Judicial Institute on the Human-Animal Bond and the LINK Between Animal Cruelty and Interpersonal Violence: Issues in Family Law Cases
May 18 – 19, 2026
George Washington University Law School
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The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) is pleased to invite applications for the Judicial Institute on the Human-Animal Bond and the LINK Between Animal Cruelty and Interpersonal Violence: Issues in Family Law Cases. The Institute is being offered by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), in collaboration with the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), and the George Washington University Law School (GWULS).
The 1.5-day in-person Judicial Institute is designed for judicial officers who handle juvenile and family law matters and have a strong interest in learning about recommended practices for addressing companion animal welfare issues that arise in the context of domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, juvenile justice, divorce, and child custody cases. The Institute will provide a hands-on understanding and application of the seminal publication by the NCJFCJ and the ALDF, Animal Cruelty Issues: What Juvenile and Family Court judges Need to Know.
No prior knowledge or training on the human-animal bond or the LINK between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence is required. However, it is expected that participants come with a willingness to implement the recommended practices covered during the Institute and to work with other judicial colleagues to be ambassadors and educators on the issues in their home community or state.
The Institute will be held at the George Washington University Law School in Washington, DC., May 18 – 19, 2026. Institute faculty include national subject matter experts and jurists who are informing and influencing recommended policy and practice across the country relating to companion animal and human welfare in family law cases.
Judicial officers interested in receiving training and technical assistance to improve decision making and outcomes in family law cases are welcome to apply for acceptance to the Institute. Only current judicial officers will be accepted for the Institute. Continuing legal education credit (CLE) will be available. There are no registration fees for the Institute. For travel expenses, scholarship funding is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Otherwise Institute participants are expected to self-fund their travel.
Please click on the Institute Application link below to apply for acceptance to the Institute. Application responses will be used to determine acceptance to the Institute and to allocate scholarship funding. A waitlist will be created if more applications are received than space permits.
For questions about the Institute, please feel welcome to contact Dr. Martha Blomquist, NCJFCJ Senior Site Manager, at mblomquist@ncjfcj.org.