Studying and practising Animal Law
Animal Law has gained increasing recognition as a distinct legal discipline in recent years. This is reflected by the emergence of courses in Animal Law across Australia.
Where to study Animal Law
Below are the Australian Animal Law courses the Committee is aware of. If you know of any others, please contact us at alc.chair@younglawyers.com.au so that we may update our list.
Bond University (Gold Coast, QLD). Subject: Animal LawFlinders University (Adelaide, SA). Subject: Animal LawGriffith University (Nathan Campus, QLD). Subject: Animals and the LawUniversity of Melbourne (Carlton, VIC). Subject: Animals and the LawUniversity of Sydney (Camperdown Campus, NSW). Subject: Animal LawAustralian National University (Canberra, ACT). Subject: Animals and the Law University of Wollongong (Wollongong, NSW). Subject: Animals Law
Practising Animal Law
The Committee seeks to raise awareness of the new and exciting field of Animal Law amongst the legal profession. This emerging area of the law can provide great opportunities for legal practitioners to use their skills and knowledge for a great cause.
Animals need legal advocates too
You may be aware that the Law Society of NSW offers a Solicitor Referral Service (SRS) for members of the public requiring legal assistance. One aspect of the service, for people experiencing financial hardship, is referral to a legal practitioner willing to provide pro bono legal assistance. We are thrilled to announce that Animal Law has now been included in the SRS.
What this means for you, is that you are now able to register with the Law Society's SRS as a practitioner willing to provide pro bono Animal Law advice and assistance to members of the public in relation to a wide range of Animal Law issues.
What is Animal Law?
Animal Law is the field of law that specialises in issues pertaining to animals. For instance, a number of animal protection organisations utilise legal remedies to protect the interests of animals in the context of:
- commercial whaling
- live export
- factory farming
- the protection of endangered species
- the use of animals for entertainment, including zoos, rodeos and circuses
- the use of animals in fashion and cosmetics
- cruelty to domestic animals including tail docking and dog-fighting
- scientific research and teachin
- the culling of wild animals and 'pests'.
For example, the Humane Society International instituted Federal Court proceedings seeking a declaration that a Japanese whaling company had breached the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) by whaling in the Australian Whale Sanctuary (adjacent to Antarctica) and an injunction to prevent them continuing to hunt there.
Similarly, Animals Australia was responsible for ensuring animal cruelty charges were laid against a leading Western Australian live export company in relation to a shipment of sheep that departed Fremantle bound for the Middle East in 2002.
Animal protection organisations also regularly challenge the decisions of Ministers and Government Departments through the process of administrative review. For example, in October 2005, a coalition of three leading conservation and animal welfare groups (International Fund for Animal Welfare, Humane Society International and RSPCA Australia) commenced proceedings in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal challenging the Commonwealth Environment and Heritage Minister’s decision to permit the import of Asian Elephants into Australia.
Defamation has increasingly become an area of law to which animal advocates have turned their attention, with individuals and organisations who report acts of animal cruelty becoming the target of defamation proceedings.
Animal Law also encompasses consumer protection legislation. One recent example is the egg substitution scam whereby egg producers knowingly mislabelled cage eggs as being free range.
Animal lawyers also provide assistance to individuals in a range of situations. For instance, providing discrimination advice to people with guide dogs, assisting people to draft their Will so that provision is made for their companion animals and family law disputes involving pets.
These are but a few of the areas in which an animal lawyer potentially practises.
Are you proficient in any of these areas of law?
If you practise in (or have an interest in) any of the following areas of law, you may be able to provide pro bono animal law advice and assistance:
- Administrative Law
- Business Law
- Constitutional Law
- Contract Law
- Criminal Law
- Defamation
- Discrimination
- Family Law
- Property Law
- Tort Law
- Trade Practices
- Wills & Estates
What is the next step?
For further information about providing pro bono Animal Law advice and assistance, please contact the Law Society's Solicitor Referral Service.
