The American Kennel Club (AKC®), the world’s largest dog registry and leading advocate for dogs, is pleased to announce the winners of the Companion Animal Law Writing Contest. The contest was open to all students currently enrolled at an ABA-accredited law school and offered a first-place prize of $2500 and a second-place prize of $500.
First place was awarded to Jennifer Jacobs, a second-year student at Boston College Law School. Jacobs’ paper, “Curtailing Companion Compensation,” explored the impact non-economic damages could have on pet welfare. Second place was awarded to Anastasia Maria Hall, a second-year student at Ohio Northern University Claude W. Pettit College of Law. Hall’s paper, “Whose Leash is it Anyway,” examined how pet custody and ownership is interpreted by the courts.
“The American Kennel Club is thrilled to recognize these dedicated
law students,” said Sheila Goffe, AKC Vice President of Government Relations. “The submissions were stellar, and we appreciate the hard-work these students put into their studies. We are excited to see where their future careers take them.”
Students were asked to choose between two topics, non-economic damages relating to companion animals and pet custody law. Entries were judged by legal and public policy professionals with experience in laws impacting companion animals. This year’s contestants offered an extremely competitive pool of in-depth analysis of animal law scenarios.