Here are a few activity ideas to help you become a strong voice for animals:  

Write an Article:

Write an article on one of the many topics which animal law encompasses. Consider submitting your article to the Australian Animal Protection Law Journal. Alternatively, you could seek to have your article published in the Alternative Law Journal or a Journal that specialises in the area of law that is relevant to your topic (eg environmental law, family law, and corporate law). You might also wish to approach overseas publications such as The Animal Law Review (US), The Journal of Animal Law (US), The Journal of Animal Law and Ethics (US), The Stanford Journal of Animal Law & Policy (US), The Journal of Animal Welfare Law (UK)

Also consider publications such as your Law Student Society Journal, University Student, local newspapers and street magazines.

Getting your article published makes an impressive addition to your resume. If your lecturer approves, you may also consider writing one of your law assessment essays on the topic of animal law, if the assessment allows a broad research scope.

Follow this link for our topic ideas.

Guest Speakers:

A good way to network with other law students, solicitors, barristers and academics is to attend an animal law conference. However, there are currently not a wide variety of animal law conferences hosted in Australia. Be sure to keep an eye on Voiceless Law Talk and the Voiceless News pages for announcements about upcoming events.

Alternatively, you could gather a group of interested students and arrange to host your own conference, debate, panel or public forum. For example, Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) Chapters have been involved in hosting conferences such as the 14th Annual Animal Law Conference Market Revolution: Recognizing Animals' Intrinsic Values at Lewis & Clark Law School in 2006 and The Future of Animal Law Conference at Harvard Law School in 2007.
Take a look at the Lewis & Clark Law School, Harvard Law School and SALDF websites for some inspiration. 

Specific Issue Campaign:

Select an animal protection issue which is of particular concern to you (for example battery cages, factory farming of pigs or feed lotting of cows) and run an education campaign on campus. Focus your activities on educating students and staff about the issue. For example you could follow the lead of more than 300 universities in the US by becoming a ‘cage-free campus’. Follow this link for further information on what you can do.

Local Issues:

Find out what animal protection issues are important in your area and advocate at a community level. For example develop community resource materials such as a list of vegan restaurants, or where to buy free range and humane products. 

Film Screenings/Reading Groups:

There are many interesting documentaries and articles that cover animal protection issues. Host a film screening or reading group at your university or start a book club.

Also consider writing reviews of the documentary or book which could be published in journals or magazines.

Vegetarian/Vegan Advocacy:

One easy way of people showing they care for animals is to consume less animal products. Assist people to make this choice on your campus by advocating for an increase in the number of vegan options at university functions, law student society balls or meetings and in the food outlets on campus.

Petition

This is a great way to get people involved in animal protection and to demand action from the Government. There are specific requirements for the format of petitions which need to be complied with. Information for federal petitions can be viewed at the Parliament of Australia website – select ‘Information and Research’.

Lobby for Law Reform:

Make a submission when animal laws are being revised. Keep an eye on Voiceless Law Talk and in the newspapers for announcements about upcoming opportunities for public consultation.

For information about how to make a submission, and to read submissions Voiceless has made previously, please follow this link.   

Law Revue:

Include animal protection issues into the script of your law revue or perhaps take the time to address the audiences of the law revue on animal protection during the interval, place fliers on the theatre seats, cater for the audience with veg*n snacks or place posters at the entrance.

Law Students Society:

As a law interested in animal law, try to become involved in the organising Committee of your university’s law student society. This way you can try to ensure animal protection is considered throughout all the Committee’s activities. The Committee may also lend its support to animal law related events.

Hold a lunch time party:

Show other students how to express their compassion for animals through consuming less animal products. Hold a food stall or ‘BBQ’ with vegetarian and vegan food, recipes, cookbooks and animal protection information. 

Drinks and trivia night:

Host a drinks and trivia night with an animal protection theme. Be sure to advertise your event to all students on campus, in the law faculty and beyond.

Campus Publications:

Get information about animal law and animal protection generally included in all the publications within the law faculty, student societies and general campus. For example you may wish to include information in a law student survival guide, law school magazine, careers guide, law annual, or yearbook.

General Outreach:

Try to organise a notice board in a prominent place on campus. You can use this space as somewhere to put up notices, posters, banners, leave fliers or stickers for students to take. This ensures your message is always available for people to see even when you are not there.

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