Our Team
Marine Lercier
Founder & Executive Director
Director of Legal Research & Advocacy
Marine is a dedicated advocate for the intertwined causes of human and animal rights, committed to driving meaningful and long-lasting change. As a PhD candidate in Global Animal Law and a Researcher at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, she combines academic research with practical application to advance legal frameworks that protect and enhance the welfare and rights of animals. Marine is the Co-founder of the Journal of Animal Rights Law, where she serves as Editor-in-Chief, Financial Manager, and Conferences and Symposia Organiser, and the Founder, Executive Director, and Director of Legal Research and Advocacy of the International Centre for Animal Rights and Ethics (ICARE).
Her doctoral research pioneers the concept of ‘Animal Labour Law’©, exploring avenues to grant labour rights to non-human animal workers. Using racehorses as a case study, she aims to address gaps in their protection and safeguard racehorses’ fundamental interests, including through a legal right to retirement beyond their racing careers.
Marine graduated with high honours in Animal Law and Society from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She completed the Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law Lecturers’ Workshop, regularly lectures on Animal Law and has organised and judged speed moot courts on human rights and animal rights. She also taught Animal Law and Roman law at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She has coordinated numerous international and national academic conferences, symposia, roundtables, and book talks.
Known for her collaborative spirit and reliability, Marine frequently advises and collaborates with other researchers and NGOs and is always ready to help. She has been a Junior Fellow (2020-2022) and Fellow (2022-2023) of the Animals & Biodiversity programme at the Global Research Network Think Tank, where she contributed her expertise to a community of like-minded individuals and mentored Junior Fellows. She ran for the Animalist Party in France's parliamentary elections (2022), underscoring her commitment to legal, institutional, and policy reforms.
Meganne Natali
Legal Researcher and Lead Advisor, International Wildlife Trafficking & Wildlife Crime
Dr Meganne Natali is a lawyer, lecturer, and leading legal expert in wildlife crime, holding a PhD in International Law and a Visiting Fellowship at Portsmouth University. She is dedicated to both advancing academic knowledge and implementing practical solutions to global challenges.
As a consultant collaborating with prominent organisations, including the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime, Four Paws, the International Centre for Animal Rights and Ethics (ICARE), and World Animal Justice (WAJ), she works to strengthen international legal frameworks aimed at combating wildlife crime and reducing zoonotic disease risks through the regulation of wildlife trade.
Additionally, as a Case Manager at the Doctoral Clinic of International Law and Human Rights of Aix-en-Provence (France), she is committed to nurturing the next generation of legal scholars and advancing groundbreaking research.
Maria Llanos Martell
Volunteer Coordinator
Maria is a seasoned non-profit professional with a proven track record of success in driving positive social change. With a deep passion for animal rights, she brings a wealth of experience in leading teams, developing impactful campaigns, building strong relationships, and securing funding to support critical initiatives.
Maria holds a Bachelor's degree in Corporate Communications and a Master's degree in Interpersonal and Environmental Communication. Her expertise spans across diverse areas, including non-profit management, strategic communications, community engagement, and fundraising.
Maria is dedicated to creating a more just and compassionate world and is committed to leveraging her skills to advance animal welfare, foster environmental conservation, and promote the development of more sustainable food systems.
Lauren Bestwick
Marketing & Campaign Manager
Lauren has been vegan for five years and lives in the UK. She is a history graduate and an alumna of the Oxford University Society for Animal Ethics. She has been published in the Journal of Animal Ethics (JAE), where she examined attitudes towards animals in seventeenth-century England. Currently, she works in Digital Marketing.
Isabella
Di Silvestro
Social Media Content Designer and Manager
Isabella is an undergraduate student in Environmental Studies at McGill University, learning about the environment and climate change from an intersectional lens. She has been vegan for five years and is a fierce advocate for animal rights, with dreams of working in animal rights law or policy. Alongside her passion for animals and the environment, Isabella has a creative eye and uses her skills to create informative, eye-catching content.
B. Louise Schriewer
Legal Consultant, Educator, and Communicator
Dr. B. Louise Schriewer is qualified for judicial office in Germany and holds a doctorate from the Walther Schücking Institute for International Law. As part of her legal education, Louise studied in Spain and worked in Vietnam. After completing her traineeship at the High Court of Berlin, she joined McDermott Will & Emery LLP, and became part of a transcontinental team working on international arbitration cases. In 2016, Louise moved to the USA, where she started her coaching and consulting business. Louise has helped hundreds of people with work-related challenges and offered consulting services to the CEOs of small companies.
In addition to running her business, Louise co-led the multinational legal team of Volt (a new, pan-European political movement). Volt gained its first seat in the 2019 European Parliamentary elections, after which she handed over her role to her successor.
She has taught classes on EU law at the University of Kiel, served as a course facilitator for Ubiquity University, and been involved in different leadership development programs for businesses and non-profits. Louise has contributed to the German Yearbook of International Law and other publications. Outside of academia, she has written extensively for the general public, including in the Huffington Post. Until 2023, Louise served as the editor for Better Humans, one of Medium's oldest and biggest publications.
Silvina Pezzetta
Legal Expert & Social Media Content Creator
Silvina Pezzetta is an Argentinean CONICET researcher in Animal Law and Ethics. She has been working on animal rights legal theory and animal ethics for the last ten years while also participating as Amicus curiae in relevant national and international court cases. She has taught animal ethics at the Buenos Aires University Law School (Argentina). She won the Culture & Animals Foundation Award in 2020 and the Tiny Beam Foundation Fellowship in 2021. She was a visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Law and International Public Law (Heidelberg, Germany) in 2019 and 2023. She was a Visiting Fellow at the ALPP Harvard Law School during the academic year 2023-2024.
Celeste Viljoen
Fundraising, Donor Outreach
Celeste Viljoen is an LLM candidate at the Global Environmental Law Centre, specialising in Environmental Law with a focus on Animal Law. Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Celeste is deeply committed to animal protection and welfare. She aspires to become an environmental lawyer, working to safeguard both the environment and animal rights in Africa and beyond.
Valéria Jacobovicz
Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters
Valéria is a Brazilian attorney currently pursuing an LL.M. in Environmental and Energy Law at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Passionate about animal protection, she has been actively involved in rescuing animals from mistreatment in her home country and has volunteered with wildlife in Namibia.
In addition to her practical experience, Valéria has also contributed to the academic field by writing articles on Animal Law. During her LL.M., she has been deepening her studies to strengthen environmental and animal protection through legal mechanisms, combining her legal expertise with a commitment to sustainability to drive positive impact.
Angélique Umutesi Muhavani
Legal Researcher, Wildlife Trafficking & Wildlife Crime
Angélique is a Kenyan lawyer with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Strathmore University. She is currently a Project Intern at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) within the Regional Office for Africa. She has also worked as a legal assistant at the Judiciary of Kenya's Milimani Law Courts and the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW Kenya).
Driven by a strong interest in legal and policy research, particularly in environmental law, she also volunteers as a researcher for the Loss and Damage Youth Coalition and contributes as an editor to the weADAPT platform hosted by the Stockholm Environment Institute.
Introduced to effective altruism and animal welfare in 2023, she has developed a keen interest in these areas and a desire to leverage her legal skills and background to create meaningful interventions.
Prithviraj Pahwa
Researcher, Political Representation of Animals
Prithvi is a dedicated data scientist with a strong passion for animal rights and ethical practices. With a solid academic foundation and a commitment to social impact, he is eager to apply his expertise in research and technology to support the recognition and protection of animals’ fundamental rights.
Kimberly Backman
Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters
After a distinguished career as a civil litigator and court-appointed guardian ad litem, Kimberly made a strategic shift to Animal Law to fiercely advocate for the rights of non-human animals. As a proud recipient of the Center for Animal Law Studies Leadership Award, she graduated summa cum laude with a Master of Laws (LLM) in Animal Law from Lewis & Clark Law School.
Kimberly was chosen as an Ambassador for the Center for Animal Law Studies Global Ambassador Program for the 2024/2025 term, where she took the initiative to launch Animal Law Alliance. As Executive Director, she is committed to providing pro bono legal services to animal welfare organisations that deliver critical care, housing, and services to companion animals, farmed animals, and wildlife.
As a passionate advocate for Animal Law, Kimberly is determined to expand rights and legal protections for all species. Her lifelong devotion to animals and her decision to embrace a vegan lifestyle exemplify her unwavering commitment to advancing animal welfare.
Aansa Batool
Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters
Aansa Batool is a highly motivated and dedicated fourth-year law student at the prestigious National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan. She possesses a strong foundation in legal research and writing and a deep passion for animal welfare.
Her academic interests lie in Constitutional Law, International Law, and Arbitration, and she is eager to apply her legal skills to the crucial area of animal protection in disaster situations. Aansa is particularly drawn to the challenge of conducting in-depth legal research on animal rights within the context of disaster management, identifying legal gaps and inconsistencies, and advocating for stronger legal frameworks. Aansa is excited to contribute her skills and dedication to this important field and make a positive impact on the lives of animals affected by disasters.
Katarína Kubovicová
Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters
Katarína is an EU legal and policy expert with a decade of experience in international and European law. Passionate about sustainability, environmental protection, and animal welfare, she actively engages in advocacy and research initiatives.
She has volunteered with animal shelters and organic farms and continues to expand her expertise in animal rights law and advocacy.
Shadiar Seidakhmetova
Researcher, Political Representation of Animals
Shadiar is originally from Kazakhstan and currently resides in Italy. Shadiar is a third-year student at the University of Messina with a BA in Political Sciences and International Relations. She is also a Junior Expert at World Animal Justice (WAJ).
Louise Lallican
Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters
Louise is a French legal counsel with a Master’s degree in International and European Criminal Law, as well as a university degree in Animal Law. She has gained valuable experience in legal and compliance roles in France and Ireland.
Driven by a strong commitment to advancing animal welfare—particularly for wildlife and farm animals—Louise is dedicated to advocating at the legal and policy levels to strengthen protections and improve welfare standards for animals worldwide.
Dulki Seethawaka
Legal Researcher, Animal Labour
Having completed her LL.M. and M.Phil. at the University of Colombo, specialising in Animal Welfare Law, Dulki is a Senior Executive Researcher at the Centre for Environmental Law and Policy (CELP) within the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. She is the first Sri Lankan recipient of a full scholarship from Lewis & Clark Law School in the USA to study at the Center for Animal Law Studies’ renowned Online LLM in Animal Law program.
Dulki has also contributed as an editor to the CELP publication A Compilation of Animal Welfare Provisions and Case Law, the first-ever compilation of animal welfare laws and judgments in Sri Lanka. She has written for various journals, newspapers, and book publications on animal-related issues in national, regional, and global contexts. Dulki is also an Associate Editor at the Journal of Animal Rights Law.
Maham Khan
Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters
Maham is a dedicated law student at the National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan, with a passion for mooting, legal research, and advocacy. Recognised for her achievements in national and international moot court competitions, she also contributes as an executive member of a distinguished Law Firm, organising certified courses and managing outreach campaigns.
With experience in human rights and environmental law, Maham blends academic excellence with practical legal skills. Outside her legal pursuits, she is an avid writer, editor, and book blogger, committed to driving meaningful change through her work.
Anna Obek
Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters
Anna is a licensed attorney in the United States and is passionate about animal law and animal rights advocacy. She holds a Juris Doctorate and Master's degree in Public Policy and Administration. Anna has worked and volunteered with numerous animal welfare and rights organisations.
Audrey Nury
Legal Researcher, Wildlife Trafficking & Wildlife Crime
Audrey graduated with an MA in International Relations and an LL.M. in International Criminal Law. Fully dedicated to the fight against crimes against animals, she is always looking for experiences and learning new things. Strong of this mindset, she joined ICARE's working group on wildlife crime and trafficking in 2025. Eager to get as much theoretical knowledge as in-field practice, she eventually trained as a Conservation Ranger and volunteers all around the world as such.
Deeksha Aggarwal
Legal Researcher, Animal Labour
Deeksha is a passionate legal professional dedicated to advancing animal rights and fostering sustainable, ethical practices worldwide. With a Master’s in International Law and Human Rights from the University for Peace and extensive experience in advocacy, Deeksha combines academic rigour with hands-on expertise in protecting the rights of animals.
Madelon van Hoek Ostende
Researcher, Political Representation of Animals
Madelon is an MA graduate in Human Rights and Democratisation at the Global Campus of Human Rights. During her studies, she gained experience in the fields of Environmental Law, the Rights of Nature, and Animal Law. She is also deeply committed to animal welfare and animal protection, and is especially interested in the topic of legal representation of animals.
Harshad Sambamurthy
Content Writer
Harshad has a background in environmental education. He works in the wildlife conservation space in India, and uses writing and oral-based storytelling to advocate for a more equitable and just world; for all its diverse beings.