March 19, 2004

From 1994 – 2004, he was a partner in the Zurich law firm “Goetschel & Raess” and is a specialist in the field of animal rights since 1984.

As of 2004, he has been running his own law practice in Zurich (Wildbachstrasse 46, P.O. Box 412, CH-8034 Zurich, Switzerland, Phone + 41 43 443 06 44, Fax: +41 43 443 06 46, e-mail info@afgoetschel.com).

He is the author of numerous books and essays in the field of animal welfare legislation (for Swiss and international law) as well as the co-author of many publications. For example:

• the Legal Comment on the Swiss Animal Welfare Act (1986)
• the Compendium of the Swiss Animal Welfare Law (1987)
• his Dissertation on Animal Welfare Law and Fundamental Rights (1989)
• the „Bill Regarding the Human Animal Relationship" (1993)
• the opinion for a "Lawyer for Animal Welfare in Criminal Cases in the Canton of Zurich (1994)
• the book "Our Dog" (2001)
• the book "The Dignity of Animals" (2002)
• the Legal Comment on the German Animal Welfare Act (2002)

• the book "The Animal in the Law - 99 Aspects of the Human-Animal Relationship" (2003)
• the Swiss Bill for an appropriate, innovative, and viable animal welfare legislation (2004)
• the ANIMAL-CD-ROM (2004)
• www.tierschutz.org (2005) and www.tierimrecht.org (2002)
• and more than thirty scientific contributions, essays, and legal opinions on cantonal, national, German, Austrian, and European animal welfare legislation.

All books and opinions are listed in the virtual library of TIR (www.tierimrecht.org).

He was a guest lecturer for animal welfare legislation at the jurisprudential faculty of the Zurich University (1996, 1997, 2005 and 2007) and is a frequent speaker not only at the veterinary faculty of the Zurich University, where he gives lectures about the human-animal relationship in the law, but also at numerous national and international conferences, e.g. those held by the German Judges Academy, Trier, the European Biomedical Research Association EBRA, and the Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations FELASA,  the Swiss Veterinary Association, the German Association of Practicing Veterinarians, Hannover (2001), and by the International Association of Human Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO).

He appears before the public whenever matters concerning the human-animal relationship in the law or ethics are debated. He was involved in several initiatives launched by third parties, which were implemented with the help of the Stiftung für das Tier im Recht

He holds a seat on the legal board of the International Association of Human Animal Interaction Organizations IAHAIO and is a board member of the Foundation for the Wellbeing of Dogs.

Since 1985, he has committed up to 50% of his work capacity for the cause of the animal in the law. In the remaining time, he attends to his law firm, overseeing mandates in the fields of succession law, individual rights, law on associations and foundations, family law, and business consultancy.

On January 20, 2005, he was awarded the “Margaret and Francis Fleitmann Prize” for his “tireless and outstanding commitment for contemporary animal welfare legislation, especially for his pioneer work for the animal in the law”. The prize was endowed with the amount of CHF 50’000 and is highly regarded in animal welfare circles.