{"id":129306,"date":"2017-09-15T08:50:52","date_gmt":"2017-09-15T12:50:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=129306"},"modified":"2018-08-15T10:15:46","modified_gmt":"2018-08-15T14:15:46","slug":"uconn-law-team-pioneers-courtroom-advocacy-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2017\/09\/uconn-law-team-pioneers-courtroom-advocacy-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Law Team Pioneers Courtroom Advocacy for Animals"},"content":{"rendered":"

UConn law professor\u00a0Jessica Rubin<\/a>\u00a0and her students are at the forefront of a new courtroom advocacy program for abused animals that is gaining ground in Connecticut and attracting notice across the nation.<\/p>\n

Under a\u00a0groundbreaking law<\/a>\u00a0that took effect in October 2016, judges in Connecticut may appoint a law student working under supervision or a volunteer lawyer as an advocate for justice in animal abuse cases. The advocate gathers information about the case, interviews veterinarians and others, and speaks in court on behalf of the animal and the public\u2019s interest.<\/p>\n

\"Professor<\/a>
Professor Jessica Rubin and a team of UConn Law students have taken a leading role in a groundbreaking new courtroom advocacy program for animals. Pictured from left, Julie Shamailova, Christopher Kelly, Jessica Rubin, and Taylor Hansen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So far, the courts have assigned Rubin and her students six cases involving defendants accused of dogfighting, torturing cats, starving dogs, and beating dogs. But their work began even earlier. They were deeply involved in shaping and finding support for the enabling legislation, called Desmond\u2019s Law after a dog that was beaten and killed by his owner in Branford in 2012. Other lawyers across the state have begun stepping up to volunteer as advocates, and a devoted group of activists, calling themselves Desmond\u2019s Army, have been tracking and identifying cases in which an advocate is needed.<\/p>\n

The need for change was clear to supporters of Desmond\u2019s Law, including state Rep. Diana Urban, who sponsored the bill. Only 20 percent of the animal cruelty cases in Connecticut courts between 2006 and 2016 proceeded to trial, according to\u00a0a report<\/a>\u00a0by the Connecticut Office of Legislative Research. Eighty percent of animal cruelty cases were either not prosecuted or dismissed, leaving no trace of the crime after the abuser completed a special form of probation. That\u2019s what happened with the man who killed Desmond.<\/p>\n

Yet a growing body of research shows that people who commit violence against animals are likely to harm humans as well. In one study of women seeking shelter from domestic violence, 71 percent of those with pets reported that their partner had threatened, hurt, or killed the animals, according to the\u00a0American Humane Society<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Rubin\u2019s view, the new law has many beneficiaries. Animals gain protection, overburdened prosecutors get help, and potential human victims may be spared. And for her students, there is the additional benefit of gaining practical courtroom experience in a cause that matters to them.<\/p>\n

Julie Shamailova, a third-year UConn Law student, says she jumped into the program because she has always been passionate about animal advocacy. But the experience has brought her even more than the satisfaction of helping animals. Her career goals are tilted toward transactional law, she said, yet she has found the program is rounding out her education with practical courtroom skills that will be useful in pro bono work in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt allows me to do things that I likely would not be doing, even one or two years into practice,\u201d she says. \u201cI think it\u2019s very rare that you can argue in court, even if you\u2019re a first-year associate, and I\u2019m grateful to get the chance so early on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jessica<\/a>
Jessica Rubin, assistant clinical professor, and second-year law student Christopher Kelly outside Milford Superior Court, on Sept. 12.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Other students who have handled cases include Taylor Hansen, Christopher Kelly, and Jamie Woodside. Many have taken Rubin\u2019s Animal Law course or are involved in the\u00a0Student Animal Legal Defense Fund<\/a>\u00a0at UConn Law.<\/p>\n

Getting the law passed and the advocacy program started were the first steps. The continuing challenge is to ensure that judges and prosecutors use the program, and that there are enough advocates to meet the need. The Department of Agriculture now\u00a0lists 11 lawyers<\/a>\u00a0from around the state, including Rubin, who will volunteer as advocates. She would like to see that number grow.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe program encourages and supports vigorous enforcement of our anti-cruelty laws,\u201d Rubin\u00a0says. \u201cFor lawyers who care about animals and justice, animal advocacy work is very meaningful and fulfilling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recent publicity about the advocacy program has Rubin fielding calls and emails from around the country, many from judges, legislators, and animal rights advocates who would like to pass similar laws in other states. That is a prospect she finds gratifying.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that the program can accomplish a few things \u2014 achieving justice in cruelty cases, preventing future violence, and spreading to other states so that these benefits multiply,\u201d Rubin said. \u201cAs we progress in the ways in which we treat animals, the advocates can ensure that our justice system does the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

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