Projects

Most of our projects fall into one of these three broad categories:

Policy Work

We've worked on a number of projects to improve the well-being of animals through legal policy. 

Some of our work has been practical. From writing comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to collaborating with other nonprofits to draft new versions of state-level endangered species acts, we've been working on changing policy at both levels of government.

Other work has been more academic. Shelby recently published a paper on using the Clean Water Act to protect farmed animals. Aidan just published a paper uncovering new ways to use the Endangered Species Act to protect the Rice's whale. And at the moment, Mason is teaching and developing a class as an adjunct professor for the University of Colorado Law School where students will learn how to craft and publish academic arguments to protect animals through the law.

Ligitation & Petitions

At this time, we do not bring any litigation or represent parties in court. However, some of our work has supported litigation that may be done by others. For example, we are collaborating with the Nonhuman Rights Project to produce a series of research documents on procedural law across the country. While we can't share any more about this project publicly, we're excited to see where it goes!

In addition, Shelby and our interns are working on a number of requests under various state and federal open records acts dealing with the deaths of captive animals. 

Law School Programs

Our collaborative pro bono work was perhaps the highlight of our law school experience. From writing public comments, to publishing papers, and volunteering with other groups, we were always looking for something new and exciting to work on. Animal Counsel is still involved in doing this sort of work with the students at the University of Colorado Law School, as well as the Animal Legal Defense Fund's Animal Law Program.

We fully believe students can and should get involved in the public and academic processes. After all, so many law students are filled with the drive and knowledge to do good work. But there's not a lot of opportunities. So, at Animal Counsel, we want to give students the chance to get experience working on real legal issues in animal and environmental law. If you're a law student who's interested in getting involved as a volunteer or an intern, reach out! We may have something you can work on. Alternatively, if you have your own project idea and want help bringing it to life, let us know!