Announcing the 2024-25 Brooks Institute Animal Law LLM Fellows
Jennifer Bass and Piper Blank are recipients of the highly competitive Brooks Institute for Animal Rights Law & Policy LLM Fellowships.
Open gallery
We’re delighted to announce that Jennifer Bass and Piper Blank have been awarded Brooks Institute LLM Fellowships for the 2024-2025 academic-year. The fellowship is administered by the Brooks Institute for Animal Rights Law and Policy, in collaboration with Lewis & Clark Law School.
The premier LLM Fellowship is designed for exceptional candidates seeking to engage in
for-credit fellowship work while earning an Animal Law LLM as a full-time student.
Fellows join a distinguished cohort and receive academic and career mentorship with
a faculty professor as well as supervision for the rigorous pursuit of research.
Jennifer hopes to focus on international animal law and work toward becoming a professor. She is a Graduate from Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) where she received her animal law concentration. Prior to law school, she received her Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in leadership.
Her other education experience includes becoming a Staff Editor for Volume 24 and a Symposium Editor for volume 25 of the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, where she drafted a Note on a new animal law litigation strategy. She has since spoken on the topic at multiple legal conferences including in at Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Animal Law Student Conference in March and at George Washington’s Animals and the Anthropocene in October of 2023. Her Note was published in the Chicago-Kent Journal of Environmental and Energy Law this year. She also spoke at the UK Animal Law Conference 2024 on the Corporate Social Responsibility Panel. During her time at VLGS, she was also a Schweitzer Fellow in humane education, which included drafting legislation and teaching humane education to local elementary school children.
Her practical and professional experience includes working as a student clinician, and now an advanced student clinician, at the Transnational Environmental Law Clinic at the U.S.-Asia Partnerships for Environmental Law at VLGS. She was also a student clinician at the Environmental Advocacy Clinic for two semesters, where She worked closely with supervising attorneys on an endangered species case. Alongside her coursework, she was a legal intern with C-Quest Capital helping implement nature-based solutions draw down projects internationally. She worked for the International Fund for Animal Welfare performing international wildlife trafficking research. She also worked on an animal law research project with Professor Kysar at Yale University.
Jenny shares: “My goal is to move the international society away from the commodification of animals to reduce biodiversity loss, particularly of marine life. I am excited to expand my knowledge of animal law, with hopes of passing on the knowledge. I have been lucky to work on projects fighting for biodiversity gain in the courts, implementing nature-based solutions projects, and performing policy research.”
Though a lifelong animal lover, Piper did not take a direct path to the study of animal law. Piper studied biology, sociology, and French at the University of Redlands, including completing a semester abroad in Nantes, France. Piper was active in community service, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, the local animal shelter, Relay for Life, and even traveled to Cambodia to volunteer with an elephant sanctuary.
Upon graduation, she considered medical school, worked as a veterinary technician, and began to research law school. Particularly intrigued by a USF Animal Law Program, she found the concept resonated deeply, especially the need for advocates to champion the voiceless.
Piper earned her JD at the University of San Francisco as a member of the inaugural class of the Animal Law Scholars USF Justice for Animals Program. Piper gained a newfound sense of purpose that propelled her to excel in the domain of animal law, resulting in two CALI awards for academic excellence.
During law school, Piper was President of the University’s Student Chapter of the Animal Legal Defense Fund for two years, revitalizing the organization and making it one of the most active on campus. She held positions at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Humane Society of the United States, and the Animal Welfare Institute. Piper also worked as a research assistant for the Justice for Animals Program, and as a volunteer research assistant to Shelter PALS, the advocacy branch of the SF SPCA. Her commitment to animal advocacy only intensified as she delved into the legal intricacies surrounding animal rights.
Piper seeks to make big changes in the animal law field through legislation, litigation, and organizational work that will get to the root of problems and change the ways communities think about and see our animal companions.
Piper shares: “As a former Veterinary Technician when I entered law school I was new to the field of Animal Law. Throughout law school my pursuit of an animal law specialty has given me insight into many other types of law, criminal, family, environmental, contracts, and property, and that the concept of animal rights concerns more than the obvious issues. As my knowledge grew, I gained an appreciation of the need for legal defense for a myriad of animal types: farmed, wild, companion, animals on display, in service, and in entertainment. Through my time in law school, I assimilated what it truly means to be an advocate for those who lack their own voice. I had the opportunity to engage with and understand complex legislation and the ways it is being used to protect (or harm) the animals of our society and explored what it means to instigate changes for animal welfare and protection through impact litigation, legislation, pro bono work, volunteering, and activism. I look forward to continuing this work and gaining a deeper exploration of Animal Law and the ways in which I can put my law degree to use as a force for positive change in the field.”
Please join us in congratulating Jennifer and Piper on this honor. A very special thank you to the Brooks Institute for Animal Rights Law & Policy for making this exceptional opportunity possible.
The Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) was founded in 2008 with a mission to educate the next generation of animal law advocates and advance animal protection through the law. With vision and bold risk-taking, CALS has since developed into a world-renowned animal law epicenter. CALS’ Alumni-in-Action from 30 countries are making a difference for animals around the world. CALS is a self-funded center within Lewis & Clark Law School operating under the Lewis & Clark College 501(c)(3) tax exemption, and is able to provide these educational opportunities through donations and grants.
