Animal Protection Law with Edie Bowles
Our final guest for this season of LegalTea is Edie Bowles. A solicitor and co-founder of Advocates for Animals, the UK’s first Animal Protection Law firm, Edie has been a professional animal lawyer for five years.
Animal Protection Law is not an area typically found in most law syllabi. Although still a niche area of the law, it has developed a lot over the last few years as a result of the heightened awareness of animal rights issues and the increasing organization and professionalization of rights and protection groups. Animals for Advocates has played an important role in the evolution of the field and, as first movers in this new area, have been able to interpret for themselves what falls under the umbrella of ‘Animal Law.’
For Edie, every day and week can be very different, and you might be surprised by how broad the range of work is. Much of the work of an animal lawyer involves advising clients on the enforcement of substantive animal laws and the protection of animal welfare legislation, such as the Animal Welfare Act, the Zoo Licensing Act and the Animal Scientific Procedures Act. However, depending on the context and scenario, the same species of animal can fall under different protections, for example a rat in a lab compared to one as a pet or pest. A lot of work is also done related to industry, such as science and agriculture, helping clients in their efforts to identify areas of poor enforcement or even systemic unlawfulness.
Like many areas of the law we’ve discussed this season, the breadth of different work animal lawyers undertake within a specific field means that you have to be both a generalist and a specialist. The specialism comes from your in-depth knowledge of a particular area and you are expected to be an expert on legal matters within your chosen sphere; at Advocates for Animals, all the lawyers are specialists within substantive animal law. But a generalist approach and perspective is also required in the application of this expertise across a wide range of situations. The variety of work undertaken, and the ability to make a tangible and direct impact on the lives and welfare of animals in different ways, makes animal law an incredibly rewarding area of practice.
For Edie, a big part of the reward comes from the joy of being able to work in an area she is passionate about. Despite always caring about animals, Edie wasn’t really aware of Animal Law as a practice area until she was studying her LPC. Even after getting involved in the sector through charity work, she always assumed that her work in this field would be on a voluntary basis, alongside a career in a more conventional practice area. However, while working as an intellectual property lawyer, Edie saw a job at an animal charity as a campaigning legal lawyer and leapt at the chance. This was in spite of the fact that the new job came with a big drop in salary, which helps illustrate another theme that we’ve seen a few times across this season; although many people get into law for the financial security, and this is a completely legitimate reason for wanting to be a lawyer, salary isn’t everything. Working in an area that you find interested and stimulating on a personal level can be a lot more rewarding than a boring job with a big paycheck. Sometimes it’s worth taking the risk to pursue a passion.
In Edie’s case, this passion took her all the way to co-founding her own law firm, the first dedicated to animal law. And while you might not go as far as to start your own firm, there are some key skills and qualities required of anyone who would like to work in this area. Passion, compassion and empathy are all vital innate qualities which most people wanting to work in the field will probably already possess. Beyond this, it’s vital to expand your knowledge, looking at the legislation and familiarizing yourself with this body of law. Most of all, clients will want you to be a problem-solver – you’ll often find yourself working in uncharted territory and so the ability to think creatively to find solutions for your clients is crucial. The best way to develop this skill is simply to get involved and find out as much as you can, learning about the different issues, movements and groups, as well as relevant case history. The more you know, the easier it will be to find the best path forward.
We hope that you enjoyed our discussion on animal law, and the first season of LegalTea. To wrap things up, here are out final three takeaways of the season:
Be a specialized generalist. In Animal Protection Law, as with many other areas, the choice between being a generalist or a specialist isn’t ‘either/or.’ Although you need to hone and cultivate the specialist knowledge and expertise required to operate in the field, you’ll also need to be comfortable applying this knowledge across a wide range of scenarios and contexts.
Be a problem solver. As with many newer areas of the law which lack long histories of case precedents, animal lawyers often find themselves working in uncharted territory. When this happens, it’s vital to find creative solutions of your own to the problems clients come to you with.
It’s not all about the money. Yes, money is important and financial security is never something to underestimate. However, it’s not the only thing you should be thinking about – the work you do day to day will be a big part of your life and being in a fulfilling job in an area you’re passionate about is priceless.
Contact Edie on LinkedIn
