Matthew Dominguez

What a summer!

Between my responsibilities as a board member for the Animal Law Review (ALR) and the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF), a student in Steven Wise’s Animal Rights class, and a clerk for the Center for Animal Law Studies, it is shaping up to be one of the most exciting and busy summers of my life.

Running full steam through finals, my summer began somewhat abruptly. Out of the pot and into the fire, you could say. Then, the ALR consumed the first half of my summer. As an Articles Editor, my duties are to review and evaluate every article submission for publications we receive, send out acceptance and rejection letters to authors, and solicit potential authors for articles. Although the job entails more, that is a good nutshell description of my job. I had the pleasure of reading articles on a broad range of topics, from Chicago’s Ban on Foie Gras to Sea Turtle protection. With the guidance from our Editor In Chief, my fellow Articles Editor and I were successful in officially filling Volume 16 Issue 1 of Animal Law, scheduled for publication in January 2010.

In addition to my work on the law review, I have spent a good portion of my summer helping plan this year’s Animal Law Conference at Lewis & Clark Law School. This year will mark the 17th year of this event and I am very excited about the broad range of topics that will be covered along with the amazing speakers that will be attending. For more information about the conference please visit www.alawconference.org.

The second half of my summer was one of many firsts: first animal law course, first veggie burger, first animal conference, and my first time visiting Washington D.C.

Professor Steven M. Wise, author of Rattling the Cage, Drawing the Line, Though the Heavens May Fall, and An American Trilogy, came to campus to teach a two week intensive course on Animal Rights. Without a doubt one of the leading scholars in the Animal Rights field, it was truly a pleasure to be in the presence of such a brilliant man.
Our class started by analyzing the implications of animal rights jurisprudence and the decisions in a few selected patent cases. We then moved to standing and read cases like Sierra Club v. Morton and Lujan v. Defenders and debated over the question of whether nonhuman animals are entitled to justice and moral rights. The remainder of the class was spent looking at what are legal rights, the sources of those legal rights, liberty and equality, and Professor Wise’s substantive argument for legal rights for non-human animals. All in all, this class was the most intense course I have yet to encounter in my educational career. The sheer volume of material that we covered is astonishing, but what is truly amazing is the magnitude of practical information we gained from the class. This class did not just teach us about “animal rights” but rather helped me better understand our legal system and give hope to the future that one-day non-human animals will be entitled to, at least, a basic fundamental right of bodily integrity.

This past weekend I felt privileged to represent our amazing Animal Law Program at the Taking Action for Animals (TAFA) conference in Washington D.C. For more information on TAFA please visit www.takingactionforanimals.org.
My trip began with a frantic dash to assemble and gather material: flyers, brochures, posters and the like for the Center for Animal Law Studies, Animal Law Review, Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Animal Law Clinic, and the Animal Law Conference. Our program had never before been represented at TAFA, so we were pretty much starting from scratch.

I didn’t know quite what to expect when the conference began, but I quickly received positive feedback from everyone. My table soon became surrounded by students, attorneys, and activists from all around the nation wanting to know more about the Animal Law program at Lewis and Clark and our Conference in October. Nearly everyone already seemed to be familiar with our program, but I found most were unaware of all that we have to offer. For those few that had never heard of Lewis & Clark Law School, they quickly became eager to learn more about the school and our Animal Law program.




After the conference was over, I stayed an additional day to take in the sites. Seeing D.C. in person was quite the experience, one that I would definitely recommend to everyone. Although the heat and humidly during the summer is enough to keep me from returning anytime soon. Like most, we visited Ford’s Theater, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, The Smithsonian Castle, Air and Space Museum, and of course The White House.




In less than a month, I embark on my second year of law school. Where does the time go? I hope that this upcoming year brings more of the same. I feel incredibly lucky to be in such a great city, at such a great law school, studying what will become my career and definitely my passion: Animal Law.

30 July 2009

~Summing Up and Signing Off~

With my first year of law school coming to an end, I would like to briefly recap the last few months…

The Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) held their annual board elections last month and I was elected to a co-director position. I will serve SALDF with the amazing incumbent Tara Z. My plans for SALDF next year are somewhat grandiose; more fundraisers, events, projects, and campaigns. However, in order to accomplish these ambitious goals, SALDF needs to increase the group’s presence on-campus and get more students excited about actively participating in the group. Unfortunately, there seems to be a stigma attached to those in the “animal law” world. I hope that I can help SALDF eliminate those stereotypes and show that it does not matter what area of law you want to practice, political party you affiliate with, or whether your vegan, veg or a carnivore, the only prerequisite for SALDF is a desire to help animals. In addition, I just recently completed my website and began my campaign against Michael Vick (Football Fans Against Vick). The campaign was an idea I had and with the help of several SALDF members, it is now a reality.

Some people have asked, why animal law? The simple answer- it is because of my little boy Dare. Who wouldn’t want to advocate on behalf of him?

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***

Last semester, my pod honored Professor Huffman by wearing his signature look for the last day of class: bowties. This semester, Professor Enos was honored with “duty” and “condition” hats. To keep a long story short, we covered “duties” and “conditions” in class and how they can wear different hats.

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***

Last night it was an honor to be sworn in as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) by the Honorable Judge Fun of Washington County Circuit Court. What is a CASA?

CASA MISSION
We are advocates for the best interests of children
who have been abused or neglected
and are under the protection of the Juvenile Courts
in Multnomah and Washington Counties in Oregon.
Our purpose is to secure a safe and permanent family
for each child as quickly as possible.

“When a CASA volunteer is court-appointed to a case, he or she is responsible for gathering information, and coordinating as many elements as possible, in order to secure for each child a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible. CASAs visit children regularly, review records, interview parents and relatives, consult with teachers, neighbors and foster care providers, and work closely with community service providers. They advocate for the children and families to gain access to needed support and services. They appear in court to advocate on behalf of the child’s needs and best interests.

CASAs are an essential and often singularly impactful presence that remind everyone involved – from parents and caseworkers to lawyers and judges – that, at the heart of each case, is a child who deserves a safe and loving place to call home.” CASA for Children.

***

In the past month, I have also completed an appellate brief, finished my oral arguments downtown, attended the Animal Law Review Retreat in Lincoln City, and taken my property law exam. In the month ahead, I will have completed my first year of law school, started summer school, and with any luck, recharge my batteries just to do it all over again. This is Matt D signing off. You stay classy World!

1 May 2009

SALDF - Meatout BBQ

Yesterday, the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) held their bi-annual Meatout BBQ. This event is a great way to inform those who are not vegetarians or vegan of the healthy, tasty alternatives to consuming meat. More Meatout information can be found at www.meatout.org. Below are some pictures from this great event!!!
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I have enjoyed my time with SALDF immensely. This organization is a student chapter of the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF). More information about the ALDF can be found at www.aldf.org. SALDF provides its members the wonderful opportunity to better the welfare of animals by allowing them to take charge of an idea and turn it into reality. As an example, I had an idea a few weeks back about creating a webpage to gather signatures in opposition of Michael Vick returning to the NFL. I brought this idea up during a SALDF meeting and now I am in the process of putting this project together.

This week, the current Animal Law Review board elected next year’s board. I was lucky enough to be one of the candidates chosen for a position. Next semester I will be one of two Articles Editors. I cannot believe that I was able to go from a source checker my 1L year to a board member of the top Animal Law Review in the country.

21 March 2009

Falling Behind, But Worth It.

I am behind on blogging and pretty much everything else. I think, “falling behind” has become the theme for my second semester. Thus far, the second semester is even more hectic than the first. I am guessing that this is due to becoming more acquainted with law school and taking advantage of the non-class related projects available while becoming more involved in student groups. Last semester, most of my time was consumed by reading cases and preparing for class, which I found to be “new and exciting.” Now that I can read a case in half the time, preparing for class has lost its thrill and I have found myself spending more time partaking in non-class, law school activities.  This semester these activities are “new and exciting.” However, I made this shift so that I can get more from my law school experience than the memorization of case facts and court holdings.   

This semester, I have continued my source-checking job on the Animal Law Review, been active in the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF), started a research project for one of the animal law professor, and began volunteering for a child advocacy group in Portland. Minus the last activity, I think you can see a pattern emerging: an animal law passion. Fortunately, for me, I am at Lewis & Clark, which is ranked one of the best animal law schools in the US. I think what draws me to animal law is that it is a new and developing field and because the field is still emerging, it is amazing to think that I could potentially have a hand in its development. For those of you out there who have an interest or passion for animal advocacy, I would definitely recommend Lewis & Clark. 

Last week, through our career services office, I was able to attend a few law receptions. I visited a business and corporate law firm downtown and one of the local DA’s office. It is safe to say that working at a business law firm is far more lucrative than the DA’s office, but the DA’s office seems to be more intrinsically rewarding.

16 February 2009

Bowties, a Holocaust Survivor, and Power Weekend

Today in Torts, our class took a short break from contributory & comparative negligence to show our appreciation to Professor Huffman by donning his signature look: the bowtie.  In our respective colors, I would like to introduce you to the purple and red pods.    

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This was a much-needed laugh and pause from the daily grind of law school and looming final exams.  Wait… did I say final exams, already?  Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was hauling all of my personal belongings, my beautiful fiancé, and my massively fluffy dog (Dare) up to Portland from California?  I guess not. 

I can not believe that in a mere 17 days I will be attempting to pass my first law school exam.  Even more unbelievable is the proposition that in 26 days I will be finished with 1/6th of my legal education here at Lewis & Clark.  Although the toughest part is still to come and the learning curve has been rough, it has been worth it.    

*** 

In my last blog I mentioned several expectations I had of Lewis & Clark prior to starting, one being amazing guest speakers and events.  Again, Lewis & Clark has not disappointed.  A brief recap: in my short time here I have had the pleasure of attending speeches from three federal circuit court justices, one state Supreme Court Justice, two United States Supreme Court Justices, and now a Holocaust survivor.          

Last week, LC hosted an amazing speaking event: Alter Wiener: The Story of a Holocaust Survivor.  During my lunch break, between Torts and L/A/W, I sat captivated in a packed classroom listening to Mr. Wiener’s horrifying account of the Holocaust.  Mr. Wiener’s story was one of unimaginable loss and suffering, and somehow inspirational.  Here stood a man who had lost everything to the evils of Hitler, and yet had the courage to tell his story so that future generations could learn from and most importantly, never forget some of the darkest days in human history.   

A podcast of Mr. Wiener’s speech can be found at: http://lawlib.lclark.edu/podcast/?p=577

 *** 

A few weeks back, I joined the Lewis and Clark Animal Law Review (ALR) as a 1L source checker and participated in Power Weekend.  The ALR is “The Nation’s First Law Review Devoted Exclusively to Animal Issues” and twice a year, in the fall and spring, members of the ALR gather for Power Weekend.  The purpose of Power Weekend is to perform one final review of all the articles going to publication in the upcoming issue.  Power Weekend consists of two eight-hour sessions, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.  During these sessions, members dive into their ALWD manuals and “creature books” to check every citation, every footnote, and pretty much every word of every article going to print.  Although it is a tedious job, it is a great way to contribute to an incredible legal publication and hopefully better my chances of becoming an associate editor or a board member during my second and third year.    

22 November 2008

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