DU Animal Law Program

This World Animal Day, you can help protect animals, and the people who fight for them, both inside and outside the courtroom.

The DU Animal Law Program is committed to educating the next generation of animal law advocates. In turn, those advocates go on to protect animals across the United States and around the world, for generations to come. As the only animal law program in the Rocky Mountain Region, we train students through hands-on coursework, research, and real-world experience, including internships, externships, and pro bono work. This prepares them to take on the legal and moral questions surrounding how animals are treated in food, entertainment, experimentation, and fashion.

The evolution of animal law as a distinct legal discipline hinges on programs willing to treat it with the same doctrinal significance as any other field of law. The Animal Law Program’s curriculum does precisely this by integrating animal law into the broader architecture of legal education rather than treating it as a niche elective.

– Marisa Wesker, Sturm College of Law 3L

As a testament to its impact, the Program had a milestone year in 2024–2025, deepening its role as one of the nation's leading centers for animal law scholarship, advocacy, and education.

• In the courtroom: Attended and prepared the Nonhuman Rights Project for oral arguments before the Colorado Supreme Court on whether elephants at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo have the right to liberty
• In the legislature: Submitted comments that helped secure new Colorado protections for snakes and other reptiles, and supported a Massachusetts bill banning octopus farming
• In the classroom: Partnered with Yale Law School on a joint course where students drafted legislation and researched animal agriculture litigation
• In the field: Funded two Summer Fellowships that placed students in public interest roles, including one who took part in a federal court hearing on wildlife management

The Animal Law Program works hard to build connections and provide support to students who are motivated to work on behalf of wildlife, and their engagement over the past year has helped me foster long-lasting connections within the Denver legal community and beyond.

– Jess Beaulieu, Attorney & Animal Law Program Manager

When you support the Animal Law Program Fund this World Animal Day, you’re helping build a more just and compassionate legal system, for animals and for the people who advocate for them. Together, we can educate the next generation of animal law champions and make sure bold advocacy is met with legal support, not silence.

Want your impact to last all year? Consider setting up a monthly gift. Even $25 a month provides consistent, critical support the Animal Law Program can count on.