Purpose
Lawyers for Animal Welfare (LAW) is a Canadian Registered Charity (#80399 7212 RR0001) dedicated to advancing public knowledge of animal practices and preventing the abuse and killing of animals through the enforcement of existing laws.
People and Positions
Ontario
Nicholas dePencier Wright, BA, LLB, MBA - Chair and Executive Director
Nick is a Toronto based lawyer, political campaigner and lobbyist. He has been actively involved in animal issues for many years and has worked on a range of issues including campaigning against the East Coast commercial seal slaughter.
Evelyne Kostanska, BA, JD - Director and President
Prior to devoting all of her energy to animal issues, Evelyne practiced commercial real estate law at a full service national firm. She has worked extensively on animals in captivity.
Camille Labchuk, BA, JD (Candidate) - Campaign Manager
Camille Labchuk is a law student at University of Toronto Faculty of Law and has worked to advance the interests of animals for over a decade. She has documented the commercial seal slaughter on Canada’s East Coast, lobbied parliamentarians in Canada and the European Union on a variety of animal issues and frequently attends animal protection events and demonstrations.
Atlantic Canada
Vaughan Black, BA, MA, LLB, LLM - Director
Vaughan is a law professor at the Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law where he teaches Tort Law, Judicial Remedies, and of course, Animals and the Law. His current research focuses on the regulation of transportation of animals from farm to slaughterhouse.
Elizabeth Schoales, BA, MA, PhD, LLB (Candidate) - Atlantic Canada Representative
A former professor of history, Elizabeth is now devoted full time to animal issues. She has participated in a number of federal, provincial and municipal campaigns to improve animal protection legislation, and has served on the boards of several animal welfare charities. She is currently pursuing a law degree with the University of London International Programmes, allowing her to examine how more progressive animal legislation in the EU may be applied to a Canadian context.