September 15, 2009
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL STUDENT WINS COMMITTEE
ON ANIMALS AND THE LAW’S STUDENT WRITING COMPETITION
ALBANY--The New York State Bar Association’s Committee on
Animals and the Law has awarded New York University Law School Student
Allison L. Westfahl Kong with the first-place award in its second annual
Student Writing Competition for her submission entitled “Improving
the Protection of Species Endangered in the United States by Means of a
Revision of the Distinct Population Segment (DPS) Policy.”
Kong’s paper explores whether the DPS, a portion of a species' or
subspecies' population or range, should be revised to permit the
listings of species that are solely endangered within the United States
and whether such a change is consistent with the Endangered Species Act
(ESA). Kong received $1,000 for her winning submission.
The Committee awarded its second-place award to Andra Waniek, a
recent graduate of Brooklyn Law School. Her paper “Protecting
Woman's Best Friend from Family Violence: Proposal for a Model Statute
Including Animals in Protective Orders,” discusses and reviews
proposed and enacted legislation concerning inclusion of animals in
protective orders. Waniek proposes a federal statute authorizing the
inclusion of animals in protective orders that combines and modifies
components of several proposed and enacted state statutes and adds a new
provision to account for the housing of animals during their owners'
stay at domestic violence shelters. Waniek received $500 for her
essay.
"As the number of entries increased this year, so did the quality of
the competitors’ essays. Ms. Kong and Ms. Waniek each exhibited an
extraordinary command of the topics through the use of excellent
technical writing and sound legal analysis," said Committee Chair James
F. Gesualdi of Islip. "We are so pleased to see law students taking an
active interest in animal law and recognizing it as a potential practice
area. I congratulate both Ms. Kong and Ms. Waniek on winning this
year’s Student Writing Competition.”
“Animal-related law encompasses a range of important,
high-profile, and evolving topics,” said Jessica Sonenshein, chair
of the Student Writing Sub-Committee. “We are happy that we had so
many high-quality submissions addressing these areas and were extremely
impressed with the level of thinking and analysis that went into each of
them.”
The Committee on Animals and the Law was established to provide an
information resource for the Association’s members and the public
about non-human, animal-related humane issues which arise from and have
an effect upon our legal system. The competition was intended to foster
legal scholarship among law students in the area of animals and the law.
In addition, the competition provides law students with an opportunity
to prepare and submit articles to the committee for possible publication
in one of the New York State Bar Association’s newsletters.
The 76,000-member New York State Bar Association is the
official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest
voluntary state bar association in the nation. Founded in 1876, State
Bar programs and activities have continuously served the public and
improved the justice system for more than 130 years.
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