The Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) at the University of Miami School of Law will present its 2009 Annual Spring Symposium on Friday, April 3, 2009 in the Law School’s Alma Jennings Foundation Student Lounge. This year’s theme is “That’s Entertainment, or Is It: A Discussion of Animals as Entertainment.”

The event will consist of three panels, where animal rights activists and specialists will discuss legal issues related to animals as entertainment. It is being co-sponsored by the Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section of the Florida Bar, the HOPE Public Interest Resource Center, the Law Activity Fee Allocation Committee, and Arnold, JD ’55, and Barbara Grevior.

The first panel, which will focus on zoos and sanctuaries, will feature such speakers as UM Law adjunct professor Marcy LaHart; Alex Pacheco, co-founder and former chairman of PETA; Russ Rector, former dolphin trainer and animal advocate; Conrad Schmitt, mammal curator for Miami Metro Zoo;  and Terry Wolf, wildlife director of Lion Country Safari.

Panel 2, “Animals as Entertainment: Animal Ownership Exotic and Domestic Issues,” will feature Jennifer Dietz, Esq., partner of Animal Law Attorney’s LLC. and former chair of the Animal Law Committee of the Florida Bar; Thomas Watts-Fitzgerald, Esq., assistant United States Attorney and chief of environmental crimes for the Southern District of Florida; and Sherry Schlueter, Broward County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant and section supervisor of the Special Victims and Family Crimes Section of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.

The final panel, “Sports: Issues in Greyhound Racing,” will feature Dr. Sean Gelb Esq., former chair of the Florida Bar Animal Law Committee; and Miami attorney Nick Atwood, campaign coordinator for the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida.

The symposium will be held from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Law School. It is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided and CLE credits are pending with The Florida Bar. For more information about the event, contact the SALDF at umsaldf@yahoo.com.

posted 26-March-2009