Rachel Hirschfeld (1945/1946 – September 28, 2018) was an

animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevit ...

attorney specializing in the area of

animal law Animal law is a combination of statutory and case law in which the nature legal, social or biological of nonhuman animals is an important factor. Animal law encompasses companion animals, wildlife, animals used in entertainment and animals raise ...

pet trust A pet trust is a legal arrangement to provide care for a pet after its owner dies. A pet trust falls under trust law and is one option for pet owners who want to provide for their pets after they pass away. Alternatives include honorary bequests m ...

s, and pet protection agreements. She co-produced and was head producer of productions of many plays on and off-Broadway such as '' Oleanna'' and ''

Blithe Spirit Blithe Spirit may refer to: * ''Blithe Spirit'' (play), a 1941 comic play written by Noël Coward * ''Blithe Spirit'' (1945 film), a British comedy film based on the play * ''Blithe Spirit'' (2020 film), a British-American comedy film based on th ...

''.

Legal career

Hirschfeld was an advocate in the area of

s. When a New York court awarded $2 million to

Leona Helmsley Leona Roberts Helmsley (July 4, 1920 – August 20, 2007) was an American businesswoman. Her flamboyant personality and reputation for tyrannical behavior earned her the nickname Queen of Mean. After allegations of non-payment were made by co ...

's dog, Hirschfeld was quoted in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issue ...

'' calling it "one of the greatest moments for animals ongoing care". She noted that "It's a landmark case, for a judge to be able to say that we have a case for that amount of money." Hirschfeld has been either quoted or profiled by news and media outlets in stories about pet trusts and pet rights including ABC's ''Nightline'', ''The New Yorker'', ''The New York Sun'', ''Newsday'', The Today Show, CNN, the CBS Early Show, and ''The Wall Street Journal''. Hirschfeld died on September 28, 2018.Monmouth County Surrogate Index of Estates – 1991 to Present
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Bibliography

*''Petriarch: The Complete Guide To Financial and Legal Planning for a Pet's Continued Care'' (2010)

References

External links

Profile on pettrustlawyer.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirschfeld, Rachel 1940s births 2018 deaths 20th-century American lawyers American animal welfare scholars American people of Polish-Jewish descent Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law alumni New York (state) lawyers