Animals are routinely deprived of their homes, their liberty and even their lives. Yet, they are not guaranteed a lawyer to speak on their behalf. Since 1989 Lawyers In Defense Of Animals, Inc. (”LIDA”) has provided that voice in New Jersey.
LIDA is committed to representing the interest of the proverbial “underdog” whether he or she takes the form of wildlife, farm animal or companion animal. Through its cooperating attorneys who work on a reduced fee or pro bono basis, LIDA works within the legal system and educates others to work within the legal system to send society the message that animals are not property but are sentient beings with inherent rights.
Fundamental among those rights is the right to counsel for every animal that faces loss of life or significant loss of liberty.
About Us
Lawyers In Defense Of Animals, Inc. (LIDA) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation which has been working on behalf of animals in New Jersey since 1989.
LIDA’s members are lawyers, law students, and animal lovers who support the goals and philosophy of LIDA. The knowledge, integrity and tenacity of our members and their unwavering focus on the interest of the animal at issue has earned LIDA the respect of the animal legal community.
We have a working relationship with prosecutors, SPCA agents, municipal and county health departments, animal control officers, veterinarians, rescue groups and shelters throughout New Jersey.
A growing awareness of the rights of animals and a burgeoning recognition of animal law as a discipline has increased the ranks of attorneys who seek to handle major impact litigation. LIDA, through its participating attorneys, also welcomes and handles these matters. LIDA attorneys are unique, however, in their willingness to provide representation for the multitude of seemingly mundane matters which those who share their lives with animals will routinely confront. While incrementally advancing the cause of animal rights with each such case, the impact for the individual animal involved is monumental. For the dog on death row, the cat whose guardian is evicted, or the Trap Neuter Return (TNR) colony whose caretaker faces prosecution, LIDA’s intervention often makes the difference between life and death.
Right to Counsel
Imagine being on death row with no legal representation. For countless dogs charged under the State’s “vicious” dog act that is precisely their predicament. All too often they are prosecuted for simply acting as dogs - protecting their homes and their families. These cases are emotionally charged and often times politically motivated placing the dog and her guardian at a distinct disadvantage vis-a-vis the State. Frequently, the guardians are told to surrender their dogs for euthanasia or face high fines and prosecution. Those whose guardians do not succumb to the intimidation and who exercise their right to a trial must be prepared to pay legal fees, impound fees, which mount daily, expert fees, veterinary costs and court costs.
The plight of the death row dog is symbolic of all animals for whom LIDA is seeking to establish and assert rights within the legal system. It is mirrored by:
- the colony of Trap Neuter Return (TNR) cats being torn from their home and caretaker;
- the bull indentured to the rodeo;
- the geese being rounded up for extermination.
Where conviction carries potential consequences of significant magnitude, the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees humans the right to counsel. Non-human animals facing significant curtailment of their liberty or even loss of their life have no such right.
LIDA believes that the fundamental right to counsel should extend to all animals who face a loss of life or a significant loss of their liberty.
LIDA cooperating attorneys work on a pro bono or reduced fee so the dollars go further but money is still required for legal fees, expert fees and court costs. The stock market is referred to as bullish or bearish but the truth is that neither bulls, bears or other wildlife nor farm animals or companion animals invest in the market, have bank accounts, or even stash money under the mattress. This is not the currency of their lives. Money, however, is necessary if LIDA is to continue to fight for their interests within our legal system. For all of these animals your dollars provide the key to the courthouse and may mean the difference between life and death.
Your contributions to the LIDA Right To Counsel campaign will help:
- Provide a lawyer to represent the interest of every animal facing loss of life or significant loss of liberty.
- Balance the scales of justice by providing money for experts, investigators, and court costs.
- Counter intimidation with education - educating guardians as to their rights and responsibilities.
- Ensure that LIDA’s victories translate into lives saved - providing the financial resources to implement court orders and negotiated settlements, and to support LIDA rescue.