About Jill Ryther

Jill L. Ryther grew up in Michigan and graduated with honors from the University of Michigan, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree with a dual specialization in Political Science and English, along with a minor in Political Philosophy.

While attending the University of Michigan Jill was a member of many campus organizations and was the recipient of several distinguished scholarship and achievement awards. After graduating, Jill worked at a prestigious family law firm, Oyler and Woldman, in Santa Monica, CA.

Jill subsequently attended UCLA School of Law, where she was President of the Mock Trial Association and won several awards in multiple competitions. Jill also served as the Communications Director for the Animal Law Society, and was featured in several newspapers and radio shows as the campus administrator for the Yes on Prop 2 Campaign. While in law school, Jill worked as a law clerk for the Los Angeles District Attorney in the Hardcore Gang Division for three years, conducting preliminary hearings in the courtroom and assisting in several murder trials against various Los Angeles gang members.

At UCLA, Jill took a class, “Animals and the Law” that changed her life. It was then Jill realized she could combine her legal education with her love of animals to make a career out of ending animal exploitation by being an activist attorney. Jill regularly speaks at conferences, law schools, and other events about her experience with animals and the law.

Jill does not shy way from cases that are the first of their kind, and is known for getting judges as well as opposing attorneys to see animals as they truly are: not mere property as the law declares, but as the sentient family members that so many of us love and protect.