Presented by the ISBA Animal Law Section
Chicago
Friday, March 1, 2019
ISBA Regional Office
20 S. Clark Street, Suite 900
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
–or –
Live Webcast
Friday, March 1, 2019
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
7.50 hours MCLE credit, including 1.0* hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category: Mental Health and Substance Abuse MCLE credit
The ISBA would like to offer a special thanks to this program's financial supporter - Brooks McCormick Jr. Trust for Animal Rights Law and Policy - for helping to make this opportunity possible.
Don’t miss ISBA’s 10th Annual Animal Law Conference, which highlights important animal law updates and examines the advances made in this rapidly-evolving area of practice. Animal law attorneys, general practitioners, environmental/natural resources lawyers, and counsel for municipalities with all levels of practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand:
- How to advise accredited sanctuaries for displaced chimpanzees;
- What’s being done to facilitate the adoption of military dogs by their handlers;
- How “service animals” are defined under federal law;
- The issues that have arisen with Chicago’s dangerous dog proceedings;
- How to use experts in animal-related litigation cases;
- The challenges facing the protection of wild horses;
- How coyotes are being targeted in killing contests, and the efforts that are being made to outlaw these type of events;
- The recent case law, legislation, and regulations affecting the animal law arena;
- How mindfulness practices can improve our wellbeing; and
- Much more.
Program Coordinator/Moderator:
Jane E. McBride, Illinois Humane, Springfield
8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast (provided)
8:25 – 8:30 a.m. Welcome and Introductions
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. And Now We Must Provide … Creating Sanctuary
In 2013, the National Institutes of Health announced it would phase out the use of most chimpanzees in government-funded research and, in 2017, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service changed the status of non-wild chimpanzees from threatened to endangered, so that all chimpanzees are now considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act. There are nearly 2,000 chimpanzees in the U.S., with approximately 500 of those still living in research laboratories and over 500 living in sanctuaries. Another 200 chimps remain in private hands. Don’t miss this presentation that offers insight into how negotiations with labs have been handled, how to provide legal counsel for the establishment of accredited sanctuaries, and the legal services that have been created for the permanent, long-term care of varied species.
Bruce Wagman, Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila, California
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Military Dogs: Bringing Them Home (To a Real Home)
In 2010, the Army developed the Tactical Explosive Detection Dog (TEDD) capability to support Brigade Combat Teams deployed to Afghanistan. Because of its temporary duration, the Army structured it as a nontraditional Military Working Dog program, rather than through the Air Force’s 341st Training Squadron. The shortcoming of this temporary program’s adherence to the Department of Defense policy to prioritize military handlers for adoption of retired TEDDs was brought to light in the case of Sgt. Ryan Henderson and Satan. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from our speaker, Marilyn Forbes Phillips, who represented Sgt. Henderson, as she provides an update on advocacy efforts to facilitate the handler adoption process, as well as the care and services provided for retired dogs.
Marilyn R. Forbes Phillips, Womble Bond Dickinson, North Carolina
10:30 – 10:45 a.m. Break (beverages provided)
10:45 – 11:45 a.m. Differing Definitions: Service and Assistance Animals
Gain a better understanding of how “service and assistance animals” are defined under the American with Disabilities Act, Fair Housing Act, and Air Carrier Access Act. The use of therapy animals in hospitals and service animals in schools are also discussed. Other topic include: service versus assistance animals; fair housing considerations; the proposed rulemaking that has been announced under the Air Carrier Access Act; the legal status of service animals in training; and what happens if someone misrepresents the status of a companion animal as a service or assistance animal.
Prof. Rebecca J. Huss, Valparaiso University Law School, Indiana
11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Lunch (provided)
12:15 – 1:15 p.m. Practice Tips: Chicago’s Dangerous Dog Proceedings and Using Experts in Animal-Related Litigation
- Dangerous Dog Proceedings
This session examines a number of issues regarding dangerous dog proceedings generally, with a focus on some of Chicago’s ordinances – from jurisdiction concerns and the appeal process, to what should be presented as evidence and how to successfully challenge a flawed procedure. - Using Experts in Animal-Related Litigation
Don’t miss this in-depth look at the use of experts in animal-related litigation, including veterinarians, dog trainers, behaviorists, and others.
Bruce Wagman, Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila, California
1:15 – 2:00 p.m. The Nation’s Love Affair with Its Wild Horses: A Hotbed of Litigation to Protect the Animals
Wild horses are protected in the U.S. under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. However, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service face multiple challenges in their role to manage wild horses – from controlling herd size where few natural predators live and limited solutions to slowing the herds’ 20% annual population growth rate, to the competition for land between the protected species and other uses (such as mining) and the care/disposal for horses removed from public land. The agencies also confront active interest groups “for” and “against” the horses, which has led to a string of lawsuits challenging the agencies’ actions and inactions. This presentation focuses on recent litigation that has challenged which methods the agencies can use to slow population growth rates and what the agencies can do with the horses removed from the range. With a segment of Illinois being equine enthusiasts who own horses – some of whom are actively involved in wild horse issues and who adopt wild horses and burros – it is important for Illinois attorneys to stay apprised of the confounding issues presented in the protection of these wild populations.
Molly L. Wiltshire, Schiff Hardin LLP, Chicago
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. “Killing Games,” Wildlife in the Crosshairs”
On February 21, 2017, The Chicago Tribune published an editorial entitled, “Slaughtering Illinois Coyotes in Contest Hunts is Poor Sport.” A killing contest in Homewood, Illinois is what brought this issue to the paper’s attention. Carbondale, Illinois hosts a similar contest each year called the “Southern Illinois Predator Challenge.” The point of these contests? Kill as many predators as possible within the time limits of the contest. This presentation features a screening of Project Coyote’s film “Killing Games, Wildlife in the Crosshairs,” which was produced to raise public awareness. A discussion on these contests, the current legal framework that allows these contests to be conducted, and the efforts that have been made to outlaw them is included at after the screening.
Camilla H. Fox, Project Coyote, California
3:00 – 3:15 p.m. Break (refreshments provided)
3:15 – 4:00 p.m. The Year in Review: Case Law, Legislation, and Regulation
This comprehensive review examines recent animal-related decisions and highlights local ordinances of particular consequence. A review of the recently enacted legislation and bills that are currently making their way through the legislature is also included.
Chelsea E. Kasten, Attorney at Law, Bloomington
Molly L. Wiltshire, Schiff Hardin LLP, Chicago
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. A Dog’s Guide to Thriving in a Dog-Eat-Dog World*
As recent studies have confirmed, a significant percentage of lawyers experience chronic stress and high rates of depression and substance abuse. Don’t miss this chance to hear from dog trainer and life-coach, Behesha Doan, as she combines her lifelong passion for dog behavioral psychology with mindfulness practices to show us how we can improve our wellbeing through the practice of presence, awareness, and balance (just like dogs keep trying to show us). Learn from Dr. Diana Uchiyama as she explains how mindfulness practices can help minimize stress and improve concentration and clarity.
Behesha Doan, This Able Veteran, Carbondale
Dr. Diana Uchiyama, JD, PsyD, Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program, Chicago
*Professional Responsibility MCLE credit subject to approval
Pricing Information
- An additional $15 fee is charged for registrations on or after Saturday, February 23, 2019
- Fees:
- ISBA Member - $25
- Non-Member - $25
- New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25