 |
|
||
| |
COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT New Section Focuses on Emerging Field of Animal Law By Bradford D. Crockard The newest Houston Bar Association section, Animal Law, began July 19, 2007 at the offices of Haynes and Boone in downtown Houston. The timing could not have been more relevant, as this first meeting focused on the problem of dogfighting in Houston and occurred just days after NFL superstar Michael Vick was indicted on federal dogfighting violations, igniting national media attention. The speakers included Belinda Smith, head of the one-year-old Animal Cruelty Division of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office; Jorge Ortega, vice president of the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; and Lieutenant Mark Timmers of the Harris County Constable’s office. The hour-long informational session included an eye-opening and disturbing ten-minute clip of a recent Houston dogfight, whose sponsors were prosecuted by Smith. The section was created by chair-elect Alison Smith, who headed up Mayor Bill White’s Animal Protection Task force; current chair Clarissa Kay Bauer of the Harris County Attorney’s Office; and Belinda Smith. Animal law is a quickly expanding area of law. “We’re seeing it everywhere,” said Alison Smith, former chair of the HBA Antitrust Law Section, “in the legislature, in the schools, in the courts.” The section will offer many opportunities for lawyers and non-lawyers alike to work on behalf of Houston-area animals. “The idea of the Animal Law Section of the HBA was to involve the leaders of the community, which lawyers tend to be,” said Alison Smith. Volunteer opportunities include advising Houston’s nearly 100 animal rescue groups on issues such as litigation defense, taxation and nonprofit law. The section will also help to tackle Houston’s enormous problem of dealing with abandoned pets. According to the findings of the 2005 Task Force that Alison Smith chaired, 80,000 dogs and cats were put to death in Houston in 2004 alone. The Animal Law section hopes to help to encourage groups to put animals in loving homes. The section will also educate lawyers with substantive presentations at meetings, which will be held every two months. Upcoming issues will include veterinarian malpractice, environmental issues such as the Migratory Bird Act, equine law pertaining to horse slaughter, and trusts set up by owners for their pets. Anyone interested in joining this section is invited to contact Alison Smith at 713-547-2673 or alison.smith@haynesboone.com. Bradford Crockard is a litigation attorney with the firm of Marty Herring & Associates. He is a member of The Houston Lawyer editorial board. |
