Travel and Learning Award for Bianka Atlas

Bianka’s plan

Bianka will use the Travel and Learning Award to attend the Animal Law Conference, co-hosted by the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) and the Animal Legal Defense Fund, in Portland, Oregon in November 2022. This will enable Bianka to re-connect with the animal law faculty where she studied for her LLM, gain and share knowledge, and develop networks in the global animal law community. She will also present a guest lecture at Lewis & Clark Law School on animal law in New Zealand.

Bianka believes the practice of animal law holds enormous potential for high-impact advocacy. As an emerging field of law, there is scope for creativity and innovation in its development and application. Bianka is excited to have the opportunity to harness the law’s potential to create positive change for animals and to foster the development of animal law in Aotearoa. Her goal is to apply the knowledge and utilise the connections she gains through the Travel and Learning Award to drive systemic change in the legal status and treatment of animals.

About Bianka

Bianka is a passionate advocate for systemic change that improves protections for animals. She is the first New Zealander to graduate with an Animal Law LLM from Lewis & Clark Law School’s Center for Animal Law Studies, where she was a Brooks Institute for Animal Rights Law and Policy International Scholar. Banka has researched and published on a range of animal law issues, including international wildlife law, aquatic animal protection, the link between domestic violence and animal abuse, and the controversy surrounding the labelling of plant-based meat products.

Prior to pivoting to animal law, Bianka enjoyed a varied human rights career, with expertise in children’s rights and refugee protection in Aotearoa and internationally. She was deployed to Lebanon with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has worked in Community Law and in policy, advisory and advocacy roles in the government and non-profit sectors. Bianka holds an LLM Hons from Lewis & Clark Law School, a Master of Science (Childhood Studies) from the University of Edinburgh, and a Bachelor of Laws Hons and Bachelor of Arts (Linguistics and Psychology) from the University of Auckland. She also holds a Certificate in Animal Welfare Investigations.

Grant Amount

$7,970 in 2022 to support travel