10th Annual DC Week for the Animals Law Night

Join the Animal Law Program Area for the 10th annual law night as part of the DC Week for the Animals.

Panelists

Abby Volin

Abby Volin is the President and Founder of Opening Doors, a consulting firm that helps residential and commercial property professionals manage pets on properties. Prior to founding Opening Doors, she worked at The Humane Society of the United States developing programs to professionalize rescue groups and serving as a public policy specialist on numerous companion animal issues, with a focus on housing and dog breed legislation. Before her venture into animal welfare and policy, Ms. Volin worked as a litigator in New York City and is a licensed attorney in DC, NY, and NJ. She holds a JD from Loyola University Chicago and a BA in quantitative economics and community health from Tufts University.

Jessica Hunt

Jessica L. Hunt is an attorney for the DC Office of Disability Rights where she processes complaints of disability discrimination and provides guidance and training to District of Columbia employees and residents on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act, the Fair Housing Act (FHA), the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), and disability sensitivity and etiquette. She serves as part of the Mid-Atlantic ADA Leadership Network’s cadre of trainers, and her areas of expertise include service animals, housing and shelter situations, and reasonable accommodations. Ms. Hunt is a licensed attorney in DC and KY, and an associate of the VA Bar. She holds a JD from the University of Kentucky and a Masters in Secondary Special Education and Transition from the George Washington University. 

Vivian Leven

Vivian Leven has extensive knowledge in the field of behavior science and learning theory as it applies to dogs. She is a Certified Behavior Consultant Canine – Knowledge Assessed (CBCC-KA) through the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) and has been a positive reinforcement trainer for 18 years. She is the co-owner of Positive Dog Solutions, a dog behavior consulting and people coaching business. Her educational background is a master's degree in conflict resolution from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR), at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. She is also a volunteer mediator with Community Mediation DC. 

Joan Schaffner

Joan E. Schaffner is an Associate Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School. She received her BS in mechanical engineering (magna cum laude), JD (Order of the Coif) from the University of Southern California, and her MS in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Schaffner directs the GW Animal Law focus area and has presented on animal law panels and conferences world-wide.