Jonathan Schopf is a trial attorney with the Vincelette Law Firm in Albany, New York, where he represents individual, business and nonprofit clients.

In this continuing series of updates on former SALDF members, ALDF is proud to spotlight Elisabeth Custalow.

You’re almost a senior in high school, or just starting college, and you think you might want to spend your life helping animals? Animal law may be for you!

Animal law requires hard work, especially in cases that can continue for years. This is why the Animal Legal Defense Fund was so delighted to have Morgan Hector step aboard as a pro bono lawyer in our foie gras suit against the USDA.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the 20th Annual Animal Law Conference at Lewis & Clark Law School. The theme of this year’s conference was "Celebrating 20 Years of Animal Law: Looking Back and Looking Ahead."

Can we realistically expect judges to render trail-blazing pro-animal decisions in the afternoon when they dined on animals’ flesh in the morning?

I've written in the past about how important it is for animal cruelty prosecutors to "take the high road" and be scrupulously ethical. As I've studied and considered the issue further, it has occurred to me that an even more fundamental ethical issue presents itself with disturbing frequency -- the failure of prosecutors to prosecute animal cruelty adequately or at all.

"Law and animals" is a novel field of legal research which examines how human society deals with animals and how such treatment is reflected in the law. The application process closes June 15, 2012 for the autumn semester 2012.

When the Animal Legal Defense Fund sought to ensure compliance by the Palm Springs Animal Shelter with state and local laws regarding the animals in its care, we were fortunate to get this kind of tireless assistance from Evan Dwin.

To me, a hero is someone who risks personal harm or loss (physical, financial, societal) to do what he or she believes is right.

This summer Matthew Liebman and I are excited to be teaching an intensive course at Lewis & Clark Law School entitled Animal Law Litigation.

Several months ago I read a story in the newspaper that stuck with me. It was about a man that shot and killed a 14-foot, 880-pound alligator in Texas. It wasn't the subject of the article that stuck with me, but rather the profession of the man that killed the alligator. He was an attorney.

As an undergraduate at University of North Carolina, Elizabeth Overcash led an animal interest group called Helping Paws.

The laws intended to protect animals in this country are only as strong as the people willing to defend them. Thankfully for a lonely tiger named Tony, there are legal professionals like Monica Frois, Erin Pelleteri, and Brandy Sheely.

It's that time of year, when the best and the brightest law students, coaches, and judges congregate at the National Animal Law Competitions, an inter-law school competition presented by the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark, in collaboration with the Animal Legal Defense Fund. The prestigious national competition will be hosted at UCLA School of Law, February 24-26, 2012.

ALDF wants to support and encourage dedication to the field of animal law by offering recent law graduates a free attorney membership in ALDF's Animal Law Program for one year.

The Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) has enjoyed tremendous success thanks to Pamela Frasch, assistant dean and executive director of CALS, and Kathy Hessler, clinical professor and director of the Animal Law Clinic at CALS -- the only animal law clinic in the country.

I just got back from Washington D.C. and a productive visit at the 2012 Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Annual Meeting. For those of you unfamiliar, the AALS is a non-profit educational association of 172 law schools representing more than 10,000 law faculty in the U.S., and its Annual Meeting constitutes the largest gathering of law faculty in the world.

John joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund as a litigation fellow in October 2011 and works on a variety of cases, including farmed animals with a focus on foie gras and egg laying hens, and coyote and fox penning.

Chris joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund as a litigation fellow in September 2011 after graduating from law school. Chris works on a broad range of animal issues including puppy mills, factory farms, and consumer rights.

Maybe it's time for the legislature of Florida and other states to start explicitly treating animals like the victims they, so very often, tragically are.

On November 9, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear arguments in a case that will determine whether California voters or out-of-state corporations have the right to decide how farmed animals in California are treated.

For those interested in having ALDF file an amicus curiae ("friend-of-the-court") brief, please fill out this form.

Lewis & Clark Law School to launch Animal Law LL.M. (Master of Laws) program.

What you can do help establish mandatory minimum sentences in aggravated forms of animal abuse? Educate yourself and then act

A resource guide for students and graduates interested in this dynamic and cutting-edge area of the law.

The expertise seasoned prosecutors bring to the charging process reflects the complexities which often determine the possibility of going forward with a criminal prosecution.

Geoff Fleck is a contract attorney for the Animal Legal Defense Fund's Criminal Justice Program. Geoff has most recently been employed as an Assistant State Attorney for the State Attorney's Office, 8th Judicial Circuit, Gainesville, Florida.

Diane Balkin is a contract attorney for the Animal Legal Defense Fund's Criminal Justice Program. She began her career as a prosecutor in the Denver District Attorney's Office in 1979, where she worked for 32 years.

As a prosecutor for the past 15 years specializing in animal cruelty cases, I've come to realize that education, i.e., raising sensitivity, is key to making progress in the fight for animal rights.

We are all familiar with the concept of "double jeopardy." It is in the Fifth Amendment, which states, in relevant part, "nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb[.]"

This week, two Animal Legal Defense Fund attorneys published a first-of-its-kind book, A Worldview of Animal Law, which analyzes legal protections for animals from a global perspective.

Download the full copy of ALDF's Animal Protection Laws of the United States of America and Canada new edition or instantly view individual jurisdictions on our interactive map.

The Journal of Animal Ethics is looking for articles, Argument pieces, reviews and review articles, that have relevance to the ethics of our treatment of animals.

For those who practice animal law, a persistent debate rages on: of the many options available, which legal path is the best course to take to improve the plight of animals in the United States?

Recently, a program called Sheltering Animals of Abuse Victims (SAAV) was featured in the "O" Magazine, in an article devoted to the link between domestic abuse and animal cruelty.

Joshua Crain has been an Assistant District Attorney General in McMinnville, Tennessee, since July 2005. Joshua has aggressively prosecuted several animal abuse cases, three of which have made their way into Circuit Court.

Robin Gordon served as North Dakota's State Attorney in McHenry County from 1999 to 2010. During that time Robin worked on many animal cases -- most notably a hoarding case in which 18 dogs were removed from deplorable conditions in a trailer in Deering, North Dakota.

As a State Prosecutor with the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General in Los Angeles, Tannaz Kouhpainezhad, also a professor of animal law, has a perfect record of obtaining affirmances on animal cruelty appeals.

Susan Abrams Dannelly has served as the Assistant State Attorney of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of the State of Florida since 1978. Susan is known as a tough prosecutor of murder and rape cases, but she has also worked hard to gain convictions in heinous animal cruelty cases.

Gregory Vincent was elected as Edmonson County Attorney in 1998 and continues to hold the position. Determined to win justice for the birds abused in one of the largest cockfighting operations in the Southeast, Gregory is currently aggressively prosecuting the case.

Jamie Contreras is currently Assistant Attorney General in the appellate division with the Oregon Department of Justice in Salem, Oregon. She is working on a potentially precedent-setting cruelty case appeal, in which she is arguing that the court should recognize that abused animals are indeed individual "victims."

While the appellate opinion in the Kern County, California, Bemis/Trapani case is limited in scope, the underlying casework serves as an excellent example of a prosecutor's need to address three key issues in an animal hoarding prosecution.

A fantastic article on OregonLive.com discusses the burgeoning field of animal law and how the Animal Legal Defense Fund is providing essential programs and services for law students.

Six students participating in a legal clinic at Lewis & Clark Law School are doing their small part to change the world.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund would never be able to use the law to advance the interests of animals without the support of legal professionals nationwide. In a series of spotlights, ALDF's Animal Law Program salutes the attorneys winning the case against cruelty.

Complementing her passion for compassion, Meena is the executive director of HEART (Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers), a non-profit public charity that is a full-service humane education provider in the New York City and Chicago areas.

I don't think it ages me much to say that when I was in law school, there was no such thing as animal law, since it's still a relatively new field of study and practice.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund has often reported on the connection between domestic violence and the connection to cruelty to animals. The word is spreading even more this month: "O" Magazine, the official magazine of Oprah Winfrey, featured a piece in its "Live Your Best Life" section entitled, "Shelter from the Storm."

Cailen LaBarge of Suffolk Law School discusses the mainstream's vast misconception of animal law and its place in out society.

Were you ever that passionate? Were you ever that hopeful?

On October 16-17, hundreds of law students, legal professionals, academics, and interested members of the public convened at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon for the 2010 Animal Law Conference: Animals in Crisis: Using the Laws We Have, Getting the Laws We Need.

If you are planning to attend the 18th Annual Animal Law Conference at Lewis & Clark Law School, time is of the essence! Only 50 spots remain for this popular conference which has a history of selling out early.

In addition to her teaching endeavors, Megan is a partner at the law firm of DeWitt Ross & Stevens in Madison, Wisconsin, where she concentrates her practice on complex civil litigation and appellate advocacy.

Carter Dillard is the director of litigation for the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Prior to joining ALDF, Carter was appointed to the faculty of Loyola University New Orleans, College of Law, as a Westerfield Fellow.

Yesterday was a busy day, with some media interviews and introductions to the staff of Voiceless, the animal protection institute. Last evening, Voiceless held a lovely cocktail reception. Gene Sherman and Ondine Sherman of Voiceless spoke first, and then, I delivered a short talk.

So I just returned from the Taking Action for Animals Conference in D.C. and have to say that one of the things that I enjoyed most was the banquet performance by Hal Sparks.

On June 21, lawyers, regulators and policy makers converged in Washington D.C. to discuss the necessary steps to ensure that chemical testing protects public health, the environment, and animals -- using twenty-first century toxicology.

"Canine CSI? Advances in Investigating and Prosecuting Cruelty to Animals" discussed the latest tools attorneys have available to them when prosecuting animal cruelty cases, from DNA evidence to the data on the suspect's cell phone.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund is offering new law school graduates free attorney memberships in ALDF's Animal Law Program for one year. We really hope you will join our pro bono attorney network!

Download a complimentary copy or order a copy on CD.

ALDF's Future of Animal Law Conference a huge success.

The Animal Law Instructor Website is dedicated to and for professors teaching animal law. If you are interested in gaining access to the website, please email us.

Beloved "Price Is Right" Host Joins the Animal Legal Defense Fund for Nation's Premier Gathering of Legal Luminaries Whose Careers Have Gone to the Dogs

Vikki Rene Kittles, also known as Susan Dietrich, Rene Depenbrock, and Lynn Zellan, has a history of animal hoarding that goes back decades and spans the United States from the Southeast to the Northwest.

If you're in or around these areas next week, we encourage you to check out these upcoming animal law events.

The University of Washington Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) recently hosted a talk by Howard Lyman, author of "Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat."

Pamela Frasch is the assistant dean of the animal law program and executive director of the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon.

On February 23, 2010, the Iowa Senate passed a "puppy mill" bill designed to improve the conditions for dogs and cats at commercial breeding facilities. The bill, House File 2280, passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 41 to 9.

Daniel Press, who heads the Van Ness Feldman Native American practice group, has been engaged in the practice of Indian law since 1968. Mr. Press has been at the cutting edge of many key issues in Indian law and economic development.

My friend and ALDF attorney member, Megan Senatori, and I are debriefing at an airport bar after our weekend at Harvard Law School where we served as judges at the National Animal Law Competitions (NALC), sponsored by the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark, in collaboration with ALDF. As we discuss how impressed we were with the competition, law students, judges and the mere fact that such a competition exists, we can't help but recall our law school days.

Celebrating some of our nation's most important animal advocates.

Amy Slameka has been with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office since January 2001. She co-founded the Animal Protection Unit (APU) in 2008 with Rajesh Prasad. The APU is designed to combat the underground criminal community that breeds, trains, houses and sells fighting animals.

Raj Prasad has been an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney at the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office since 2005. Raj co-founded the office's Animal Protection Unit (APU) in 2008 with APA Amy Slameka. The APU has achieved a 98% conviction rate.

Tammy Somers joined the Office of the Indiana Attorney General in October of 2008 as a Deputy Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Division. The Attorney General's Office shut down a puppy mill and removed 74 dogs and four horses, and then shut down a second mill, rescuing nearly 300 dogs.

Tiffany Wasserburger is the county attorney for Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. Tiffany's tireless prosecution has helped provide second chances for countless animals, including Max the kitten.

James Reams has served as the Rockingham County Attorney for the past 12 years. James spearheaded the landmark prosecution when, in 2001, the Plaistow District Court searched the property of Christopher Devito in Newton, N.H. for evidence of running a "fighting dog" operation.

William G. Lamberth II is currently an Assistant District Attorney for Sumner County, Tennessee. In 2006, William, helped secure a positive outcome for hundreds of rescued dogs from a puppy mill near Nashville.

Gillian "Jill" Deegan is an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney in Botetourt County, Virginia. In addition to her other casework, she is responsible for handling all of the animal cruelty and neglect cases in her county.

There are only three days left to take advantage of early bird registration for ALDF's Future of Animal Law conference! Don't miss this excellent opportunity to explore vital issues relative to animal law and activism with attorneys, law students, professors, and activists from around the world.

This past weekend, in the dead of the New England winter, the Harvard Student Animal Legal Defense Fund played gracious host to the annual National Animal Law Competitions (NALC) sponsored by the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS), a program that Animal Legal Defense Fund is proud of. In addition to funding the competitions, most of ALDF's staff attorneys served as judges and jurors throughout the weekend.

This past weekend, law students from around the country converged on Harvard Law School to compete in the National Animal Law Competitions, put on by the Center for Animal Law Studies.

As one of the visionaries who co-founded the Animal Legal Defense Fund over three decades ago, California attorney Joyce Tischler has helped shape the emerging field of animal law.

Scott has been a prosecutor for seventeen years, serving the last eight years as the elected district attorney in Benton County, Oregon. Scott recently joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund, serving as the senior staff attorney in ALDF's Criminal Justice Program.

Bruce Wagman is a partner in the San Francisco office of Schiff Hardin, with an almost exclusive focus on a wide range of animal law cases, as well as education and consultation in the field.

ALDF would like to recognize the contributions of State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Assistant State Attorney Michael Von Zamft for their efforts in a brutal crime spree where 19 cats were found killed and mutilated in neighborhoods throughout Florida's Miami-Dade County.

Construction of primate breeding facility in Puerto Rico stopped.

Bob Barker may best be known as the beloved host of the longest running TV game show in history. But "The Price is Right" host is also a long-time advocate for animals and is the keynote speaker at Animal Legal Defense Fund's "Future of Animal Law" conference on April 9-11 at Harvard Law School.

An amicus curiae brief permits a non-party to offer its view of a case, typically premised on either its interest in the outcome or its expertise in the field. The Animal Legal Defense Fund submits amicus briefs in a wide variety of cases, working to advance the interests of animals by urging courts to recognize their own interests and their special value to humans.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said life's most persistent and urgent question is, "What are you doing for others?" Dr. King devoted his life’s work to causes of social justice and equality. In August 1994, the King Holiday and Service Act designated the King Holiday as a national day of volunteer service. Instead of taking a day off, Americans are challenged each year to celebrate Dr. King's legacy by giving back to their community. So on January 18, please support the Animal Legal Defense Fund in its efforts to end animal suffering and abuse.

More than 100 live and 150 dead Chihuahuas removed from property

Stephen Wells is executive director and chief executive officer of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Prior to becoming its CEO in January 2006, Stephen served as the director of ALDF’s successful Animal Law Program.

Stephan K. Otto is an attorney and director of legislative affairs for the Animal Legal Defense Fund. He is also an adjunct professor of law at Lewis & Clark Law School where he teaches an animal law legislation clinic.

Dr. Sebastien Gay is a private consultant and currently teaches in the Economics Department at the University of Chicago and launched the Program on Companion Animal Capital in 2008.

Sarah Baeckler is executive director of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, which provides sanctuary for chimpanzees discarded from the entertainment and biomedical testing industries.

Educated at Trinity College Cambridge, Peter Stevenson is a qualified lawyer. He is the Chief Policy Advisor of Compassion in World Farming. In 2004 Peter was the joint recipient of the RSPCA Lord Erskine Award.

Pamela D. Hart is director of the Animal Law Program at the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Additionally, Ms. Alexander is an adjunct professor teaching Animal Law at the University of Chicago Law School.

Dr. Bailey Norwood is an associate professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma University, where he began in 2003. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from North Carolina State University in 2001.

Matthew Liebman is a staff attorney at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, where he works in the civil litigation program. Matthew is the co-author, with Bruce Wagman and Michelle Maloney, of a forthcoming book on international and comparative animal law.

Kathy Hessler is a clinical professor of law and director of the only animal law clinic in the country. She is the first faculty member hired to teach animal law full time in a law school.