Animal Ethics and Law Partnership

The Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics and the Animal Law Program at The George Washington University Law School (GW) are delighted to continue their Animal Ethics and Law Partnership.

The partnership aims to spotlight the impressive work being done at GW and the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. The first stage of the partnership involved GW sending five of its faculty and graduate students to present at the tenth Annual Oxford Animal Ethics Summer School held at Merton College, Oxford, in August 2025 on the Ethics of Captivity. Details about the 2025 Summer School are available here.

The partnership continues with the 2026 Annual Oxford Animal Ethics Summer School on Ethical Strategies for Animal Protection. The Summer School will be held at Merton College, Oxford on 3-6 August 2026. The provisional programme is available here and features four presentations from GW faculty and students.

Assistant Dean of the Animal Law Program, Professor Kathy Hessler, will be talking on “Developing Focused Strategic Approaches: Starting with Octopus Farming.” 

Amy Wilson, a member of GW’s Aquatic Animal Law Project and Executive Director of Animal Law Reform South Africa will be presenting on “Cruelty, Inc.: Corporate Accountability as an Animal Protection Strategy.”

Alumna Hana Nabulsi will explore “Ethical Implications of Animal Welfare in the Context of Global Conflict” and JD Candidate Hannah Mercer will talk on “Protecting the Sacred Animal: Developing Partnerships Between Religious Communities and Animal Advocates to Advance Animal Welfare.”

The Animal Law program at GW Law provides an exceptionally broad range of educational and practical opportunities for law students while also providing pro bono legal services to the District of Columbia government, animal advocacy organizations, and community groups working to protect animals. A large part of the program is the Animal Legal Education Initiative (ALEI) which is dedicated to developing Animal Law as a stand-alone legal discipline that is fully integrated into the legal academy.

The Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics is an independent centre that aims to pioneer ethical perspectives on animals through academic research, teaching, and publication. It comprises an international fellowship of more than 100 scholars. The Centre publishes the Journal of Animal Ethics with the University of Illinois Press, and also the animal ethics book series with Palgrave Macmillan.