CALS NEWSLETTER | FALL 2025

Animal Law Welcome Week

Students kicked off the fall semester by building on last year’s inaugural Animal Law Welcome Week. Lewis & Clark Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter (LC ALDF) students planned impactful events for the week of September 8-12th to build community and to share developments in the field of animal law.

The week included: a welcome event co-hosted by LC ALDF Student Chapter, CALS and the Animal Law Review; lunch-time talks by Legal Impact for Chickens and the Center for Food Safety; and an evening social with food, fun and community in the Animal Law Review suite.

Pictured: LC ALDF Co-Directors, Frannie Von Friedeburg and Brooke Helstrom; ALR Editor-in-Chief, Camille Bond; and CALS Animal Law Program Director and Lewis & Clark Law School Assistant Professor, Rajesh K. Reddy

Kaiti Bestor New Animal Law Teaching Fellow

Kaitlin (Kaiti) Bestor has joined CALS as an Animal Law Teaching Fellow. In her new role, she supports the Animal Law Program, with a primary focus on contributing to the success of the online courses in the Animal Law LLM and Animal Law MSL degree programs. She also serves as an advisor for the Lewis & Clark Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter, a role she’s passionate about having served as Co-Director of the LC ALDF when she was a Lewis & Clark law student herself! Kaiti is teaching Introduction to U.S. Legal Studies in the online program and Legal Research: Animal Law in the in-person program. Learn more here.

Pamela Byce and Megan Senatori
Step into New Leadership Roles

Two leadership promotions at CALS recognize the longstanding leadership, expertise, and pivotal vision for advancing animal law education and the field of animal law. Pamela Byce has been promoted to Associate Dean of the Animal Law Program. In her new role, Byce is continuing to advance CALS’ mission by deepening collaborations, expanding academic and career opportunities for students and alumni, cultivating new development opportunities, and leading global engagement initiatives. Associate Director, Megan Senatori, who has served in the role since 2020, has been elevated to CALS’ Executive Director. In her new role, Senatori is overseeing operations, guiding strategic planning, strengthening alumni and donor engagement, and expanding animal protection initiatives. Read more here.

Announcing the Thomas Bloom Raskin Animal Protection Scholarship Recipient

Savannah Sherman has been named the second recipient of the Thomas Bloom Raskin Animal Protection Scholarship. From the start of her legal career, Savannah has been driven by a clear purpose: to use her training as an attorney to improve the lives of animals. She began her studies in the online LLM program this fall, and she is dedicated to advancing protections for animals, with a focus on farmed animal welfare. We are proud to support Savannah as she continues Thomas Bloom Raskin’s powerful legacy. Read more here.

Support the Thomas Bloom Raskin Scholarship this Holiday Season

Join us on Giving Tuesday—December 2nd— as we launch our campaign to carry forward the legacy of Thomas Bloom Raskin. Tommy was a devoted animal rights advocate whose deep compassion inspired countless people within and beyond the animal protection movement. Your donations directly fund the scholarship created in his honor. While we kick off the campaign on Giving Tuesday, you don’t have to wait! Donate today to provide a gift in honor of Tommy Raskin.

Announcing the 2025-26
Law Scholars for Change Recipients

We’re delighted to introduce the 2025-26 Law Scholars for Change Scholarship recipients: Josephine Blatny, Camille Bond, and Nicole Wood! These impressive Lewis & Clark Law School JD students are future leaders who are dedicated to using the law to challenge the harms created by the industrial animal agriculture industry. The Law Scholars for Change Program provides scholarships to recognize students who have demonstrated exceptional passion and commitment to promoting the well-being and protection of animals through the law, with a preference given to those planning to specialize in industrial animal agriculture law after graduation. Read more here.

Announcing the 2025-26 CALS Ambassadors

We’re delighted to announce the four alumni who have been selected as CALS Ambassadors to carry out selected projects to advance animal protection and animal law around the world through the Global Ambassador Program. Congratulations to: Jessica Bridges, Gladys Kamasanyu, Dulki Seethawaka, and Dr. Emily Talkington. Each CALS Ambassador has received a grant that will enable them to advance global gains for animals around the world. Read more here.

A resounding round of applause to the CALS Ambassadors who just completed their GAP year: Kimberly Backman, Iga Glazewska Bromant, Linda Masudze, Julie Palais, and Varnika Singh. We celebrated their GAP year in a webinar featuring their work. Get ready to be inspired and view it here.

The 33rd Annual Animal Law Conference

The 33rd Animal Law Conference convened animal law attorneys, students, academics, advocates and other professionals devoted to animal protection in Chicago, Illinois, and virtually from October 17th to October 19th. With over 500 registrations, this year’s event was an inspiring weekend of networking, learning, and collaborating to learn more about the ever-changing field of animal law. Learn more here in a piece written by JD Student Kat Engelken. Thank you to everyone who joined us, and a special thank you to this year’s event sponsors: Carol House Furniture, Stray Dog Institute, Cat Koshkin, and Patrick Cleary.

Animal Law Coursework | Fall Semester

The breadth of the animal law curriculum at Lewis & Clark Law School makes it a global leader in the field. Check out the diverse roster of animal law courses that our students are studying this fall semester at Lewis & Clark Law School.