A proposal to create an ISBA entity to assist members in understanding legal issues involving animals has been referred to the Agricultural Law Section Council by the Board of Governors.

“Animal law is a growing field that touches upon all facets of our profession,” Chicago attorney Amy A. Breyer wrote in a letter to the association. The ISBA “needs a forum in which members can discuss, learn about, and even develop, animal law,” she said.

Breyer, a member of the section council, noted that animal law involves cruelty statutes, municipal ordinances, veterinary practice, wildlife and farm animal management, and family law “custody” disputes.

A petition that accompanied her letter was signed by 25 ISBA members.

The featured article in the August issue of the Illinois Bar Journal, “Animal Law Comes into Its Own,” explores legal issues that accrue as people place more value on pets, monetarily and otherwise.

The author, Highland Park attorney Helen W. Gunnarsson, traces the growing field of animal law in a wide range of practice areas and offers a list of resources that includes the ABA Committee on Animal Law and the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

The article also tells how Breyer became an animal lawyer who “handles numerous cases of veterinary malpractice as well as condominium disputes, dog bite defense, and suits under the Humane Care for Animals Act.”