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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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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