LACBA Creates Animal Law Section
Increasing interest in animal rights prompts development of the association’s 30th practice section

LACBA's Board of Trustees recently approved the creation of an Animal Law Section for members.

“Few lawyers work full time in this practice area, but animals’ interests are increasingly being recognized within legal frameworks,” explains Brad Pauley, an appellate lawyer at Horvitz & Levy and LACBA Immediate Past President. Pauley points to several legislative examples, including California’s recent  Assembly Bill 1881, or “Dog and Cat Bill of Rights”, which would have provided canines and felines freedom from neglect and abuse, the right to healthcare, nutritious food, and appropriate exercise.

In a 2022 poll, 60% of LACBA members showed interest in an Animal Law section.

Growing and complex, “animal law” may involve First Amendment and the rights of Free Speech, anti-SLAPP, so-called Ag-Gag Laws, the impact of animal agriculture on the environment, the legal status of animals, the intersection of law and ethics, and the varying degrees of limited protections that the law accords to animals. 

The new Animal Law Section is chaired by Terri Macellaro, an attorney and leading animal welfare advocate in Los Angeles.

About LACBA Sections
With the new Animal Law addition, LACBA now has an extensive list of 30 sections, each devoted to a specific area of law. General members pay $50 for a single section or $85 for an unlimited number of sections. Current members can join the Animal Law Section by contacting the Member Services at (213) 896-6560 or msd@lacba.org. Sections can be also added online when joining or renewing memberships.