Advocates for Animals Wins Prestigious Award

Advocates for Animals, the UK’s first Animal Law firm, has won Boutique Law Firm of the Year from the prestigious Legal Business Awards 2023.

On 19 September 2023 Advocates for Animals, amongst a group of esteemed legal professionals gathered at a glitzy event in Mayfair, London, won an award granted by Legal Business. Other winners included TLT, Dentons, Latham and Watkins and Macfarlanes.

This award not only recognises Advocates for Animals and the vital work the firm does for animal protection, but it puts animal law on the map as a distinct and important legal discipline worthy of respect. This in itself is groundbreaking and The Legal Business Awards should be commended for recognising this.

The practice of animal law has been present in other countries like the US and Canada for decades, yet in the UK it has only really gained momentum since Advocates for Animals was launched in 2019.

The UK is a nation of animal lovers and often pats itself on the back for its relatively high standards and animal laws in the statute books, but with a lack of lawyers specialising in animal law these laws were left to be grossly underenforced and interpreted in a way that has not always had the animals’ best interest at heart.

Advocates for Animals has worked across a variety of cases, all with the intention of ensuring that animal laws are applied in practice. It is currently involved in a high profile judicial review challenging the UK government over the use of fast growing chickens that make up 90% of the chicken meat in the UK; these chickens experience a range of health and welfare issues.

“We are over the moon to have won this award. Animal law is not easy—fighting to help animals in the courts and witnessing the cruelty is hard. This award is a reminder that change is happening, people see the value in this important work. We would like to dedicate this award to our wonderful clients who truly have made this possible and most importantly the animals who we will continue to fight for.” - Edie Bowles, Managing Director, Advocates for Animals

“Edie and her team are thoroughly deserving of this award. The firm’s work is truly integral to the animal protection movement; thanks to their team of experts, animal groups and activists are now better positioned than ever before to recommend robust legislation, publicly scrutinise the government and corporate animal welfare policies, conduct powerful investigations into animal industries and more.

By providing a high-quality and affordable legal service in this space, animal groups and activists are able to make informed decisions that, in turn, spare animals from suffering. Awareness of animal protection is growing at pace and, thanks to the work of Advocates for Animals, it is also growing in its legal knowledge too.” Abi Penny, Executive Director, Animal Equality (client of Advocates for Animals)

We would like to dedicate this award to our wonderful clients who truly have made this possible and most importantly the animals who we will continue to fight for.