Congratulations to the 2023 National Animal Law Competitions Winners!
The Brooks Institute for Animal Rights Law & Policy is pleased to announce the revival of the National Animal Law Competitions.
The purpose of the event is to provide law students an opportunity to develop knowledge in the field of animal law and to hone their written and oral advocacy skills. Previous competitions were held annually from 2004-2016 and the next competitions were held March 18-19, 2023. Information about 2024 Competitions will be released when available.
The National Animal Law Competitions consist of three distinct components:
• Appellate Advocacy Competition
• Legislative Drafting & Lobbying Competition
• Closing Argument Competition
The Legislative and Closing Argument competitions are for individuals, while the Appellate competition requires a team of two.
After reviewing those submissions, in January the judges will select up to eight Appellate Finalist teams, ten Legislative Finalists, and ten Closing Argument Finalists. Those selected finalists will be invited to participate in the in-person closing rounds at Harvard in March, with travel and accommodation expenses covered by the Brooks Institute.
The competitions are open to full- or part-time students seeking a J.D. at an ABA-approved law school. There is no cap on the number of registrations, but students may register for only one event each year. The registration fee for each competition is $25, however need-based fee waivers will be available.
The National Animal Law Competitions are being organized in collaboration with several leading law schools that include Harvard, Lewis & Clark, the University of Denver, University of San Francisco, Vermont, and Yale.
