Animal Law in a Nutshell
- Jan 18
- 1 min read
Updated: Feb 20
By Sonia Waisman, Pamela Frasch & Katherine Hessler • 2020 (3rd edition)
A compact but comprehensive overview of how the law actually treats animals: property doctrine, anti-cruelty statutes, wildlife regulations, agricultural exemptions, and the emerging frontier of animal rights litigation. Written by three professors from Lewis & Clark Law School's Center for Animal Law Studies, it's designed for law students and interested non-lawyers alike.
Why it matters
Most people assume animals have more legal protection than they do. This book is a corrective. It maps the current terrain: what laws exist, how they're enforced (or not), where the gaps are, and what legal strategies advocates are pursuing. For anyone interested in the ALC approach (using the system to change the system) this is a field manual.
ALC alignment:
The book doesn't just describe the law; it comes from the institution that has shaped the field. Lewis & Clark's animal law program is the most established in the United States, and this text reflects decades of practical experience in animal rights litigation. It's a resource for understanding where the leverage points are and how legal change actually happens.
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