Animal Law Program

The University of Toronto Faculty of Law has played a critical role in the development of the field of Animal Law in Canada and beyond.  U of T housed one of the country's first courses in Animal Law, under the exceptional leadership of Lesli Bisgould -- a course which I was very fortunate to take myself.  For years, the Working Group on Animals in the Law and Humanities has attracted and supported leading scholars in the field, while also platforming the emerging research of junior scholars.  The Working Group continues to serve as a crucial incubator for scholarly inquiry into Animal Law in Canada.  Professor Angela Fernandez brings her characteristic warmth, enthusiasm, and interdisciplinary rigour to U of T's Animal Law program year after year, creating an unparalleled environment for studying the many increasingly urgent questions that engage interspecies relationships.

Jessica Eisen (JD 2009 | Associate Professor, University of Alberta, Faculty of Law)

Having helped write the Canadian edition of the Brooks Animal Law Digest over the past three years has been an immensely rewarding experience. Because of its accessibility, the Digest is a critical means of disseminating pertinent information on animal law to both scholars and the wider community—I am so grateful to have contributed to this mission and look forward to seeing the Digest's continued growth and impact.

Ryann Fineberg (Former Brooks Digest High School Volunteer | Current Student at University of California, Berkeley)

The launch of the Animal Law Program at U of T is an exciting and necessary step toward recognizing the legal and ethical dimensions of our relationship with animals. It not only legitimizes this vital field, but also shows students that a meaningful, impactful career in animal law is possible and worth pursuing. I’m hopeful it will generate critical scholarship and empower students to advocate for more compassionate, forward-looking legal frameworks.

Harleen Grewal (JD Candidate 2027)

As one of the many people exposed at some point to videos documenting the cruelties meted out to animals, it felt only natural that as a law student I should find out what, if anything, the law has to say about these practices. Taking the Animal Law course with Professor Angela Fernandez exposed me to the true scale of the issue, and gave me an opportunity to do something truly fulfilling. While I came into the course skeptical about how the legal profession and its doctrinal arsenal could counter these practices, I left confident that lawyers, judges, academia and activists can all be complementary engines in the drive to change how we live with animals. Moreover, I had the opportunity to become a small part of that larger cause when Professor Fernandez, my classmates and I together drafted a submission to the Federal Government’s public consultation on the Right to a Healthy Environment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999 (CEPA). I would recommend taking the class to anyone even remotely interested in this area and I guarantee you will come out of it with more than you expected.

Abhinav Mynampati (JD 2025)

I took the animal law course in my third and final year to explore a topic I was entirely unfamiliar with. The course challenged me to think critically about what justice looks like for non-human animals. Having a dedicated program at the law school underscores the growing legal and ethical importance of animal protection law and equips future lawyers to lead in this field.

Isabel Brisson (JD 2025)

As someone who doesn’t really love animals, I was advised by my friends and family to drop Animals and the Law to avoid failing the class. However, as the course progressed, I was fascinated, excited, and sometimes shocked to learn about the various legal issues within the field. My enthusiasm translated to a research-length paper under Professor Fernandez’s attentive supervision. Thus, I feel fortunate that the law school gave me the opportunity to take this course, which has accordingly broadened my perspective as a future lawyer.

Daniel Kim (JD 2025)