The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) is a national organization of lawyers who engage in litigation and legislative efforts on behalf of animals. The HLS Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) was founded in 1995 as a student chapter of ALDF, and is dedicated to three goals:

1. providing support, education, and work opportunities for students who are interested in animal rights or welfare law;
2. educating the HLS community about institutionalized forms of animal abuse and the means of combating them through legislation and litigation; and
3. offering social functions for students interested in vegetarian and vegan cuisine.

Through our association with the Animal Legal Defense Fund, students have the opportunity to provide important research and support for attorneys engaged in both administrative challenges to agency actions and pending litigation in state courts. We also publish a resource guide to provide law students, professors and lawyers throughout the country with a comprehensive list of opportunities that are available in the growing field of animal law.

SALDF also organizes speakers and events aimed at raising awareness and promoting critical thought about animals and the law. In the past, for example, SALDF invited Gary Francione, a professor of law at Rutgers University Law School and the founder of the Rutgers Animal Rights Law Center, to speak. We also hosted a brown-bag lunch with Paul Waldau, one of the international directors of the Great Ape Project and Great Ape Legal Project. More conferences are planned. In the spring, Harvard Law hosts the annual Animal Advocacy Moot Court and Closing Argument Competitions, organized by SALDF and the National Center for Animal Law in Portland, Oregon. A Harvard 3L took first prize in the closing argument portion of the competition in 2004, and we hope to repeat this success in future competitions. This year, we will also be hosting The Future of Animal Law Conference, organized by SALDF and ALDF.

In addition to our professional and scholarly activities, SALDF works to create a supportive atmosphere for vegetarians and vegans at HLS. We host a Living Vegetarian at Harvard Law School wiki, allowing interested members of the community to share tips on local resources and plan social events. We have successfully worked with dining services to provide more vegetarian and vegan food selections. In past years, we have celebrated the Great American Meatout by providing information about the benefits of a vegetarian/vegan diet to the HLS community. Finally, we host a number of vegan potlucks open to the HLS community, and we plan to continue to do so regularly throughout the upcoming school year.

Every other year, Harvard Law School offers a semester-long Animal Law course, funded by the Bob Barker Endowment Fund for the Study of Animal Rights.

These are just some examples of the many activities sponsored by SALDF. We are eager for new students to join us in our efforts to educate ourselves and our community about animal issues.