Isabella (“Bella”) Niven

Isabella (“Bella”) Niven serves as a fellow for the Legislative Affairs Program to advance state legislation and policies that protect animals. She is particularly passionate about strengthening protections for captive wildlife, especially big cats, and farmed animals.

Prior to joining the Animal Legal Defense Fund (“ALDF”), Bella worked as a fellow for Social Compassion in Legislation, where she conducted research and writing and lobbied to support animal protection legislation in California.

She earned her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law (“USF Law”). At USF Law, Bella was an animal law scholar in the Justice for Animals program and served as President of USF’s Student ALDF chapter. She also worked as a Research Assistant for her animal law professor and chair of the Justice for Animals program, Matthew Liebman. Additionally, Bella served as Comments Editor for USF Law Review to edit and publish student comments. Her own paper, titled “Harassment on Exhibition: Proposing an Amendment to the Endangered Species Act for Endangered Captive Wildlife,” was published by USF Law Review in 2026.

During law school, Bella held a clerkship with ALDF’s Legislative Affairs Program, as well as internships with the Animal Welfare Institute and the Northwest Animal Rights Network. She was honored to be awarded with ALDF’s 2024 Advancement of Animal Law Scholarship. Bella received her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she majored in Philosophy and minored in Comparative Literature.

Outside of work, Bella enjoys reading, vegan cooking and baking, watching Gilmore Girls, and spending time with family and friends. She lives in Santa Monica, California with her rescue Siberian husky, Jasper.