Students at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law opened the first legal clinic to help Ontario pet parents navigate custody disputes after a breakup.
“In cases where both people want to keep the pet, we’re seeing that sometimes the pets are being used as pawns in the couple’s fight,” said TMU law student Rebecca Field Jager.
Jager brought together a team of nine law students and launched the Pro Bone-o Pet Dispute Clinic last March. It’s part of a free legal clinic offered by the law school. The students are guided by two faculty advisors and a team of community lawyers who volunteer their time
and expertise in family law.
The clinic offers free 30-minute virtual consultations and recently started offering “pup-nups.” These are pet custody agreements with options that couples can explore before or shortly after acquiring a pet.
