AEL Advocacy is offering an Animal Law Practicum for students enrolled in Animals and the Law at the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto (UofT) this semester. The credited Practicum component of the course will provide students with the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to address pressing animal law challenges.
Animal law is an interdisciplinary field that overlaps multiple areas of law, including property law, domestic violence, environmental law, and criminal law, among others. It also intersects with international frameworks and best practices, such as the One Health/One Welfare approaches. While a growing number of course offerings and programs are available at law schools across the country, it is crucial to expand these educational opportunities for law students, who play a vital role in shaping the future of the profession and subsequently, animal rights.
AEL Advocacy’s Practicum is the first of its kind in Canada, offering students the opportunity to collaborate with practicing lawyers in the field of animal law. The practicum is being led by Krystal-Anne Roussel and Kira Berkeley, Animal Law Research Associates at the Faculty of Law at UofT and our Co-Directors of AEL Advocacy. Students have the opportunity to focus on current issues in animal law such as legal protections for endangered species, consumer advocacy against greenwashing and humanewashing, intersections of environmental law with wildlife conservation, animal agriculture, and other industries that involve the use of animals.
The practicum is an “add on” to UofT’s Animal Law course, developed and taught by Professor Angela Fernandez. This course examines the legal treatment of animals, ranging from provincial and federal laws that purport to protect animals, the property status of animals, animals and the environment, harmful ag-gag laws, vegan rights, Indigenous legal frameworks, and nonhuman animals as family members. AEL Advocacy is excited to collaborate with Professor Fernandez and UofT to provide students with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the field through the Practicum component of this course.
The inclusion of animal law in law school curricula across Canada is vital for advancing animal law as a mainstream legal practice and for supporting the broader animal rights movement.
The courses provide important opportunities to share information with colleagues, to promote awareness of animal law issues within the broader law profession and to help advance knowledge around legal issues related to animal protections and rights.[1]
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[1] Frasch, P. & Tischler, J. (2019). Animal Law: The Next Generation. Animal Law Review, 25(3), 303-340. https://www.animallawconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/animal-law-the-next-generation.pdf
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