2022 Advancement of Animal Law Scholarship Recipients

The Animal Legal Defense Fund Advancement of Animal Law Scholarships are awarded to law student members of our student chapters based upon demonstrated commitment to the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission, “to advance the interests and protect the lives of animals through the legal system.” Recipients are actively involved with their Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter while in law school and show promise in the field after graduation.

Allie Soileau

University of Houston Law Center

Allie Soileau is entering her third year of law school at the University of Houston Law Center, where she will serve as the president of her school’s Animal Legal Defense Fund student chapter for the second year in a row. She is also a member of OUTLaw and the Student Bar Association. Allie has been passionate about animal rights and protection since childhood and pursued that passion in her undergraduate study of animal science with a concentration on pre-veterinary medicine. Following Allie’s first year of law school, she interned with Bayou City Waterkeeper where she was able to further explore how to assure protection for coastal wildlife through the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act. Shortly after, Allie also had the opportunity to work with Lewis & Clark Law School and the Animal Legal Defense Fund to assist in research for the first textbook on aquatic animal law. Allie hopes to gain more experience in the field of animal law prior to graduation.

After graduating from law school, Allie plans to pursue a career in animal law, potentially in conjunction with environmental law to ensure that the world animals live in is protected as well. Allie looks forward to mentoring her student chapter after graduation. Until then, she will continue to advocate for animal rights and protection and to spoil all of her furry and scaly companions rotten.

Learn more about Allie Soileau.
 

 

Angela Pugliese

Brooklyn Law School

Angela Pugliese is a rising 3L at Brooklyn Law School. This past year she served as president of her school’s Animal Legal Defense Fund student chapter. As president, she focuses on engaging her law school community on animal law issues through guest speaker and informational events. She is also an Associate Managing Editor on Brooklyn’s Law Review and a member of the Environmental Law Society.

Angela became interested in animal law after taking an undergraduate course on environmental philosophy, where her perspective on animals, the law, and the environment broadened. She went to law school with the intention of pursuing animal law and has been working hard to achieve that goal. Angela has had internships at the Humane Society of the United States and Animal Outlook, where she performed legal research and writing on matters related to constitutional law, consumer protection, food law, and administrative law.

After graduating law school, Angela hopes to use her law degree to advance the interest of animals through legal advocacy. She also looks forward to serving as a mentor to students at Brooklyn Law School’s student chapter.

Learn more about Angela Pugliese.

Miranda Groh

Lewis & Clark Law School

Miranda Groh is a third-year student at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. Miranda previously had a career working in food and beverage operations, and saw firsthand some of the serious problems with the nation’s food industry. Determined to be part of the solution, Miranda decided to study animal law. She has thoroughly enjoyed her experience studying animal law at Lewis & Clark, where she has learned about animal legal philosophy, industrial animal agriculture, and environmental law. Under the guidance of Professor Joyce Tischler, Miranda recently wrote her capstone paper on farmed animal protection legislation and the federalist system.

Miranda served as the 2021–22 Co-Director of the L&C Animal Legal Defense Fund student chapter and is currently Managing Editor of Animal Law Review. Last year, Miranda served as Animal Law Review’s Symposium Editor, and she planned a day-long event filled with discussion on the progress achieved in various areas of animal law.

Miranda recently worked with Joyce Tischler on a legal casebook on industrial animal agriculture, and had the chance to research and write about some of the most important issues in animal and environmental law, such as waste lagoons and biogas capture, water use in animal agriculture, and animal cruelty prosecutions against CAFO owners and managers. Last summer, Miranda worked as part of the Animal Welfare Institute’s Farm Animal Program, where she worked on issues involving farmed animal transport, “humanely raised” labels, and rulemaking petitions to federal agencies.

Miranda enjoys connecting with new students and helping them get involved in any way they can. Miranda also volunteers with the law school’s Office of Admissions, where she gives campus tours and reaches out to prospective students to tell them about Lewis & Clark, including its outstanding animal law program.

Miranda feels honored to have led the L&C Animal Legal Defense Fund student chapter this year, and to be recognized by the Animal Legal Defense Fund for her involvement, and she looks forward to contributing to the student chapter for years to come!

Learn more about Miranda Groh.

Alex Deherder

University of San Francisco School of Law

Alex Deherder is a rising 2L at the University of San Francisco School of Law. He was a 1L representative of his law school’s Animal Legal Defense Fund student chapter and was part of the first-ever group of students to be admitted into USF’s Animal Legal Scholar Program. He was also a staff editor for the USF Intellectual Property and Technology Law Journal, Vol. 26.

As an Animal Legal Scholar Program member, he got to work closely with former Animal Legal Defense Fund litigation director Matthew Liebman, who launched USF’s Animal Law program in 2020 and the Animal Legal Scholar Program in 2021. As a recipient of the Attorneys for Animals scholarship, Alex was afforded the opportunity to attend the 2021 Animal Law Conference, which covered an array of topics that the field of animal law is tackling today. Alex has volunteered at the Oakland County Animal Shelter in Pontiac, Michigan, as a dog walker, cat socializer, and adoption-event aide. Alex continues his mission to help animals by spreading the message of USF’s Animal Legal Defense Fund student chapter around campus.

Learn more about Alex Deherder.

Emily Lane

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Emily Lane is entering her third year of law school at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City, where she will serve as a 3L Advisor to Cardozo’s Animal Legal Defense Fund student chapter. This summer, she is working as an Animals and Family Violence intern for the Animal Welfare Institute, and hoping to continue to extend her animal advocacy work on campus and beyond. Her love for animals began when she was a child, and has carried through to her legal career, as well as through her rescue kitty Galaxy!

Learn more about Emily Lane.