Harvard Law School Launches Animal Law and Policy Clinic

August 15, 2019

Many law schools have recently added curriculum and policy clinics to educate lawyers interested in animal law. Adding to the already existing animal law curriculum, the Harvard Law School has added an Animal Law and Policy Clinic.

There is a large shift to add such curriculum at law schools. In 2000, only nine schools had curriculum for animal law; today, 167 law schools provide curriculum in this area. Many students choosing this path have anti-animal ag bias and are influenced during their years in education to adopt these ideals, creating a future challenge for animal agriculture. Also, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, an animal activist group, has chapters at 200 of the 214 American Bar Association accredited law schools.

The Harvard Animal Law and Policy Clinic will be led by Katherine Meyer and Nicole Negowetti. Meyer has argued cases for the Animal Legal Defense Fund. She was also the lead attorney against the Ringling Bros. Circus. Her Harvard bio proudly takes credit for closing down the circus stating, “This public awareness led to the circus ending the use of elephants in 2016, and, in 2017, the circus closed altogether after almost 150 years.” Negowetti was the policy director of the Good Food Institute.