Animal Lawyers: What You Need to Know About Legal Representation for Your Furry Friends

An animal lawyer is a legal professional who specializes in animal law. Animal lawyers advocate for animals in variety of contexts, including animal cruelty cases, animal custody disputes, and animal welfare litigation. As stated by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, animal lawyers need to be above average in reading, writing, and speaking skills so if you love to read, write, or public speaking, animal law is a career you should definitely look into. Most animal lawyers take many social science(history, political science, sociology, etc), mathematics, and logic classes in order to increase their background knowledge before they become an animal lawyer. Most animal lawyers volunteer at select law firms or work for federal and/or state agencies like the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Now let's dive deeper into what being an animal lawyer is all about!

Education Requirements

In order to become an animal lawyer after high school, you are looking at around 7 more Lear's of school. These 7 years are broken down into 4 years of undergraduate to maintain a bachelor's degree in a subject of your liking and 3 years of law school. Most animal lawyers, like many other different types of lawyers, major in a social science which aids them down the road in law school. It is also important to remember that before you attend law school, your bachelor's degree needs to be from an accredited college or university. Before law school, you will need to take the LSAT which is similar to the MCAT needed for medical school. After law school, lawyers take the bar exam which allows for the to be a lawyer rather than an attorney.

Average Salary and Daily Schedule

Most animal lawyers make between $76,000 - $126,000 USD. The typical hourly wage varies by state but is usually between $19 - $20 USD. Animals lawyers usually work a little more or equal to 40 hours a week similar to other types of lawyers. During the day, most animal lawyers research cases, advise clients, prepare and review legal documents, file class action lawsuits, argue cases in court, conduct depositions, and create pet trusts. Unfortunately, animal lawyers do not work directly with animals but if you would like to become an animal lawyer, your protect animal's rights! Animal lawyers usually work alongside judicial employers, legislators, clients, and the public. Of course, the daily lives of animal lawyers varies based on the firms they work for. For example at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, animal lawyers focus mainly on filing lawsuits, helping prosecutors charge animal abusers, and animal law education — working with law schools, law students, and law firms on incorporating animal law into their legal profession.

Job Opportunities for Animal Lawyers

As stated previously, animal lawyers can volunteer at nonprofits or work for federal or state agencies. Animal rights nonprofits such as the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Mercy for Animals, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), employ animal lawyers. Many attorneys offer their services to the Animal Legal Defense Fund on animal related cases pro bono, or free of charge. However, many attorneys do not work on animal cases full-time, but instead work on such cases pro bono.

Overall, due to the increase in the animals rights movement around the world and the need to preserve endangered species, animal lawyers are needed now more than ever. If you love to read, write, speak, and would love to protect your favorite pets and/or animals, becoming an animal lawyer is definitely a career you should keep in mind as you narrow down what you want to be when you grow up!