The legal rights of animals and how they can best be protected will be discussed when UNSW hosts the first annual Voiceless Animal Law Lecture on Tuesday 1 May.

A joint project between the Faculty of Law and Voiceless, the public lecture will be presented by Professor Steven M Wise, a legal expert described by USA Today as 'America's best-known animal lawyer'.

A founding member of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Steven also established the Centre for the Expansion of Fundamental Rights and was the first person to teach an animal law course at Harvard Law School.

In his book Rattling the Cage, Steven describes the needs for better laws to protect animal rights saying "Ancient jurists declared that law had been created just for human beings. Although philosophy and science have long since recanted, the law has not."

Accompanying panellists included Emeritus Professor David Weisbrot, President of the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC), Geoffrey Bloom, a lecturer in animal law at UNSW and Southern Cross University, and Katrina Sharman, corporate counsel for Voiceless.

The lecture series, which will include at least three public lectures over three year, is supported by the Sherman Foundation.

What: Voiceless Animal Law LectureWhen: 6pm, Tuesday 1 MayWhere: Law Building, UNSW Kensington

Media are welcome to attend the lecture. A splitter box will be available.

Media Contact: Victoria Collins, UNSW Media Office, tel. (02) 9385 3263, mob. 0412 980 044, or v.collins@unsw.edu.au