest growing areas of law/legal scholarship today.

Our casebook covers:
Definition of Animals
Animals As Property
Ethical Treatment of Animals
Commercial Use of Animals
Torts (IIED, NIED, vets, etc)
Criminal Law (animal cruelty statutes)
Standing

etc...

Hope this helps!
~Joel Leppard
P.S. Don't knock disco... it's coming back/never left! Check out:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb8S51M2GAc

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I've heard recently that there is a new branch of law dealing with animals. Is this true? I am a huge animal lover and was looking into it. What exactly does it do, what do you major in, etc.

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Apparently the first day of class didn’t really provide any answers regarding the subject matter either.