Spotlight: Sophia Pastorini

Sophia Pastorini is a 2023 recipient of the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Advancement in Animal Law Scholarship.

This award honors students who demonstrate a 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 in their Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter while in law school and show promise in the field after graduation.

Sophia Pastorini is a rising 3L at the University of Miami School of Law committed to using the legal system to advocate for animal justice. During her 1L year, she led the effort to reactivate Miami Law’s Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter, for which she now serves as president. She has established a concentration in environmental law and spent her 2L year interning for Miami Law’s Environmental Justice Clinic.

What Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter activities are you proudest of and why?
I am particularly proud of our active participation in the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)’ Stop Puppy Mills campaign and our efforts to advance the passing of a Courtroom Animal Advocate Program (CAAP) law in Florida. As part of our contribution to end puppy mills, we collaborated with HSUS to design and conduct a survey assessing the level of awareness among university students on the issue. We distributed hundreds of flyers containing links to the survey and held campus events to engage with and educate fellow students about the crucial importance of pet adoption over pet shopping. We also hosted rescue dogs from a local shelter, Paws4You, to drive home the message of responsible pet ownership (and for a nice study break on our campus bricks!). A few months ago, when APHIS requested public comments on establishing environmental enrichment standards for animals covered under the Animal Welfare Act, I submitted a paper as president of the chapter discussing why this was critical for dogs raised in puppy mills. I’m also proud of our chapter’s work with the Animal Legal Defense Fund to support a CAAP law in Florida. We recently wrote a memorandum in support of H.B. 989/S.B.1006, which will be circulated among legislators to illustrate the importance of the issue to their constituents, and to highlight the role Miami Law students are ready and willing to play as part of the solution.

Any other noteworthy experience?
The Animal Legal Defense Fund and Miami Law funded my travel from Miami to our State Capitol in Tallahassee to advocate for animals on Florida Humane Lobby Day. I connected with student chapter leaders from Florida State University along with other advocates working hard for animals in the state. ALDF and HSUS scheduled an appointment for me to meet with Senator Alexis Calatayud of District 38, Miami Law’s district! I thanked her on behalf of our chapter for introducing S.B.942/H.B.941, which would stabilize housing for families living in public housing by removing breed-specific pet restrictions. I also expressed our chapter’s support for the CAAP bill and asked that she please support its passage. My trip to Tallahassee was an incredibly valuable experience that allowed me to connect with like-minded advocates and engage in meaningful dialogue with legislators on issues that are critical to our cause.

What is an animal law related goal of yours for the upcoming academic year?
One of my objectives for the upcoming year is to investigate the ways in which our chapter can advocate for Lolita (Tokitae), the lone orca held in captivity at Miami Seaquarium. This issue hits close to home because Miami Seaquarium is located adjacent to the University of Miami’s marine science campus on Virginia Key. The recent news of the Seaquarium’s plans to release Lolita back to her home waters in a seaside sanctuary has reignited discussions around her captivity and the broader issue of animal welfare in captivity. By focusing on Lolita’s case, we can raise awareness about the plight of captive animals and the need for legal frameworks to protect marine mammals in their natural habitats. I am also interested in a career in academia, and I want to explore the ways in which Miami Law can build a more robust animal law program. We currently offer only one animal law course sporadically, so there is tremendous potential for our school to become a leading destination for animal law education and advocacy.

What are your plans/goals for post-graduation?
My plan once I graduate is to pursue a career in animal law. I am particularly interested in using my legal degree to advocate for farmed animals, animals used for experiments, and animals used for fashion. As a resident of a coastal city that is grappling with challenges like manatee starvation, I am also increasingly drawn to the issue of aquatic animal welfare. My goal is to work for an animal protection organization that offers remote work opportunities, allowing me to stay in Miami and continue working on the unique issues facing our community.

What is one piece of advice that you would like to pass on to other Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter leaders?
My advice to other chapter leaders is to take recruitment seriously from the outset to ensure a steady stream of new members will keep the chapter active for the long term. A thriving chapter sends a message that animals are a priority in the law. As I discovered when I arrived at Miami Law to an idle Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter, chapters easily become inactive if there aren’t enough committed members to keep them going. During the 2022-23 academic year, all of our E-board members were 2Ls, and we had concerns about the chapter’s future when no 1Ls attended elections. To prevent the chapter from becoming idle again once we graduated, we ramped up our recruitment efforts quickly, which was stressful in the middle of the semester. Fortunately, we succeeded in recruiting several 1Ls to the E-board, but we learned that we need to prioritize recruitment in the future to avoid the risk of losing momentum.

Learn more about the other 2023 Advancement in Animal Law Scholarship winners.