The Illinois State Bar Association’s (ISBA) Animal Law Section will be presenting the Illinois Animal Law Conference at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Law in Carbondale on Friday, Feb. 9., at the Lesar Law Building from 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. The conference features speakers and panelists who will present cutting edge animal law updates of importance to municipalities, pet owners, and lawyers in many practice areas. 

The morning kicks off with three sessions, beginning with panelists who will discuss the latest law and practice regarding pet response in natural disasters. This is followed by two speakers who will address the evolution of laws that regulate and control feral cats, including milestones achieved by nearby jurisdictions. The final morning panel will provide an overview the quickly-changing legal framework of the use of assistance animals.

In the afternoon, the magistrate from the Bad Newz Kennels case and a bully breed advocate will talk about how the case has impacted laws and shelter policies over the past decade. In the sessions that follows, lawyers and experts will first discuss how to put Illinois’ new requirement to take pets into consideration in the dissolution of marriage into practice, and then provide a comprehensive overview on the basics of animal regulation at the state and local municipality level.

The conference will wrap up with a session on the regulation of farm animals, and finally an interactive session to discuss potential ethical issues that arise in animal law.

The conference is co-sponsored by the Illinois State Bar Association Standing Committee on Disability Law and Southern Illinois University, and made possible by The Brooks McCormick Jr. Trust for Animal Rights Law and Policy’s financial support. Supplemental underwriting by the Trust has reduced the cost of attendance. Best Friends Animal Society underwrote the expense of two speakers.

Attendance is open to attorneys, who can earn 8.5 MCLE hours, and the general public. The registration fee is $25 through Friday, Feb. 2, and $40 on or after Saturday, Feb. 3. Online registration and the agenda are available on the ISBA website.

The Illinois State Bar Association is a voluntary organization of 30,000 members that provides professional services to Illinois lawyers and education and services to the public. For more information, visit isba.org.