Congratulations to the 2025 Student Chapters of the Year!

Congratulations to the Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter members at Lewis & Clark Law School and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law for winning the 2025 Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter of the Year Awards!

Student chapters are recognized student organizations at law schools across the U.S. and are affiliated with the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Each student chapter is supported through Animal Legal Defense Fund grants to hold events on campus and attend animal law conferences and events. Each student chapter is supported and empowered to engage in local, state, and federal legislation, collaborate with local organizations on related issues, and offered special access to Animal Legal Defense Fund staff.

The Lewis & Clark Law School Chapter hosted 24 events featuring 16 speakers, 2 film screenings, 4 volunteer days, and several public service opportunities, including drafting a public comment. Some of the events included their inaugural Animal Law Welcome Week, where they featured guest lectures to discuss the regulatory framework governing CAFOs and a Ninth Court of Appeals case, ALDF v. Herbert, a First Amendment case on ag-gag laws, and a volunteer day at a local farm sanctuary. They also hosted Animal Law Week in the spring, where they hosted additional guest lectures to discuss current issues in the movement, MeatOut, an annual day offering attendees a chance to sample dishes donated from Portland’s plant based restaurants and a reception that brought together over a hundred students, attorneys, academics, artists, and advocates to engage with work of local artists. This event showcased a keynote speech from We Animals founder Jo-Anne McArthur and a silent auction that raised money for a local sanctuary. Keep up the good work L&C Chapter!

The Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Chapter’s biggest undertaking was assisting in the planning of Northwestern’s Animal Welfare and Public Health Symposium, which hosted several hundred people from the school and community. In addition to the symposium, the Northwestern Chapter also raised awareness of animal law and protection issues through a Careers in Animal Law panel and a Using Your Law Degree to Help Animals panel, where they discussed the realities of protecting animals with the current standing and personhood scheme. The Chapter also raised awareness in their law school community by providing tasty plant-based treats on campus, including a Halloween event “Dairy is Scary” where they passed out vegan ice cream and informational fliers on the dairy industry. They also hosted Veganuary tabling events through the month of January, where they provided vegan lunch for anyone who pledged to be vegan for one week. We are proud of all that the Northwestern Chapter has done for its community!