Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Animal Legal Defense Fund is working to end animal cruelty. We do this by protecting the lives and advancing the interests of animals through the legal system.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Animal Law Program
As part of its focus on animal law, the Animal Legal Defense Fund works to cultivate the next generation of animal lawyers. We do this through our Animal Law Program, which works closely with law students and law professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law. Moving toward the day when animal law is part of the curriculum at each and every law school, the Animal Law Program collaborates with students, faculty, and school administrations to facilitate the development of animal law courses and assists students in forming Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapters.
Litigation Program
From filing high-impact lawsuits to providing amicus curiae briefs, our litigation work is a primary tool in our work to advance the interests of animals. Our team of expert staff attorneys may bring suit themselves, or we may retain outside counsel to represent us. The team may file either as a named plaintiff, or as the attorneys for other organizations or individuals. The team's civil actions on behalf of animals often include filing amicus curiae briefs arguing the case for recognition of the bonds between humans and nonhuman animals, and filing formal complaints against government agencies charged with enforcing laws meant to protect animals.
Criminal Justice Program
Prosecutors and law enforcement often lack the resources or specific expertise needed to prosecute crimes against animals. To that end, the Criminal Justice Program provides free legal assistance to prosecutors, law enforcement, and veterinarians handling animal cruelty cases. The team also works with state legislators to strengthen criminal animal protection laws.
Pro Bono Program
The Pro Bono Program collaborates with our Litigation and Criminal Justice Program to assign appropriate pro bono counsel to projects and cases. The Pro Bono team also works with interested attorneys and law firms to create a robust pro bono network dedicated to helping animals.
Legislative Affairs Program
The Animal Legal Defense Fund works at the state and local levels to advance important legislation. The Legislative Affairs Program advocates for laws that promote or protect the lives and interests of animals, and opposes legislation that would be detrimental to animals’ well-being.
The program also work closely with the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s other programs to identify opportunities to create model legislation that address strategic legal issues in the areas of civil and criminal law, and monitor legislation that impacts animals at the federal, state, and local levels.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of animal cruelty cases where ALDF provided direct assistance to prosecutors and law enforcement officers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Criminal Justice Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Each year, the Criminal Justice Program provides free legal assistance to prosecutors and law enforcement throughout the United States for animal cruelty cases.
Opportunities coordinated for law students including student chapters, scholarships, and grants
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Animal Law Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
The Animal Law Program nurtures the next generation of animal lawyers by coordinating opportunities for law students: Student Animal Legal Defense Fund Chapters, scholarships, and project grants.
Number of civil litigation matters handled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Litigation Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Each year, our Litigation Program handles 100+ civil litigation matters.
Number of pro bono hours contributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Pro Bono Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Working to expand the practice and understanding of animal law in the legal community, the Pro Bono Program partners with attorneys and pro bono coordinators across the country.
Number of bills worked on
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Legislative Affairs Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The Legislative Affairs Program works to advocate laws that promote or protect the lives and advance the interests of animals and opposes legislation that would be detrimental to animals' well-being.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Animal Legal Defense Fund was born of a bold vision: that one day the interests and legal rights of animals – in laboratories, on factory farms, in the wild, and in our own homes – would be recognized and protected by law. Since then, Animal Legal Defense Fund has blazed the trail for stronger enforcement of anti-cruelty laws and more humane treatment of animals in every corner of American life.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Every day, Animal Legal Defense Fund works to protect animals by:
• Filing groundbreaking lawsuits to stop animal abuse and expand the boundaries of animal law.
• Providing free legal assistance to prosecutors handling cruelty cases.
• Working to strengthen state anti-cruelty statutes.
• Encouraging the federal government to enforce existing animal protection laws.
• Nurturing the future of animal law through Student Animal Legal Defense Fund chapters and our Animal Law Program.
• Providing public education through seminars, workshops and other outreach efforts.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The national nonprofit Animal Legal Defense Fund is the preeminent legal advocate for the protection of animals. Since 1979, Animal Legal Defense Fund's unique mission has been to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. We use the full force of the law to ensure animals everywhere receive the justice they deserve. From small town cruelty cases to lawsuits against the federal government, we may be the only lawyers on earth whose clients are innocent.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
It has been over forty extraordinary years since the founding of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. In that time, we have helped establish greater protections for companion animals through the nation's first mandatory animal abuser registries, filed friend of the court briefs in animal custody disputes, assisted in the recovery of adequate damages for wrongfully killed companion animals, helped change the law to establish trusts for the care of beloved animals in our lives, and accomplished much more. For example, in one of the largest civil animal cruelty cases in history, ALDF v. Woodley, we won a landmark victory for animals and were awarded custody of over 300 dogs rescued from nightmarish conditions from North Carolina dog hoarders.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund has also stopped hunts of bears and mountain lions as well as the violent removal of burros from federal lands. We have tackled such diverse topics as challenges to the intensive confinement of farmed animals and the “patenting" of genetically altered animals, as well as cases under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and federal Animal Welfare Act. From our earliest cases, saving more than 5,000 wild burros from certain death and stopping the importation of 71,500 monkeys for use in laboratory experiments, to our most recent victories striking down Ag-Gag laws across various states, winning labeling laws, and filing a groundbreaking case on behalf of Justice the Horse against his abuser, the Animal Legal Defense Fund is winning the case against animal cruelty.
The fundamental problem facing animals in the U.S. is that the law often in many cases considers animals mere property, no different than inanimate objects like tables and chairs. Only in the past few decades have vile acts against animals become felonies, and the Animal Legal Defense Fund has been central to such improvements. Yet, in some states, no matter how badly an animal is abused or harmed, animal abusers cannot be charged with a felony. Even when protective laws do exist, they are often insufficient, rife with loopholes, and inadequately enforced. For example, the federal Animal Welfare Act—the primary law governing the use of animals in laboratory experiments explicitly excludes birds, rats, and mice, even though they account for nearly 95% of animals used in laboratories. In addition, no federal laws protect the billions of farmed animals in the U.S. from egregious abuses on factory farms.
In these ways, the justice system does not reflect the true values of society. This is why the Animal Legal Defense Fund focuses its animal protection work exclusively on the legal system and it is essential that Animal Legal Defense Fund's critical work continue. Truly, today's state of affairs for animals is dire—and Animal Legal Defense Fund is needed to win the case against animal cruelty.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Animal Legal Defense Fund
Board of directorsas of 03/03/2023
Ms. Katherine Stirling
Editor/Journalist
Katherine Stirling
Journalist
Heidi Hurd
Professor
Leslie Barcus
Executive Director
Cameron Icard
Retired Professional
Julie O’Donnell
Communications/Marketing Professional
David Braff
Of Counsel
Ginny Tiu
Entertainer/Investor/ Philanthropist
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/23/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.