FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2014 CHICAGOLAWBULLETIN.COM ® Volume 160, No. 195 JJohn ohn Marshall Marshall claaw school claw ade, a pr ofessor and a sstudent For F or the las lastt dec decade, professor tudent g roup have haavve educ ated other al la aw w group educated otherss about animal law BY JA ACK SILVERSTEIN Law Bulletin staf staff fff writer E very very spring spring, g, JJohn ohn Mar Marshall shall La aw School School professor proffessor Susann Law M. MacLachlan MacLachlan begins her animal la aw w class with a simple law directive. student directive. Drop this course. course. Drop If you you ever ever want want to eat eat a Big Mac Mac If aagain, gain, she tells them — or really, reallyy, anyy meat meaatt — do yourself yourself a favor ffaavor and get out no w. get now. Nobody does. Nobody t’s is a course, course, MacLachlan MacLachlan said, It’s thaat can be “very “very depressing.” depressing g.” that “There’s re’s the criminal law laaw aspect “T torture, animal hoarding hoarding — animal torture, fa factory farming farming and the concon— or factory animals,” she said. ditions of the animals,” “A Animals used for for research. research. AnAn“Animals for clothing. clothing g. Nothing Nothing o imals used for is course.” pleasant in this course.” For the past nine yyears, ears, For maMacLachlan’s n’s passion for for the masuperceded any an nyy unpleasunpleasterial has superceded antness students might might get get from from her class. It’s electivee tha that’s t’s an electiv at’s part of the school’s school’s general general curriculum and complements complements the school’s school’s Student Animal Legal Legal Defense Deffense ense Fund chapchapter (SALDF), formerly former formerly the Animal Law Society. Laaw S ociety. The chapter — which which celebrated celebrated its 10-year 10-year anniversary anniversary Wednesday Wednesda Wednessdaay — is part of the Animal Legal Legal Defense Deffense Fund, a national naational tional organiorrganization zaation that thaatt advocates advocaates for for animals. anima John law John Marshall’s Marshall’s animal la aw w proprogram gram is comprised comprised of the student organization, orrganization, MacLachlan’s MacLachlan’s course course and the school’s school’s animal law laaw trial teams, which which MacLachlan MacLachlan coached coached to first-place first-place finishes in an annual animal law laaw advocacy advocacy competition competition at Harvard Law School at Harv ard La aw S chool in 2008, 2009, 2009, 2010 and 2011. The team also bagged baag gged a firstfir fi stplace place finish at at this year’s year’s legislative legislative drafting drafting and lobbying lobbying competition competition ON THE DOCKET The Student Animal Legal Legal Defense F und is co-hosting a fr Fund free screening ee screening documentaryy of “C “Cowspiracy,” a documentar about the environmental environmental impact of industry. the beef industr y. The movie runs runs fr om noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 21 at The from John Marshall Law Law School. RSVP at eventbrite.com/e/cowspiracyscreening-at-the-john-marshall-lawschool-tickets-13047450275. at University School at Northwestern Noorthwestern U niversity S chool of La Law. aw w. “I “It’s t’s not (just) ( just) the horrible ananimal cruelty cruelty aspect,” aspect,” MacLachlan said. “There “There are are some fun things things the group group does. Every Every year year in the spring we wee call a we have haave what what w ‘pro ‘pro bone-o’ bone-o’ contest,” ,” in which which peopeople submit pet photos that that others others vote vote on. Votes group then Votes cost cost $1. The group donates donaates the money money to an animal rescue rescue or a nonprofit nonprofit helping ananimals. The effort efffort ort usually raises raises $1,000 $1,000 or more. more. Susann Ma cLachlan MacLachlan ““II knew knew that thaatt going going to John John MarMarshall over over Lewis Lewis & Clark Clark was was going going ectly fine decision, to be a perfectly perffectly naational tional despite Lewis Lewis & Clark’s Clark’s national reputation reputaation for for its animal law laaw w proproen, who who picked picked gram,” ,” said Hannek Hanneken, JJohn ohn Marshall Marshall due to its proximity proximity hometown of Milwaukee Milwaukee and to her hometown scholarship offer. offfer er. er its scholarship A ohn Marshall, Marshall, Hanneken Hanneken Att JJohn Laaw Society Society to pushed the Animal Law embrace the SALDF name embrace name.. The group helps educate educa caate Chicagoans Chicaag goans group ffaactory farming, farming arrming g, gestation gestation about factory crates, battery battery cages caag ges and so-called ge so-called crates, “Ag Ag-Ga g” laws. “AgGag” laaws do ““Essentially Essentially what what these laws make it illegal illeg gal al too film any an nyy aspect is make agricultur gr al operaoperaof an animal agricultural Hanneken, who who is in her tion,,”” said Hanneken, second of four four years. years. second “payay-pergroup also hosts “p The group events at at the he law laaw w school, a view” events ffour our ou -minute video booth with a four-minute fa factory farming. ffarming arrming.. Students about factory ““Even E Even meatmeat-eaters eaters ha have ve ssoo man many an nyy ay of vvaluable aluable tthings h hings to of fffer, in tthe he w offer, way ideas and suppor st ree jju supportt — and ar are just allarround o a wesome people. all-around awesome people.”” More comMore important than the competitions — whether advocacy whether trial advocacy or photo contests procontests — are are the program’s m’s educational educational benefits. Sarah Sarah Hanneken, Hanneken, the chapter’s chapter’s current John MarMarcurrent president, president, chose John shall ahead considered ahead of “what “what is considered the best animal law laaw w program program in the country,” Clark Law Lewis & Clar yy,,” Lewis k La aw School School in Oregon. Oregon. who watch watch it are are paid $1 and given given who from Do-Rite Do-Rite veg gan doughnut doughnut from a vegan Donuts. Chelsea McFadden, McF Fadden, the SALDF w the chapter ’s vice vice president, president, saw saaw chapter’s impa ct of those screenings screenings last impact month when when the group group hosted an laaw w career career panel a day animal law daayy after a paid-per-view paid-per-view event. event. d aattended ttended ap A woman had ap-woman who who ha proached Faadden at at the panel to proached McFadden McF express practhaatt such pr acexpress her shock that tices U U..S. tices still occurred occurred in the U.S. “She why “She came to learn about why that was what as the case and w hat she thaat w could could do to make make a difference,” difffer erence,” said McFadden, McF Fadden, a third-year third-year student. One thing Hannek g Hanneken ken en suggests suggests concerned concerned individuals do is goo bebeyond yond reading reading food labels and acng food actually visit farms produce that produce faarms that food. People People trying to live live an animalfriendly lifestyle liffest eestyle by by purchasing purchasing “cage free” instance, e, will “caage fr ee” eggs, eg ggs, for for instanc have revelations. haave unpleasant revelations. “I free’ ‘cage fr “It’s t’s not as idyllic as ‘cage ee’ makes makes it sound,” sound,” Hanneken Hanneken said. “These “These animals are are still crammed crammed into about the same amount of space. don’t cages space. They They just don ’t have haavve ca gees around around them. They They still can’t can’t move move at at all because of the sheer number of hens.” hens.” The or organization encourages rg ganization enc ouragees membership membership among all types types of people — including those who who eat eaatt more veg getables. more than vegetables. “Even meat-eaters have many t-eaters ha avve so man nyy “Even mea valuable valuable things things to offer, offfer err, in the way way of ideas and support — and are are just all-around wesome people,” people,” Hanall-around awesome aaw neken neken said. Following Following graduation, graduation, Hanneken Hanneken wants wants to go go into lobbying, lobbying g, while while McFadden McF Fadden is interested en nvi viinterested in environmental ronmental law laaaw w — a close cousin cousin of animal law. laaw w. “It wonderful to be “It is absolutely wonderful at at a school that that has had had an SALDF chapter for forr so long,” long g,,” Hanneken said. “It myy “It definitely rreinforces einfforces m satisfaction myy choice law saatisffaction with m choice in la aw school..”” MacLachlan ffeed eedMacLachlan hears hears similar feedback back from from other graduates. graduaates. Last month, she received received a letter from who ho called the from a graduate graduaate w class “one at “one of the best I took at JMLS.” S.” “My brother-in-laaw “My soon-to-be soon-to-be brother-in-law was to propose was going going o propose following ffollo ollowing a horse-drawn carriage around horse-drawn carria age ride ar ound the city,” wrote. “I city,” he wrote. “I talked talk ked ed him out of it and showed showed him videos of the cruelty horses endure. myy cruelty hor ses endur e. I oowe we m new new perspective perspective and outlook to you.” .” “So “So it does stick with people,” people,” said MacLachlan, MacLachlan, known known to colcolleagues leagues and friends as Sunny. Sunny. Though Though no student has, to her knowledge, knowledge, become become a vvegetarian egetarian due to the program, program, she did have haavve one student who who got got close. close. “I “I was was a vegetarian vegeetarian for for every every day daayy of tha that att ccourse,” ourse,” he told her. herr.. [email protected] Copyright © 2014 Law Bulletin Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from Law Bulletin Publishing Company.
© Copyright 2024 ExpyDoc
