 As we turn to the start of the summer term, we wanted to take time to celebrate our amazing graduates and the exceptional work that our students, alumni, faculty and staff accomplished at the Center for Animal Law Studies this past semester.
I’m delighted to share some highlights and other key updates, including this year’s JD Animal Law Leadership Award recipients, the Outstanding Animal Law LLM Graduate Award recipient, the impactful work of the Lewis & Clark Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter, upcoming events, and more.
On behalf of all of us at CALS, thank you for being part of our mission. Animals need legal advocates. We’re able to educate and train more of them because of your shared commitment to educating the next generation and advancing legal protections for animals. I hope you enjoy reading about the impressive animal advocates who are working so hard to create a compassionate and more just world for all beings.
For the animals,
Pamela D. Byce
Assistant Dean and Executive Director
Center for Animal Law Studies |
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| Congratulations to the JD, LLM and MSL animal law students who graduated on May 17th. They are ready to make an impact by advancing legal protections for animals and contributing to the development of animal law around the world. This year’s graduates are from: Australia, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, in addition to the U.S. For a full list of this year’s graduates, visit this link.
Please also congratulate this year’s Cornelius Honor Society members, including animal law certificate students: Mei Brunson, Miranda Herreid, and Suzannah Smith. Cornelius members are graduating students selected by the faculty and staff based on distinguished scholarship, leadership, and contribution to the law school community. |
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Animal Law JD Leadership Awards
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 This year’s Animal Law Leadership Award Winners are Mei Brunson (‘25) and Suzannah Smith (‘25), the Co-Directors of the Lewis & Clark Law School Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter.
Nominated by faculty and staff in the Animal Law Program for this honor, Mei and Suzannah demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout the academic year. Their tenacity, professionalism, and enthusiasm for contributing to the animal law community at Lewis & Clark is an inspiration to us all. Read about Mei and Suzannah here. |
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Outstanding Animal Law LLM Graduate Award
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 Dulki Seethawaka (’25) has been selected to receive this year’s Outstanding Animal Law LLM Graduate Award. This merit award is given annually in memory of Florence Kaufelt, a lifelong friend of animals, to a graduate of the Animal Law LLM program at Lewis & Clark Law School.
Dulki graduated this spring, with honors. Throughout her time in the program, she has impressed faculty with her academic excellence and her broader impact in the field. A Sri Lankan attorney, Dulki has been actively working to modernize Sri Lanka’s animal protection laws, many of which are more than a century old. Her work has the potential to significantly improve conditions for animals in Sri Lanka, and she is eager to carry it forward. Read about Dulki here. |
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The Lewis & Clark Animal Legal Defense Fund Has a Banner Year
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| Dating back to 1993, the ALDF student chapter at Lewis & Clark Law School (LC ALDF) has a longstanding history, and this year’s students honored it exceedingly well. LC ALDF’s nine-person strong Board hosted 24 total events featuring 16 expert speakers, covering a broad range of topics—such as how environmental and labor law interact with the regulation of industrial animal agriculture (including industrial aquaculture), constitutional challenges to state “ag-gag” laws, and the autonomy and protection of wild animals, to name just a few. The Board also organized 2 film screenings, 4 volunteer days, and a variety of public service opportunities.
In this blog, LC ALDF Co-Directors for the 2024-25 academic year, Mei Brunson and Suzannah Smith, reflect on the year and how the hard work of students, many collaborators, and the Portland community made it all possible. |
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The Inaugural Recipient of the Thomas Bloom Raskin Animal Protection Scholarship
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 Megan Rosen, who is earning her LLM degree in Animal Law at Lewis & Clark Law School, has been named the first recipient of the Thomas Bloom Raskin Animal Protection Scholarship.
Growing up in Kentucky, where animal protection laws rank among the weakest in the nation, Megan witnessed firsthand the state’s failure to adequately protect animals. Determined to make a difference, she pursued a career in law to advocate for stronger legal protections. She co-founded the Animal Law Section of the Kentucky Bar Association in 2014 and served in a variety of leadership roles from 2014 to 2022. Megan is eager to shape the law in her home state, particularly for farmed animals. Read more about Megan and the scholarship created in honor of Tommy Raskin here. |
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Animal Law Review: Call for Papers
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| Animal Law Review (ALR) at Lewis & Clark Law School, the nation’s oldest law journal devoted entirely to legal issues related to animals, is seeking submissions for the fall 2025 issue from academics, professionals, and students. Please send papers to se-animallaw@lclark.edu by Friday, June 13th.
To learn more about ALR, visit this link. Please be sure to review the full publication guidelines here. |
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REGISTRATION OPENING SOON
33rd Animal Law Conference
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| Our 33rd annual Animal Law Conference will take place October 17–19, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois, and online. The conference is co-presented by the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Center for Animal Law Studies. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to network with leaders in the field of animal law, hear from expert panelists about cutting-edge issues, and so much more. Registration is opening soon! In case you missed last year’s event, you can watch it on demand at this link. |
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