MSU Law Student Wins Wanda Nash Award for Excellence in Animal Law

For the fifth consecutive year, an MSU Law student has received the State Bar of Michigan’s Wanda A. Nash Award for exceptional scholarship in animal welfare. This year’s winner is Jessica Rundle, ’19.

The award, named after the founder of the Animal Law Section of the State Bar, annually honors the JD student that the Bar believes has exhibited the most influential work in the field of animal law.

In her time at MSU Law, Rundle worked diligently to recruit law students for animal law activities. When the MSU Law chapter of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) became temporarily inactive after the 2017-2018 school year, Rundle found a way to keep the group strong. While she did not lead the organization herself, she located another student to serve as president, which ensured that SALDF would continue to be part of the fabric of MSU Law. She currently serves as SALDF’s treasurer.

"This award is such an honor," Rundle said. "It represents the changes that I have worked for within the Journal of Animal and Natural Resource Law, as well as recognition from a very important, rapidly changing field."

Rundle also serves as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Animal and Natural Resource Law. Under her leadership, membership of the Journal grew from eleven returning members to a total thirty members, with twelve editors completing notes on topics related to animal or natural resource law.

MSU Law Professor David Favre nominated Rundle for the award. “She has shown good leadership in moving the current volume toward publication,” he said. “Additionally, the Journal had one of our most successful spring conferences, on the issue of wild horses.”