About the Series
Animals, Ethics, and Justice: Beyond the Human is a webinar series organized and hosted by Dr. Kathrin Herrmann that explores how humans can live more ethically and justly with other animals on a shared planet.
The series brings together leading scholars and practitioners to examine animal protection, ethics, law, science, food systems, wildlife coexistence, and the broader social, political, and environmental challenges that shape human–animal relationships.
Webinar: Who Should Speak for Animals in Legal Proceedings?
Many countries now recognise animals as sentient beings and have laws intended to protect their welfare. Yet despite these legal protections, animal welfare laws are often poorly enforced. One important reason is that animals themselves have no voice in legal proceedings.
When cases involving animal welfare reach courts or administrative bodies, the individuals, companies, or institutions whose actions are under scrutiny are typically represented by lawyers and advocates. The animals affected by those decisions, however, usually have no independent representation. This creates what many scholars describe as an enforcement gap: laws exist to protect animals, but the interests of animals may not be adequately represented when those laws are interpreted, applied, or enforced.
In this webinar, Dr. Felix Aiwanger will explore how different legal systems are attempting to address this challenge. Drawing on a comparative study involving experts from more than 30 European jurisdictions, he will examine innovative approaches such as animal protection ombudspersons, legal standing for animal protection organisations, and other mechanisms designed to give animals a meaningful voice within legal processes.
The webinar will explore a broader question with growing relevance worldwide: if animals are recognised as sentient beings whose interests matter, should legal systems do more to ensure those interests are effectively represented and protected?
About the Speaker
Dr. Felix Aiwanger is Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law in Hamburg as well as lecturer at Bucerius Law School and the University of Hamburg. After completing his doctoral studies at the University of Munich, he was legal advisor to the State Animal Protection Commissioner at the Berlin Senate Department for Justice and Consumer Protection. He is a member of the German Association for Animal Protection Law and serves on the editorial board of the Journal for Animal Law, Ethics and One Health. His current research focuses on the legal status and representation of animals from comparative perspectives.