About the Clinic
Learn more about the work of our Animal Law & Policy Clinic
Learn more about the work of our Animal Law & Policy Clinic
The Animal Law & Policy Clinic was launched in 2019 to provide students with direct, hands-on training in legal advocacy on behalf of animals. It is run by Clinic Director and Visiting Assistant Clinical Professor, Katherine Meyer.
Through the Clinic, students are introduced to the broad range of substantive areas of law that animal law advocates face in their work, including the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Animal Welfare Act, the Humane Slaughter Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Wild Horse and Burros Act, and state animal cruelty codes. Students learn how to pursue animal advocacy under several law and policy vehicles, including litigation, legislative initiatives, administrative rule-making petitions, open-government laws, and organizing strategies.
Clinical Fellow Kate Barnekow also prepares the Brooks Animal Law Digest, a weekly summary of the latest developments in animal law and policy, including federal and state case law, new and pending federal and state legislative initiatives, federal regulatory actions, published scholarship, and related international news. These weekly digests are then shared for use by other clinics and programs as well as practitioners in the field via the Brooks Institute for Animal Rights Law & Policy.
Clinic students receive course credit for working on projects that address issues across the spectrum of animals impacted under the law. These include:
Explore media mentions of the Animal Law & Policy Clinic’s work.
Students interested in applying for the 2021 Fall Term should email Clinic Director Katherine Meyer at [email protected] by June 25, 2021.
Read end of semester reports on the activities of the Animal Law & Policy Clinic
Fall 2020 end of semester report.
Spring 2020 end of semester report.
Fall 2019 inaugural report.
“Animal law is a vitally important and rapidly growing field. Our new Animal Law & Policy Clinic will give students real-world experience in this burgeoning field, build on Harvard Law School’s long tradition of innovative pedagogy, and prepare future graduates to address significant societal challenges.”