Advocacy Projects

Not everyone at your school is familiar with animal law or how animal protection impacts their lives. You can change that by bringing experts to campus or through direct education.

Tabling

Organize an information table on campus to raise awareness about animal protection issues. Also check to see if your school allows literature stands on campus that you can stock with educational materials. Request free tabling materials such as brochures, newsletters, and stickers. You can also sign up to table at a local VegFest to increase your outreach to your local community. You can also apply for a student chapter project grant to pay the VegFest registration cost, create a student chapter banner or tablecloth, or provide plant-based food during tabling.

Guest Speakers

Host speakers, panels, and symposia on current issues in animal law and protection. If you are looking for ideas, check out our tips on finding speakers. Your chapter could also find a local speaker to talk about a current animal law issue in your community, like breed-specific legislation. Boost event attendance by hosting in collaboration with other student groups.

Film Screenings

Screen documentaries or movies and host a discussion afterward. Check out our list of animal protection related films for ideas.

Commenting

At the administrative level, you can submit written comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or other agencies when they are considering changes to rules and regulations. Stay up to date on new rules and comment periods.

Animal Law Class Advocacy

If your school does not currently offer an animal law course, your chapter can petition the law school administration to add one. We have instructional materials, including an animal law casebook, which we can send to interested faculty members.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund also offers free course guides on three important subtopics in animal law: companion animals, farmed animals and wildlife. You can share the guides with your professors and law school administration to encourage your school to add a new animal law course, or use them to structure an informal reading group with like-minded students.

We also offer seed grants for first-time animal law course offerings at ABA-accredited law schools.

Support Local Activists

Use your legal background to facilitate animal activism by reading through relevant ordinances (like noise ordinances) to help activists organize effective demonstrations or become a legal observer to help protect the rights of protesters. You can also obtain relevant documents for campaigns by filing FOIA or state Public Records Act requests.

Plant-Based Advocacy, Meatless Mondays & Cage-Free Egg Campaign

Advocate for Meatless Mondays or plant-based meal options in your cafeteria or at law school events. Use the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Farmed Animals and the Law brochure, which provides an overview of the lack of laws to protect farmed animals from abuse. Request the Animal Legal Defense Fund brochures and other tabling materials here. Two other popular leaflets are Fresh and Compassionate Choices.

Work with your school’s dining service to discontinue its use of eggs from hens confined in battery cages. Check out Farm Sanctuary’s Compassionate Campus: The College Guide to Animal Advocacyfor more ideas.