Kristina Hancock, an attorney in the San Diego office of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP, has been named chairwoman of the Animal Law Committee of the American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, known as TIPS.
An attorney specializing in tax and estate planning, Hancock also is an adjunct professor at the California Western School of Law, where she has taught animal law since 2001.
The mission of TIPS’ Animal Law Committee, she said, is to “evolve our thinking on animal issues for both the United States and the world.”
“Today, animals have the legal status of inanimate objects, and legally are treated as property throughout the United States,” she said. “In eight states, there are currently no existing felony anti-cruelty laws.”
The committee, founded in 2004, examines such legal issues as the legality of estate planning that would benefit companion animals; genetic engineering; changing liability standards and insurance coverage in dog bite cases; compensation beyond fair market value when an animal is killed; patenting of living organisms; and the competing interests of wild animals and urban, farming and recreational land use.
Following Hurricane Katrina, the Animal Law Committee formed the Animal Disaster Relief Network to identify needs and create solutions for animals in disaster-related emergency. Traveling to New Orleans, Hancock had helped in animal rescue efforts.
She chaired TIPS’ Legislative Committee, working on the draft PETS Act, which provides for the inclusion of animals in state evacuation plans.
In 2004, Hancock co-chaired the International Animal Law Conference at the California Western School of Law, billed as the first international symposium of its kind bringing together animal authorities from throughout the world.
, Pat Broderick
