We had a very successful first ever meeting of the MSBA Animal Law Committee. Twenty-seven members of the committee attended and engaged in some lively discussions. The first hour of the meeting was set for introductions, for a discussion of what other bar association animal law committees have done in other states, and for general discussion of members' interests and goals -- of which there were a wide variety.

During the second hour of the meeting, we broke into three subcommittees: Education, Recruitment, and Communications. Other subcommittees were discussed and may be formed in the future.

The education subcommittee will be working on developing various educational programs for both members of the bar and the general public. Potential topics may include, "What is Animal Law," "Building an Animal Law Practice," and "Pet Trusts" to name a few.

The recruitment subcommittee's task is to build the membership of the MSBA Animal Law Committee. Its immediate goal is to build membership to the 100+ level with the hope of having the MSBA grant the committee section status in June.

The communication subcommittee will be involved in performing outreach to state and community organizations, writing the mission statement of the committee, and preparing newsletters, brochures, a website, articles, and so on.

I mentioned during the meeting that I would forward links to other bar associations' animal law committee websites for the committee's information and to see what sorts of projects and goals they have.

Alan S. Nemeth
Chair, MSBA Animal Law Committee