As part of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the American Bar Association will cohost a free webinar on Wednesday, October 22, with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to help lawyers and veterinarians learn how to protect survivors of domestic violence and their companion animals. The collaboration seeks to raise awareness about how the link between domestic violence and animal cruelty may present in practice for legal professionals, veterinary professionals and other allied stakeholders.
In February 2025, the ABA House of Delegates adopted Resolution 504, which recognizes the critical need to help survivors of domestic violence keep their companion animals safe. The Resolution was the result of a collaboration between the ABA Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence (CDSV), the ABA Family Law Section and the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS).
Panelists for the webinar, “Protecting People and Pets from Domestic Violence,” include veterinarian Amanda Bisol, member of the AVMA Board of Directors; Maleaha Brown, professor at the University of Houston Law Center and CDSV chair; Kendall Houlihan, associate director in the Animal Welfare Division at the AVMA; Bethanie A. Poe, associate director for the Center for Veterinary Social Work at the University of Tennessee; and Megan Senatori, executive director of the Center of Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School, and co-chair of the Companion Animal Subcommittee of the ABA TIPS Animal Law Committee.
Serving more than 108,000 member veterinarians, the AVMA is the nation's leading representative of the veterinary profession, dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of animals, humans and the environment. Founded in 1863 and with members in every U.S. state and territory and more than 60 countries, the AVMA is one of the largest veterinary medical organizations in the world.
Program highlights include a pre-recorded presentation, which will be followed by a live webinar. There will be a roundtable discussion with an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.
Participants can expect to learn:
• How legal professionals, veterinarians and other allied stakeholders can spot the signs that they may be working with a domestic violence victim or a companion animal that is being abused or neglected
• The link between domestic violence and animal cruelty
• How cross-disciplinary collaboration can help keep people and companion animals safe from abuse.
To register for the ”Protecting People and Pets from Domestic Violence” webinar, visit www.americanbar.org/groups/domestic_violence.
In February 2025, the ABA House of Delegates adopted Resolution 504, which recognizes the critical need to help survivors of domestic violence keep their companion animals safe. The Resolution was the result of a collaboration between the ABA Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence (CDSV), the ABA Family Law Section and the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS).
Panelists for the webinar, “Protecting People and Pets from Domestic Violence,” include veterinarian Amanda Bisol, member of the AVMA Board of Directors; Maleaha Brown, professor at the University of Houston Law Center and CDSV chair; Kendall Houlihan, associate director in the Animal Welfare Division at the AVMA; Bethanie A. Poe, associate director for the Center for Veterinary Social Work at the University of Tennessee; and Megan Senatori, executive director of the Center of Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School, and co-chair of the Companion Animal Subcommittee of the ABA TIPS Animal Law Committee.
Serving more than 108,000 member veterinarians, the AVMA is the nation's leading representative of the veterinary profession, dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of animals, humans and the environment. Founded in 1863 and with members in every U.S. state and territory and more than 60 countries, the AVMA is one of the largest veterinary medical organizations in the world.
Program highlights include a pre-recorded presentation, which will be followed by a live webinar. There will be a roundtable discussion with an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.
Participants can expect to learn:
• How legal professionals, veterinarians and other allied stakeholders can spot the signs that they may be working with a domestic violence victim or a companion animal that is being abused or neglected
• The link between domestic violence and animal cruelty
• How cross-disciplinary collaboration can help keep people and companion animals safe from abuse.
To register for the ”Protecting People and Pets from Domestic Violence” webinar, visit www.americanbar.org/groups/domestic_violence.
