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Frequently Asked Questions
From time to time, difficult situations arise in everyone's life. Unfortunate
accidents, harmful conduct or bitter disputes can create challenging circumstances that may prompt you to wonder if you
should hire a lawyer. If the events involve one or more animals, you may be wondering whether you need specifically the services
of an animal lawyer. The following FAQs address common concerns:
Why hire an animal law attorney? Can't any attorney handle my matter?
In theory, yes. Anyone with a law license is generally permitted to hold
themselves out as qualified to take on any matter (with some narrow exceptions for areas such as intellectual property or
maritime law). In practice, however, most people develop expertise in one or two areas. Even general practitioners that
handle matters as varied as DUI, personal injury, divorce and estate planning might still refer out an immigration or
social security disability issue. The question is not whether the attorney "could" do it; it's possible for most attorneys
to become competent in most areas if they are willing to spend the time to educate themselves on a new area of law.
The question is whether they do, in fact, educate themselves enough to get up to speed sufficiently in order to adequately
- much less passionately - be able to represent your interests.
Why pay for a consultation with an animal law attorney if another lawyer
doesn't mind talking to me over the phone for free?
Traditionally, claims related to non-human animals have such low economic recoveries
that most lawyers would not - and, in fact, still do not - handle such cases. However, many savvy lawyers know
that investing 15 or 20 minutes on the phone for a claim they won't take may result in a loyal client or referral - and bring
in future business. In retail terms, it's a loss leader.
The recent surge in popularity of animal law is prompting many law firms to
take another look at these historically marginalized claims. However, the economic reality is that these cases
still don't bring in the sorts of recoveries needed in order to be a viable practice area for firms that operate
on the principle of "we don't get paid until you do." And while hourly-rate firms that practice in other areas
may permit one of its attorneys to take an animal-related claim "pro bono", the economic reality there is that this
attorney's time and expertise will be largely related to the principal business of the firm. Would you let
a dentist to set your child's broken bone just because he likes reading about orthopedics in his spare time? Moreover,
there are only so many hours in a day. The firm (understandably) has to give priority to its paying customers,
or its paying customers may take their business elsewhere.
Sure, everyone likes free stuff. But if you're facing a situation
where you stand lose a right, a substantial amount of money, or anything else you value, ask yourself: what's this worth to
me? If the answer is more than the cost of a consultation, then don't shop for legal services (just like anything else
that is important to you) based solely on price. You may get lucky, but as with anything else, most of the time
you get what you pay for. An animal law firm can provide expertise and background to assist you in pursuing
and resolving your legal matter that other firms which only dabble in animal law won't be able to match.
How do I know if an attorney has experience in animal law?
Ask! When you talk with a lawyer, it's as much a chance for you to ask
questions about them as it is for them to ask questions about your potential case. Ask how many years they've practiced
animal law, and what portion of their practice it constitutes.
And listen! When a lawyer evaluates your matter, is s/he able to say
things like "well, the last time I argued this..." or "well, every case is different but usually...."? If it's
not obvious what their basing their opinions on, then ask whether it's based on their own experience or something else.
I think I can take care of this myself. Could you please just
point me to some legal resources?
If you're interested in doing your own legal research, click on the links to
the left for "Animal-Related Laws", "More Resources" and even "Animal Law Blog" to help get you started. In addition
to the vast universe of information now available on the internet, you can also check with your local courthouse or law school
to find out where the nearest public law libary is located.
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