The Farmed Animal Advocacy Clinic at VLGS
Overview
The Farmed Animal Advocacy Clinic (FAAC) is the only legal clinic in the world dedicated to advancing legal protections for animals.
We empower students to become effective advocates for animals and develop the legal skills required to succeed in a variety of legal careers. Led by Director Conley Wouters, FAAC student clinicians gain hands-on experience through real-world matters. They represent clients in litigation, conduct policy analysis, and handle administrative matters—all with the aim of improving the treatment and legal status of farmed animals.
Industrial animal agriculture operates on a massive scale, with billions of animals farmed for food in the U.S. each year, and it implicates virtually every legal institution, including courts, agencies, and state and federal legislatures. The FAAC prioritizes legal matters with the greatest impacts for farmed animals. It also amplifies the voices of individuals and communities who are disparately impacted by the harms of industrial animal agriculture, including slaughterhouse workers, communities situated near Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, and small-scale farmers disadvantaged by ever-increasing industry consolidation.
FAAC students participate in every step of the process, from interviewing clients to drafting legal documents. They may also appear in court and before legislative or administrative bodies on behalf of clients. Representative client matters have provided students with opportunities to fight the USDA’s slaughter deregulation efforts; urge state actors to ensure the safety and humane treatment of farmed animals in transport, and combat animal cruelty at rodeos.
The breadth of the clinic’s caseload ensures students gain a broad range of legal advocacy skills that are both central to farmed animal law, and equally applicable to other areas of legal practice. These include the ability to navigate common ethical issues in impact litigation, effectively communicate with clients, and understand the relationship between legal and media strategies.
Our student clinicians are JD, master’s, and LLM candidates in Vermont Law and Graduate School’s top-ranked program. The summer term is also open to law and graduate students at other academic institutions. Contact Director Wouters at cwouters@vermontlaw.edu to learn more!
Who We Are
Conley Wouters
- Director, Farmed Animal Advocacy Clinic
- Associate Professor of Law
Animal Law and Policy Institute
The Animal Law and Policy Institute trains future leaders in animal advocacy while centering animals in the fight for environmental protection. Learn more about the Animal Law and Policy Institute at VLGS.
Year in Review Reports
Visit the links below to explore current and past year in review reports!
