Animal Law Express 2024

Course Chair
V. Victoria Shroff, KC — Shroff Animal Law (Shroff & Associates) and Adjunct Professor of Animal Law, Peter A. Allard School of Law, UBC, Vancouver

About the Course Chair
Victoria Shroff is credited as BC's longest serving animal law lawyer. She is recognized as one of Canada's pioneers in animal law. Practicing animal law for over 20 years in Vancouver at Shroff Animal Law (Shroff & Associates), Shroff is also a leader in the education of animals and the law. She is adjunct professor of animal law at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC and faculty at Capilano University where she developed Canada's first course for paralegals in animal law.  

Shroff has been named one of Canada's Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers for her cutting edge work in animal law. Shroff takes on a wide variety of cases involving companion animals and wildlife—from 'death row' dogs to fur farming. She has been handling cases of 'pet custody' for over 20 years and was invited to provide input into BC's proposed changes to family law legislation involving companion animals. (BC Looks at New Guidance for Pet Custody Disputes: https://globalnews.ca/video/9587131/bc-looks-at-new-guidance-for-pet-custody-disputes | Groundbreaking BC family law changes weighs interests of pets in custody cases: animal rights lawyer | Canadian Lawyer https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/practice-areas/family/groundbreaking-bc-family-law-changes-weighs-interests-of-pets-in-custody-cases-animal-rights-lawyer/376011| )

Shroff is author of a textbook, Canadian Animal Law (Lexis-Nexis 2021 https://ow.ly/Y5EF50FV0Ev) that's referred to as a "capacious and compelling treatise about the state of animals today." Shroff is appointed associate fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics in the UK. She spearheaded Canada's first pro-bono animal law clinic, has represented animals at all levels of court including Canada's highest court, the SCC. Shroff is founding-chair of the Canadian Animal Law Study Group, is appointed to the CBA's access to justice committee, is an expert member at the International Conservation and Biodiversity Team based in France, and is a member of Global Animal Law. Shroff founded and teaches a unique program in elementary schools called 'Paws of Empathy' (https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/longtime-animal-lawyer-takes-her-canine-co-teacher-to-vancouver-school-for-class-on-empathy). Respected for her innovative work, Shroff has been recognized as a YWCA Women of Distinction award finalist several times, received a letter of congratulations from the Premier of BC, and was awarded a prestigious SEEDS award for her trailblazing work in animal law. She is winner of the Hitachi Excellence award and certificates of appreciation from the CBA and UBC for longstanding service. She mentors law students and junior lawyers, lectures at conferences globally, has been a Tedx speaker on animal law (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atb0SyUN3HA), is frequently interviewed by media, appeared in several animal law documentaries and podcasts, and lectures widely locally and internationally on the topic.

Shroff enjoys year round ocean swimming and spending time with her human and furry family members. Connect with her at @shroffanimallaw, or shroffanimallaw.com.

Faculty
Kathy Hessler — Assistant Dean for Animal Law, George Washington University Law School, Washington, DC
Georgialee Lang — Cypress Law Corporation, Vancouver
Christian Lim — Senior Crown Counsel, Alberta Justice, Edmonton
Marty McKendry — Senior Advisor, Parliamentary Strategy at Offices of Senator Pierre Dalphond & Senator Marty Klyne, Ottawa
Marcie D. Moriarty — Chief Protection and Outreach Services, BC SPCA, Vancouver
Amber Prince — BC Human Rights Tribunal, Vancouver
Rayanna Seymour-Hourie — West Coast Environmental Law, Vancouver
The Honourable Attorney General Niki Sharma, KC
Professor Stepan Wood — Canada Research Chair in Law, Society & Sustainability, and Director, Centre for Law & the Environment, Peter A. Allard School of Law, UBC, Vancouver

Click here for full faculty bios

• "dangerous" dogs
• strata and tenancy issues involving animals
• pets in wills
• veterinarian issues
• addressing Access to Justice concerns

• Criminal Code and animal protection
• tips for prosecuting and defending animal cruelty
• major characteristics of the way animal cruelty offences are handled in Canada; everything from the charges to sentences

• enforcement of animal protection law in BC under the SPCA's governing legislation
• BC SPCA and administrative tribunal's role in seized animal dispute custody decision

• mane cases and other tribunal tails

• changes to BC law concerning pets in the family law setting
• who will get to keep the companion animal in a "Pet Custody" dispute under this modern new framework?

• laws affecting wild and domestic animals in the federal sphere