The highly-sought, pioneer
in animal welfare Madeline
Bernstein, President of Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA)
has accepted an adjunct faculty
position at Lewis & Clark Law
School in Portland, OR.
An influencer on a global
scale, Los Angeles exports fashion,
entertainment and now, animal
law expertise will begin her
new role this fall.
“California and your spcaLA
have always been on the cutting
edge of animal welfare,”
said Bernstein. “I am honored
that my years of experience at
spcaLA, serving the people and
animals of Southern California,
will help to educate future animal
law advocates.”
Bernstein is the latest spcaLA
expert-export. Government,
nonprofit and other leaders
worldwide seek spcaLA’s guidance
and assistance in the fields
of education, law enforcement,
disaster response, violence
prevention, shelter management,
shelter medicine, and
others. spcaLA’s violence prevention
program for youth in
at-risk communities, Teaching
Love & Compassion (TLC)™, is
taught world-wide. Authorities
from as nearby as Los Angeles
County and as far away as Sri
Lanka request aid from spcaLA’s
Disaster Animal Response Team
(DART)™ regularly.
spcaLA’s expertise is sought
by governments worldwide –
from the United Arab Emirates
to New Zealand – as they look
at new ways to promote animal
welfare. spcaLA experts are routinely
invited to deliver lectures
about law enforcement, animal
behavior, violence prevention,
fundraising, humane education,
and communications at seminars,
workshops and conferences
across the country.
Bernstein’s nearly twenty
years of experience at spcaLA,
and her life-long dedication to
preventing violence and achieving
justice, will bring a fresh perspective
to the CALS (Center for
Animal Law Studies) fall offering
of Animal Law Fundamentals at
Lewis & Clark. Bernstein will
co-teach the course with Assistant
Dean of the Animal Law
Program & Executive Director
of CALS Pamela Frasch, J.D.
The Center for Animal Law
Studies housed at Lewis &
Clark Law School is the first law
school in the world to offer an
advanced legal degree in animal
law (Animal Law LL.M.).
Bernstein, who began teaching
on Sept. 5, 2013, joined
spcaLA in April of 1994 and is
committed to the humane treatment
of and respect for animals
through education and enforcement
of anti-cruelty laws.
Bernstein, an accomplished
and respected attorney, is one
of America’s preeminent leaders
and advocates promoting animal
welfare. Today, spcaLA is recognized
as the leading voice, educator
and hope for the animals
it protects and the humans it
serves. She is also a member of
the California Bar Association,
New York Bar, United States
Southern District and United
States Eastern District Bar Associations
and has been an Adjunct
Professor teaching employment,
labor, evidence and criminal law
at La Verne University College
of Law and an arbitrator through
the American Arbitration Association.
Last year, The Center
for Animal Law Studies at Lewis
& Clark welcomed Bernstein as
the first Distinguished Visiting
Animal Advocate.
spcaLA is an independent,
nonprofit animal welfare organization
serving Southern California
since 1877. There is no
national SPCA, parent organization,
or umbrella group that
provides financial support to
spcaLA. Donations run programs
and services including
Cruelty Investigation, Disaster
Animal Response Team,
Humane Education, and a variety
of shelter services.
Founded in 2008, the Center
for Animal Law Studies at Lewis
& Clark is the home for the animal
law programs and activities
of Lewis & Clark Law School.
The Center collaborates with
the national non-profit Animal
Legal Defense Fund to educate
and support law students and
legal professionals in the rapidly
developing field of animal
law through classes, conferences,
scholarship, and clinical
opportunities.
