Animal Lawyers: Voices for Those Who Can't Speak for Themselves
When most people go into the field of law, they are doing it so they can help other people. But, there are some lawyers who mainly have clients of the four-legged variety. Sadly, many animals face starvation, violence, neglect, and other forms of cruelty, and it is the animal lawyers who fight for the rights of these animals, and make sure that they are protected. Read on to learn more about the role of an animal lawyer.
Animal Law Explained
When a lawyer specializes in animal law, they are getting in a field that deals mainly with protecting animals from abuse. There are actually many different areas of animal law that a lawyer can specialize in. For example, many animal lawyers lead the fight against commercial whaling. Others deal specifically with the importing and exporting of live animals.
In recent news, many zoos are coming under fire for how animals are housed and cared for. Animal lawyers also work on the behalf of these zoo animals, to make sure that they are going to be healthy and happy. Other areas that animal lawyers specialize in include:
- Factory farming
- Protecting endangered animal species
- Circus animals
- Dog-fighting
- Tail docking
- Care of laboratory animals
- Wildlife culling
In some cases, animal law is even more important than legislation for consumer protection. For instance, if a farmer labels eggs as coming from free-range chickens but the chickens are caged, an animal lawyer can fight to make sure that proper labeling is used so consumers know what they are getting.
Can Any Lawyer Practice Animal Law?
Many lawyers specialize in protecting the rights of animals. But, other attorneys who have different specialties are often used to speak up for animal rights. For instance, if there is an issue where a landlord is insisting that a tenant give up a pet or face eviction, a lawyer who specializes in landlord/tenant issues may act on behalf of tenants as well as their pet(s).
On the other hand, if a pet has been killed or injured due to abuse, hiring a lawyer who specializes in animal rights is the best option. There are many areas of the law that involve animals, and in most cases, hiring an animal lawyer is the right thing to do to make sure that the abuser is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Contact local law firms such as Melke Legal to learn more.