Iaira Boissevain

As a lawyer and a Bachelor of Animal Management, I began my career navigating the legal minefield surrounding animals and the law, leading to a spontaneous idea for an article on Dogs and the Law, which turned into a regular feature in our monthly publication, ‘Onze Hond’, followed by a similar series in ‘De Hoefslag’. The phone never quite stopped ringing from that moment on. These days, as a lawyer, I specialise in ‘practical animal law’, meaning the law which farmers, veterinarians, professionals, and owners find themselves confronted with – often inadvertently.

In addition to my work as a lawyer, I give a great many lectures and presentations; I also teach and still write articles for various publications, including for the ‘Tijdschrift voor Diergeneeeskunde’ (‘Journal of Veterinary Medicine’) and work as a lecturer (of animal and veterinary law) at Utrecht University.

As a lawyer, I provide consult on and litigate in on manner of cases related to animals. These include cases regarding veterinary law, property, purchase and sales cases, liability issues, victims of attacks by aggressive dogs, but equally disputes with the State on animals. I know that no price tag could ever be attached to an animal or a pet, yet I am also fully aware that legal proceedings can be very expensive. I try to keep my hourly rate as low as possible and I will always try to discuss the costs and risks with you where possible before undertaking any case. On top of that, I will always try to explore other options to resolve a given problem.

In addition, there always other options available to limit the costs of legal counsel:

• Presenting a dispute to the BVDV Internal Dispute Resolution Committee.
• A single ‘bite-sized’ consultation.
• A fixed-price agreement in which all proceedings are conducted at a pre-determined amount, regardless of the number of hours involved. This option is available to be private individuals as well as legal expenses insurers. Please contact me for further details.

Please note that if you do opt for a consultation, you will not be able to take your case to the Internal Dispute Resolution Committee, as this would jeopardise any objective adjudication.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch for any further information, lecture bookings or legal counsel

Although I am a lawyer, I enjoy spending the rest of my time outdoors and with animals, as well as training sniffer dogs, visiting animal shelters abroad, attending training courses, rambling, cycling and making music. In accordance with our philosophy at BVDV, all queries will be handled during office hours on weekdays only.