AR-News: (DC) Animal Law Conference

[Mindy Kursban]

To Register, please contact:
Heather L. Maurer hmaurer at wcl.american.edu
or call 202-274-4077 

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT MINDY KURSBAN AT
MKURSBAN at PCRM.ORG.

The Practice of Animal Law: Perspectives on its Past, Present, and Future

This conference is co-sponsored by the District of Columbia's Bar
Association's Animal Law Committee of the Environment, Energy, and Natural
Resources Section; the Association of the Bar of the City of New York
Committee on Legal Issues Pertaining to Animals, and the American University
Washington College of Law.

This conference will take place on Saturday April 17, 2004, at the American
University Washington College of Law, 4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC, starting with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 5:30.
That evening, the DC Premiere of the new documentary Peaceable Kingdom will
be screening at WCL's auditorium. This screening is open to the public.  

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit is available 

Cost: 
* General Admission	$25.00
* AU Students		NO CHARGE 
* CLE Credit		$240.00	(VA, PA, and NY pending)


8:30 - 9:00  Breakfast

9:00 - 9:15 Opening Remarks

9:15 - 10:30  Consumer Protection Statutes

This panel will give an overview of federal and state consumer protection
statutes and will discuss several consumer food-related complaints,
including those against KFC, the California Milk Advisory Board, McDonalds,
the United Egg Producers, and Sonoma Foie Gras.  Additionally, an attorney
with the Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division will discuss
NAD's role in ensuring truthful advertising, including advertising that
addresses animal protection issues.  

* James Pizzirusso, Esq., Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll
* Matt Penzer, Esq., People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
* Carter Dillard, Esq.
* David Mallen, Esq., National Advertising Division of the Better Business 
Bureau 

10:30-11:30  Civil Rights Protection 
	
This panel will provide an overview of the USA Patriot Act and similar state
initiatives, discuss how to protect individual civil rights via lawsuits
against the government for constitutional rights violations, and advise on
the extent to which a 501(c)(3) organization can engage in civil
disobedience while protecting its tax exempt status.  

* Sean Day, Esq., Law Offices of Sean R. Day
* Mac Canter, Esq., Copilevitz & Canter, LLC

11:30 - 11:45 
BREAK

11:45- 12:45 

SESSION A:	Compiling Admissible Evidence to Support Anti-Cruelty
Claims. 
	
This presentation will discuss how to compile admissible evidence to obtain
a cruelty conviction on behalf of companion and farmed animals.  

* Scott Rolle, Esq., State's Attorney, Frederick County, MD	
	      
SESSION B:	Lobbying and Electioneering for Non-Profit Organizations

Can a 501(c)(3) organization lobby without losing its tax-exempt status with
the IRS?  If so, how much lobbying is permitted under the law?  What
constitutes lobbying?  What about electioneering?  Can a non-profit
organization attempt to directly influence an election of a specific
candidate.  What about 501(c)(4) organizations?  When your client wants to
engage in advocacy, make sure you and they know the rules on lobbying and
political activity.  

* Mac Canter, Esq., Copilevitz & Canter, LLC

12:45-2:15 
Lunch w/ Keynote Speaker  (TBA)

2:15-3:15  

SESSION A:	The Legal Rights of Animals in Tort Law

This panel will discuss two areas of tort law.  First, it will discuss newly
emerging law on establishing compensatory values for companion animals
beyond their property value:  loss of companionship, emotional distress, and
other non-economic damages.  Next, it will discuss the theory behind the
proposed tort of intentional interference with a fundamental interest of a
chimpanzee, discussing the issue of obtaining legal rights for chimpanzees
based on an "interest" analysis under our current legal system that treats
chimpanzees as property.  

* Rebecca J. Huss, Esq., Associate Professor of Law, Valparaiso University 
School of Law, Indiana
* Wendy Anderson, Esq.

SESSION B:  Emotional Support Animals and Service Animals in Housing

This panel will present information about litigation under the Fair Housing
Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and various state laws, and discuss
how the change in treatment of animals in this area of the law affects
changing the nature of their property status.

* Michael Allen, Esq., Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
* Kathy Hessler, Esq., Professor, Case Western Law School

3:15-4:15

SESSION A:  Asserting Standing in Bringing Animal Protection Claims

Courts have traditionally denied standing for animals and animal protection
groups, making it difficult to have an animal protection case heard on the
merits.  This panel will give background information on standing (what it
is, what types of cases is standing an issue), discuss how standing to bring
cases to protect the interests of animals has been obtained thus far and the
obstacles this presents in bringing lawsuits, and the government's
perspective on using litigation to protect the interests of animals.  

* Katherine Meyer, Esq., Meyer & Glitzenstein 		

SESSION B:	Using Petitions for Rulemaking to Affect Government Policy

Petitions for Rulemaking have been underutilized by animal law
practitioners.  This panel will provide background information about
petitions for rulemakings, and discuss how to use these administrative
petitions to change government policy and how to bring a lawsuit against an
agency that denies your petition. 

* Howard Crystal, Esq., Meyer & Glitzenstein 
* Jeff Lubbers, Esq., Professor, Washington College of Law
 
4:15-4:30
BREAK/SNACK
 
4:30-6:00   

Using Your Law Degree to Affect Animal Law 

a.	Creating your own public interest law firm 	
b.	General Counsel for an Animal Protection Group 
c.	Law Professor 
d.	Academic/Think tank
e.	Pro Bono Opportunities

*  Katherine Meyer, Esq., Meyer & Glitzenstein 
*  Jeff Kerr, Esq. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
*  Prof. Kathy Hessler, Case Western Reserve University
*  Kim Stallwood, Director, Institute for Animals & Society
*  Stephen Wells, Animal Law Program Director, Animal Legal 
Defense Fund

Dinner will be on your own.

7:30  Showing of Peaceable Kingdom


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