The annual UK Animal Law Conference 2025: The UK’s national animal law conference!
The Animal Law Conference 2025 took place on 4-5 June 2025 and was co-hosted by the UK Centre for Animal Law and the Animals, Nature, & Society Research Stream (Centre for Human Rights, Birmingham City University). You can read more about the conference below.
Thank you to all of our guests, speakers and sponsor, Crustacean Compassion, for creating a truly special event. Stay tuned for details about the Animal Law Conference 2026.
Conference Theme 2025
Using the Law to Advance Effective Animal Protection
Conference Gallery 2025
Photography kindly donated by Vegan Photographs
The UK Animal Law Conference 2025 was kindly sponsored by
Crabs, lobsters, and prawns feel pain – but remain excluded from most animal welfare laws. Crustacean Compassion is an award-winning organisation campaigning to change that. Through bold advocacy, legal reform, industry accountability, and public engagement, we’re reshaping how the legal system treats these sentient yet overlooked animals. Be part of the movement closing the gap in animal protection.
Keynote and plenary speakers
Chris Packham
Chris Packham is a conservationist and broadcaster known for his environmental and animal welfare activism. His TV credits include ‘Springwatch’ and ‘Earth’ for the BBC and ‘Is it Time to Break the Law’ for Channel 4. Alongside his ambassadorial roles for numerous NGO’s he runs independent campaigns, aimed at nature recovery and ending animal cruelty, via the not-for-profit, Love and Rage. He is also one of the founders of Wild Justice, a not-for-profit funded solely by donations, that takes legal challenges against the UK’s devolved governments and its agencies on behalf of wildlife. Please note: Chris’s keynote will be pre-recorded and delivered virtually.
Justin Marceau
Justin Marceau is a law professor at the University of Denver, where he specializes in animal law and criminal law. He is the faculty director of the school’s animal law program, and a co-founder and director of the Animal Activist Legal Defense project, a unique law school initiative that provides pro bono representation for activists facing criminal charges.
Justin has published three books with Cambridge University Press, including Truth and Transparency: Undercover Investigations in the Twenty-First Century (with Alan Chen), which was awarded the Tankard prize for the best book in journalism and communication in 2023. Justin has authored more than 50 academic articles, has litigated a variety of animal protection cases, and is involved in a variety of legislative efforts seeking to improve the status of animals in the law.
David Thomas
David Thomas is legal consultant to Cruelty Free International and has acted for most of the leading animal protection organisations in the UK and further afield, using the law to advance campaigning objectives. He co-founded Advocates for Animals, the UK’s first animal protection law firm. He was a civil litigation partner in a West End firm and legal officer to a family poverty charity.
He is former chair of the RSPCA and trustee of Compassion in World Farming. He co-hosts the Animal Rights: the Debate podcast and has written extensively on law and ethics.
David also sits as a judge.
Ankita Shanker
Ankita Shanker LLB (R’dg) BCL (Oxf) BPTC (Lond BPP) is a social entrepreneur (Founder and Director of the WMILAR), an educator (TA at the Geneva Academy), and a legal researcher (PhD candidate at UNIBAS and UH) specialising in public international law, international human rights law, comparative animal rights law, and legal philosophy and theory.
Watch Chris Packham’s pre-recorded keynote speech from the conference below:
Our Speakers
Our hosts
Iyan Offor
Dr Iyan Offor is a Senior Lecturer in Law at Birmingham City University and leader of the Animals, Nature & Society Research Stream (Centre for Human Rights). Iyan conducts socio-legal and theoretical research on global animal law, global environmental law, intersectionality, queer theory, posthumanism, and law & literature. Iyan recently published his monograph Global Animal Law from the Margins.
Michelle Strauss
Michelle is in the second year of her PhD at BCU where she is researching how to include multispecies perspectives in law making. Prior to undertaking her studies Michelle practiced as a solicitor in New Zealand and the UK. Alongside her studies she is also the founder and trustee of The Animal Advocacy Project (TAAP).
Alan Bates
Alan Bates is a barrister who specialises in competition, procurement, public/administrative and EU law. From 2000–2001 he worked at the Law Commission, auditing the compatibility of legislation with the ECHR. He advises campaign organisations on Parliamentary procedure and the legal aspects of their lobbying strategies. He is A-LAW’s acting Chair of Trustees and A-LAW’s Legal and Policy Director.
Workshops
Animals, Nature & Society PhD Workshop
This year, PhD researchers attending the UK Animal Law Conference were invited to attend the Animals, Nature & Society PhD Workshop, which was funded by Midlands 4 Cities.
Conference Committee
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Carley Lightfoot Lecturer in Law at Birmingham City University
MoreCarley Lightfoot
Carley is a Lecturer in Law at Birmingham City University. She is close to the completion of her PhD, which is due to be submitted in summer 2024. Carley‘s thesis considers the effectiveness of animal experimentation legislation in the UK, and Carley specialises in Animal Law predominantly, but also has expertise in Criminal Law, Human Rights/ESC Rights and Medical Law. Carley is a Contributing Editor for the UK Journal of Animal Law’.
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Iyan OfforAssistant Professor in Environmental Law, University of Birmingham
MoreIyan Offor
Dr Iyan Offor is an assistant professor in environmental law and sustainable development at the University of Birmingham. Iyan is a critical socio-legal theorist conducting interdisciplinary research on multispecies legalities. His active research projects are: Solarpunk Narrative and Multispecies (Legal) Worlding; Transqueer Ecological Justice; Law’s Other – Posthumanist Legal Subjectivity in the Anthropocene; and a Research Agenda for Animal Law. Iyan recently published his monograph Global Animal Law from the Margins. Iyan is editor for the Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy and academic consultant for the UK Centre for Animal Law.
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Michelle StrausPhD Candidate
MoreMichelle Straus
I am currently a final year PhD candidate at BCU, having spent over decade in private practice working as a solicitor in New Zealand and the UK. I am also a trustee of The Animal Advocacy Project.
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Bethan SmithPhD researcher, University of Birmingham
MoreBethan Smith
Bethan Smith is a PhD law student at the University of Birmingham. She is also a Postgraduate Teaching Assistant in law at the University. Bethan’s research focuses on the protection of marine animals, environments, and human culture. Researching animal law, environmental law, biodiversity conservation law, culture, environmental ethics, and critical animal and environmental legal theory. Bethan’s experience specialises in marine animal issues, but includes varied wild, farmed, and domestic animal issues. Working on international and national projects for animal and environmental protection. Bethan’s other experiences include being a researcher, guest writer, and speaker at the UK Animal Law Conference 2025.
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Mo EsanPhD researcher, University of Birmingham
MoreMo Esan
Mo Esan is a PhD researcher in Animal Law at University of Birmingham, funded by the Midlands4Cities Doctoral Training Partnership. Mo conducts research on African animal law, particularly the Animal Welfare Strategy for Africa and Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL), decolonial theory, and critical animal studies. Mo served as a research assistant for the Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law and is currently on the Animal Charity Evaluators Board. Mo’s work seeks to bridge scholarship and practice, advancing innovative frameworks for animal law and global justice, with Africa in mind.
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Blanche KoenigA-LAW Trustee & Volunteer
MoreBlanche Koenig
Blanche is a dual-qualified lawyer (UK & New York) with a background working in-house for various technology companies on a wide variety of corporate and commercial matters. Blanche is a trustee and treasurer for A-Law, and supports the Animals in Science working group.
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Sam HazlePhD researcher, University of Birmingham
MoreSam Hazle
Sam Hazle is a second year PhD candidate at Birmingham City University. Sam conducts research on animal law, intersectionality, and social justice. His qualifications include an LLB (Hons) from Newcastle University, and an LLM in Global Environment and Climate Change Law from the University of Edinburgh.
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Claire LathwellPhD researcher, Birmingham City University
MoreClaire Lathwell
Claire Lathwell is a Doctoral Researcher in Law at Birmingham City University (BCU). Claire is conducting socio-legal research on animal law and criminal justice. Claire’s research interests also include environmental law, green criminology, 20th century continental philosophy (especially Foucault) and political philosophy. Prior to commencing her doctoral research at BCU in September 2024, Claire spent over 6 years practising environmental, human rights and immigration law as a Solicitor in England and Wales. Claire holds an LLM in Professional Legal Practice and a BA(Hons) degree in Philosophy and Politics.
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Natalie HarneyA-LAW Trustee & Volunteer
MoreNatalie Harney
Natalie has been volunteering for A-LAW since 2014 and became a trustee in 2020. Outside of A-LAW, she works full-time for the campaigning animal welfare charity, Naturewatch Foundation, where she leads the organisation’s work to end the low-welfare and illegal trade in dogs, cats and rabbits. She holds a BA English degree from the University of Birmingham and completed her GDL at Birmingham City University.
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Love AlfredEnvironmental and Energy Law Specialist
MoreLove Alfred
Dr. Love Alfred is an environmental and energy law specialist with over 4 years of teaching and research in international environmental law and public law. She co-developed a module that integrates sustainability into the teaching of law, and she reviews and publishes research in environmental law journals. She is a member of the Animals, Nature & Society Research Stream at Birmingham City University’s (BCU) School of Law.
Sponsorship
We were delighted to be able to offer a limited number of sponsored tickets for the conference this year.
