Animal Rights & Public PolicyMaster ClassIn-Person
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m
The New York Bar Association
42 W 44th St
New York, NY 10036
The New York Bar Association's mission is to shape the development of law, educate and inform the public, and respond to the demands of our diverse and ever changing legal profession. NYSBA advocates for state and federal legislation and works tirelessly to promote equal access to justice for all.
In this master class, we will take a high-level view of public policy with respect to the contradictory treatment of animals by humans. We will focus on the various ways public policy is created and examine how social change occurs, particularly in the treatment of farmed animals. We will also explore varying definitions of “animal rights”—and the differences between “us” and “them”—and survey what is being done by scientists, lawmakers, regulators, businesses, and non-governmental organizations to improve animal welfare.
SOCIAL STUDIES, PUBLIC POLICY, ANIMAL RIGHTS LAW, ACTIVISM
David Wolfson
David J. Wolfson is a partner and executive director at Milbank LLP, where he works with the chairman and the firm’s executive committee to manage the firm globally. He has published extensively in the animal protection field and taught animal law at Columbia Law School, Harvard Law School, NYU Law School, and other institutions. Currently, he is an adjunct professor at NYU where he teaches about animals and public policy. He has represented many animal protection groups, including the Humane Society of the United States, Mercy for Animals, Compassion over Killing (now Animal Outlook), and Compassion in World Farming and was a key participant in numerous successful animal protection initiatives. He is currently chair of the board of CDP, North America, and a trustee of CDP, organizations devoted to reduce companies’ greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk.