Advocacy Overview

Animal Legal Advocates

Animal Law Study
Program

Breeder Watch Program

Pet Shelters

Pet Trusts

Registered Pet Offenders

Other Resources

Select an Animal Law Study program from the menu below to visit that organization's website.

 

Animal Law Study Program

The purpose of the American Pet Cross Animal Law Project is to recognize and support those existing law schools and programs that are currently offering an animal law course of study or curriculum. It is also the purpose of American Pet Cross to act as a facilitator, coordinator, and collaborator of the animal law programs throughout the country, by encouraging those programs to expand and teach others in this rapidly growing area of the law.

In order to accomplish this, American Pet Cross has created a title for those attorneys who would represent the rights of animals in their community: Animal Legal Advocates.

The mission of attorneys who would represent themselves as Animal Legal Advocates is to assist local prosecuting, district, or country attorneys in the civil and criminal prosecution of those charged with cruelty to animals as follows:

  1. To create an ascertainable standard within the legal community for training and certification of lawyers who are interested in pursing the field of animal law as a specialty.
  2. To create an awareness in the public of the need to protect animals and the need to use a certified Animal Legal Advocate™ member of the bar to assert those rights on behalf of animals and animal owners.
  3. To create an ANIMAL LAW CENTER™ as a pro bono project in every community where possible to protect the rights of animals and owners. The ANIMAL LAW CENTER™ will act additionally as a liason between the members of the bar and judicial system to promote the awareness and actions that are necessary to protect animals and their owners within the judicial system.
  4. To sponsor and create through affiliate relationships the ongoing collaboration and cooperation of educational materials, symposiums, conferences and meetings on a state and local basis to promote the field of animal law both within the bar and within the animal industry of the United States and its territories.
  5. To assist local governmental counsel or bodies legislatively authorized to pursue civil or criminal convictions of those charged with animal abuse, and to do so on a pro bono basis in order to maximize prosecutorial resources in each city, county, or state.
  6. To create, promote, and develop training programs for citizen support for Animal Control Officers in order to recruit and train those who wish to serve by assisting Animal Control Officers in the pursuit of their duties.
  7. To work with existing animal law organizations such as The Animal Defense League and other established organizations in this field to develop and promote this designation and training of Animal Legal Advocate™.

It is the intent of American Pet Cross and its Animal Legal Advocates to gradually change the direction and policy of the city, county, and state court systems through its support of prosecutorial efforts at each level of government in which an animal abuser interacts with the system in order to elevate both the conviction rate and the deterrent affect of potential incarceration time, fines, penalties or levys against those who would abuse animals.