Law Firm Overview

Dr. Geordie Duckler heads The Animal Law Practice, a unique private law practice in Portland, Oregon. The Practice's clients are primarily companion, domestic, commercial, and exotic animal owners, and its main focus is on the resolution, litigation, and trial of animal-related disputes and harms in cases at both the state and federal levels. Geordie prosecutes as well as defends several hundreds of cases every year on claims ranging from relatively minor animal control violations to quite significant veterinary malpractice suits and injury cases, and his practice is the only one of its kind on the West Coast and one of a small handful in the entire nation.

Education & Background

Geordie received his M.S. from University of Oregon in 1984, his J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School in 1987 and his Ph.D. in Biology from UCLA in 1997. As an active research scientist at UCLA, he studied, lectured, and published extensively on animal anatomy and the role of disease in animal populations. He taught human and animal anatomy/physiology at academic institutions in both California and Oregon, and over the last 19 years has practiced law in both states as well.

Previous Cases

Among other notable achievements, Geordie's 1997 law review article about laws affecting zoo animals received national recognition and became the focus of a landmark conference by the Bar Association of New York. More recent law review articles have addressed the economic value of domestic animals, and evidentiary problems in the courtroom. In 2001, Geordie made headlines in Brock v. Rowe, a civil action in Washington County that initiated significant national attention for championing a new tort, "loss of companionship," as well as for the recovery of emotional distress damages for companion pet owners in Oregon. In 2006, Geordie again made headlines in Greenup v. Weaver, a civil action in Clackamas County that galvanized international attention on the tort and resulted in one of the highest jury verdicts in the country in an animal death case.

Accolades and Recognition

Geordie is frequently profiled and quoted in local, regional, and national newspapers and magazines, and has contributed to nearly every television and radio program concerning animal law issues and cases. An outspoken advocate for owner's rights, Geordie has had his cases reported on and has been interviewed in The Oregonian, The Tribune, Willamette Week, Bark, The National Law Journal, Court TV Radio, Newsweek, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Playboy, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and on National Public Radio and the BBC.

Clientele

Over the last three years, the Practice's diverse clientele have expanded to include small businesses, conservationists, animal shelters, recreational horse riders, ranchers, neighborhood associations, specialty dog and cat breeders, stable owners, animal welfare activists, hunters and sportspeople, consumers, veterinarian clients, fur and wool farmers, and private adoption agencies. In his more academic pursuits, Geordie teaches animal law courses as an adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, sits regularly as a hearings officer for Multnomah County Animal Services, presents yearly CLEs in both Oregon and California on animal law issues, speaks at national conferences on the latest issues in animal law, and over the last two years has been invited to Harvard University to participate as a judge in a national Animal Law Moot Court competition.

Selected Publications

• Duckler, G. 1997. Towards a more appropriate jurisprudence regarding the legal status of zoos and zoo animals. Animal Law Journal 3: 61-72.
• Duckler, G. 2002. The Economic Value of Companion Animals: A Legal and Anthropological Argument For Special Valuation. Animal Law Journal 8:199-221.
• Duckler, G. 2004. On Redefining The Boundaries Of Animal Ownership: Burdens And Benefits To Evidencing Animals’ Personalities. Animal Law Journal 10:63-86.

Areas of Practice

• Animal law 100%
• Dog & Animal Bites
• Animal Disputes and Agreements
• General Civil and Animal-Related Issues
• Personal Injury -- Plaintiff

Honors and Awards

• American Jurisprudence Award in Oregon Constitutional Law; Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark, Portland, Oregon, 1987
• Recipient, Sigma Xi Grant-In-Aid of Research, UCLA; Los Angeles, California, 1995
• Recipient, UCLA Dissertation Year Fellowship, UCLA; Los Angeles, California, 1996
• Awardee, Collegium of University Teaching Fellows; UCLA, Los Angeles, California, 1996
• Recipient, UCLA Academic Senate Grants, UCLA; Los Angeles, California, 1994 - 1995
• Keynote speaker, Animals and the Law Conference; NYC Bar Association, New York, 1998
• Judge, Animal Law Moot Court Competition, Harvard Law School; Cambridge, Mass, 2004 - 2005
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Department of Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 1997 - 1999
• Teaching Fellow, Vertebrate Anatomy and Evolution, Vertebrate Morphology, Comparative Anatomy, Mammalogy, Biology of Organisms, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 1992 - 1997

Published Works

• Animal Law, Columnist, Bark Magazine, Berkeley, California, 2008
• Paleopathologies of Late Pleistocene Dire Wolves from Rancho La Brea, (Co-Author with B. Van Valkenburg), Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 14(3) Supp.: 23A, 1994
• The Fossil Evidence for increased Physiological Stress in Extinct Mammals: Interpreting the Frequency of Pathological Indicators in late Pleistocene Saber-Tooth Cats and Dire Wolves from Rancho La Brea, Paleopathology Newsletter 7:5, 1995
• Deciphering the Pathological Relevance of Skull Abnormalities in late Pleistocene Saber-Tooth Cats, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 15(3) Supp.: 27A, 1995
• Assessing the Health of Pleistocene Saber-Tooth Cats: A Comparison of Osteopathologies in Ancient and Modern Populations of Felids, (Co-Author with B. Van Valkenburg), Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 16(3) Supp.: 31 A, 1996
• The Evolution of Horses", (Co-Author with M. Shulman), Evolution and Biodiversity. Burgess Publishing, University of California, Los Angeles, pp. D1-20, M. Shulman (ed.), 1996
• A case of Spondylosis Deformans in the Defleshed Skeleton of a Wild Coyote (Canis latrans) and its Significance to Osteopathologic Interpretation, Journal of Wildlife Disease 33(2): 211-219, 1997
• Previously Undescribed Features in the Temporalis and Masseteric Musculature of Several Large Felids Raised in Captivity, (Co-Author with W. Binder), Zoo Biology 16: 187-191, 1997
• Towards a more Appropriate Jurisprudence regarding the Legal Status of Zoos and Zoo Animals, Animal Law Journal 3:61-72, 1997
• Parietal Depressions in Skulls of the Extinct Saber-Toothed Felid Smilodon Fatalis: Evidence of Mechanical Strain, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 17(3): 600-609, 1997
• Adding Insult to Injuries: Evidence of Excessive Trauma in late Pleistocene Sabertooths at Rancho La Brea, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 17(3): 44A, 1997
• Exploring the Health of late Pleistocene Mammals: the Use of Harris Lines, (Co-Author with B. Van Valkenburg), Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 18(1): 180-188
• Osteological Corroboration of Pathological Stress in a Population of Endangered Florida Pumas (Puma Concolor coryi), (Co-Author with B. Van Valkenburg), Animal Conservation 1(1): 39-46, 1998
• An Unusual Osteological Formation in the Posterior Skulls of Captive Tigers (Panthera tigris), ZooBiology 17: 135-142, 1998
• Unusually High Frequencies of Bodily Injury, Illness and Defect in Two Species of LATE PLEISTOCENE CARNIVORE (Smilodon fatalis, Canis dirus) from Rancho La Brea, California. Paleobiology
• "Nature of the Beast", (Co-Author with D. Campbell), Oregon State Bar Bulletin, 2001
• The Economic Value of Companion Animals: A Legal and Anthropological Argument For Special Valuation, Animal Law Journal 8:199-221, 2002
• "Animal Law For Pet Owners", Dog Nose News, Volume 4, Issues 2 and 3, 2003
• "The Animal Control Hearing", Multnomah Lawyer, 2004
• On Redefining The Boundaries Of Animal Ownership: Burdens And Benefits To Evidencing Animals' Personalities, Animal Law Journal 10:63-86, 2004
• Animal Wrongs: On Holding Animals To (And Excusing Them From) Legal Responsibility For Their Intentional Acts, University of Pennsylvania Law Journal 2:_, 2007
• Osteological Corroboration of Pathological Stress in a Population of Endangered Florida Pumas (Puma concolor coryi), (Co-Author with L. Wilkins), Animal Conservation, 2007
• Between Price and Pricelessness: Calculating The Specific Monetary Value Of A Dog Intentionally Harmed By Another, University of Pennsylvania LawJournal3:_, 2007
• "Minding Dogs In The Courtroom", Modern Dog, 2007
• Three Major Fallacies With The Animal Rights Movement, University of Pennsylvania LAW Journal 3:_, 2007

Classes and Seminars

• Adjunct Professor, Animal Law I and Animal Law II, Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark; Portland, Oregon, 2003 - Present
• Assistant Professor, Human Anatomy, Mt. Hood Community College, Gresham, Oregon, 1999
• Assistant Professor, Human Anatomy, Biology, Research Methods, Cleveland Chiropractic College, Los Angeles, California, 1997 - 1998
• Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, Union Institute, Los Angeles, California, 1997 - 1998
• Instructor, General Science, Oakwood School, North Hollywood, California, 1997 - 1998
• Instructor, Zoo Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 1997
• Teaching Assistant, Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, Department of Zoology; Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 1981 - 1983
• Gross Anatomy Training, UCLA Medical School Program, University of California Center for Health Sciences, Los Angeles, California, 1996
• Anatomical Dissection of Cranial and Masticatory Musculature of Captive Felids, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, California, 1996
• Orthopedic Pathology Training, Professional Medical Seminar, Center for Advanced Medical Education, AF Institute of Pathology, Washington, D.C., 1992 - 1996
• Osteological, Radiographic, C-T, and Pathologic Techniques on Skeletal Materials, George C. Page Museum, Los Angeles, 1992 - 1998
• Osteological, Radiographic, C-T, and Pathologic Techniques on Skeletal Materials, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, 1992 - 1998
• Osteological, Radiographic, C-T, and Pathologic Techniques on Skeletal Materials, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, 1992 - 1998
• Osteological, Radiographic, C-T, and Pathologic Techniques on Skeletal Materials, United States National Museum, Washington, D.C., 1992 - 1998
• Osteological, Radiographic, C-T, and Pathologic Techniques on Skeletal Materials, American Museum of Natural History, New York, 1992 - 1998
• Osteological, Radiographic, C-T, and Pathologic Techniques on Skeletal Materials, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, 1992 - 1998
• Osteological, Radiographic, C-T, and Pathologic Techniques on Skeletal Materials, National Zoological Park, Washington, D. C., 1992 - 1998
• "Remains To Be Seen: Perceptions Of Extinct Animals In The Press", San Francisco Public Library Association, San Francisco, California, 1989
• "The Pleistocene Extinction", OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry), Portland, Oregon, 1997
• "A New Approach To Fulfilling Legal Obligations Toward Zoo Animals and Zoos", Animals and the Law Conference, New York City Bar Association, New York, 1998
• "Animal Law: Tort Law in Oregon", CLE for the Oregon State Bar, Portland, Oregon, 2001
• "Animal Law: Tort Law in California", CLE for the California State Bar, San Diego, California, 2001
• "The Monetary Value of Animal Life", 9th Annual Animal Law Conference, Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark, Portland, Oregon, 2001
• "The Valuation of Animals in Tort", Oregon Trial Lawyer's Association meeting, Portland, Oregon, 2002
• "Animals and The Law", CLE for the Oregon State Bar, Portland, Oregon, 2002
• "Stocking Up For The Coming Demographic Winter", 10th Annual Animal Law Conference, Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark, Portland, Oregon, 2002
• "Civil Rights And Liability Issues Arising During Investigations On Private Property", Oregon Code Enforcement Association, Lincoln City, Oregon, 2003

Representative Cases

• Brock v. Rowe , (Washington County Circuit Court 2001)
• Greenup v. Weaver , (Clackamas County Circuit Court 2006)

West Practice Categories

Agriculture Law, Government Contracts, Personal Injury -- Defense, Personal Injury -- Plaintiff