Date Chartered: 5/31/2008
Purpose
The Section on Animal Law promotes the communication of ideas, interests, and activities among members and makes recommendations to the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) on matters of interest in teaching and improvement of the law relating to animals.
2024
Main Program
Agricultural and Food Law (Co-Sponsored by Animal Law and Environmental Law)
Environmental Law Field Trip (Co-Sponsored by Agricultural and Food Law, Animal Law, and Natural Resources and Energy Law)
Natural Resources and Energy Law (Co-Sponsored by Agricultural and Food Law, Animal Law, and Environmental Law)
2023
Main Program
Agricultural and Food Law (Co-Sponsored by Animal Law, Natural Resources, and Torts and Compensation Systems)
Agricultural and Food Law Works-in-Progress (Co-Sponsored by Animal Law and State and Local Government Law)
2022
Main Program
Section on Agricultural and Food Law (Co-Sponsored by Animal Law)
2021
2020
2019
Excellence in Animal Law: Scholarship-Teaching-Service Award
The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding contributions of law teachers (full-time and adjunct) in teaching, scholarship, advocacy, and/or service on behalf of animals. The criteria is intended to be very broad to recognize the many ways that law teachers, both full-time and adjunct, have an impact in seeking greater protections for animals through the law, including through scholarship, education of law students and the public at-large, pro bono litigation, legislative advocacy, leading or consulting on public initiatives, and other public or private projects. It can be local, regional, national, or international in scope.
Nominations and Eligibility:
(a) The Section may solicit nominations from the AALS communications platform announcement discussion list as well as other places that may reach animal law professors. Anyone who has taught at an AALS accredited law school as a full-time or adjunct professor may submit a nomination by completing and submitting a nomination form to the Section Chair no later than September 30 each year.
(b) Eligible nominees are individuals who have taught at an AALS accredited law school as a full-time or adjunct law professor. Current Section Executive Committee members and past recipients of the award are not eligible for nomination. Law schools and any other institutions or organizations are not eligible to be nominated or receive an award.
Selection Process:
(a) The Selection Committee shall be comprised of the entire Section’s Executive Committee except any member who has nominated another for the award and voluntarily recused himself/herself from the Selection Committee.
(b) Each member of the Selection Committee shall review all nominations. The Selection Committee shall meet via teleconference (or other means) and attempt to reach consensus on the award winner; a three-fourths vote of members in attendance at the meeting is required for selection of the winner. The Section may, but need not, give one award each year.
(c) Annually, before November 1, the Section shall notify AALS headquarters of the award winner and secure permission and approval from AALS to make the award.
Recognition of Award Winner: The Section shall recognize the award winner during its Section Program at the AALS annual meeting.
Recipients
| Year | Award Name | Recipient | Law School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Excellence in Animal Law: Scholarship-Teaching-Service Award | Sherry Colb | Cornell Law School |
| 2022 | Excellence in Animal Law: Scholarship-Teaching-Service Award | Mariann Sullivan | New York University Law School |
| 2020 | Excellence in Animal Law: Scholarship-Teaching-Service Award | Kathy Hessler | Lewis and Clark Law School |
| 2019 | Animal Law Award | Rebecca Huss | Valparaiso University School of Law |
| 2018 | Animal Law Award | Joan Schaffner | George Washington University Law School |
| 2017 | Animal Law Award | David S. Favre | Michigan State University College of Law |
| 2016 | Animal Law Award | Pamela Frasch | Lewis and Clark Law School |