Shelley Rios, Attorney At Law
Chair, Animal Law Guild
President, The Animal Protectorates - TAPS
Executive Director, Operation Adopt Tennessee
Shelley can’t ever remember a time when she didn’t have an animal in her life. She took in abandoned kittens before she was 7 years old and had her first internship when she was 10 - at a veterinarian’s office. She had horses and cows and even raised sheep to show through the 4H club. It was after winning a blue ribbon at a 4H show when she was in 8th grade that she found out what was happening to the sheep she raised - a turning point in her social awareness of the plight of animals. As an entrepreneur, Shelley started multiple companies, but even with the success, it never seemed like she was doing enough. Realizing that she could help animals through law, she set her focus on law school.
After finishing Loyola Law School, she jumped right in by working on "puppy mill" legislation in her home town of Burbank (legislation, that was ultimately passed after over a year of continuous grassroots community outreach and education). Shelley has also volunteered for the Animal Legal Defense Fund and when she was contacted by them about a hoarding case in neighboring Riverside County, she and a devoted group of animal protection advocates from varying backgrounds came together and shone a light on this situation which had gone unfettered for decades with likely thousands of animals dying. Again, through presentations at the local government level, the hoarder was arrested and will be standing trial on misdemeanor and felony animal charges. Shelley believes that grassroots efforts are critical in improving the lives of animals and she considers a law degree another arrow in the quiver in protecting them.
Shelley's message about the animal protection movement is that “effective animal advocates come from all different backgrounds and walks of life - political, religious, economic - the most important thing we can remember as a whole is to present ourselves professionally and focus on our commonalities and not our differences in order to move the law forward for animals.” For nearly 10 years in a row, Shelley was recognized as Burbank’s Best Attorney by The Burbank Leader for her work in animal welfare.
Shelley is Founder and President of The Animal Protectorates - TAPS and Chair of the Animal Law Guild, the advocacy arm of The Animal Protectorates. Shelley has previously served as Vice-Chair of Animal Legal Defense Fund - Los Angeles. She is also a past member of the American Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee.
Shelley is past Vice-President of the Burbank Police Foundation.
Chair, Animal Law Guild
President, The Animal Protectorates - TAPS
Executive Director, Operation Adopt Tennessee
Shelley can’t ever remember a time when she didn’t have an animal in her life. She took in abandoned kittens before she was 7 years old and had her first internship when she was 10 - at a veterinarian’s office. She had horses and cows and even raised sheep to show through the 4H club. It was after winning a blue ribbon at a 4H show when she was in 8th grade that she found out what was happening to the sheep she raised - a turning point in her social awareness of the plight of animals. As an entrepreneur, Shelley started multiple companies, but even with the success, it never seemed like she was doing enough. Realizing that she could help animals through law, she set her focus on law school.
After finishing Loyola Law School, she jumped right in by working on "puppy mill" legislation in her home town of Burbank (legislation, that was ultimately passed after over a year of continuous grassroots community outreach and education). Shelley has also volunteered for the Animal Legal Defense Fund and when she was contacted by them about a hoarding case in neighboring Riverside County, she and a devoted group of animal protection advocates from varying backgrounds came together and shone a light on this situation which had gone unfettered for decades with likely thousands of animals dying. Again, through presentations at the local government level, the hoarder was arrested and will be standing trial on misdemeanor and felony animal charges. Shelley believes that grassroots efforts are critical in improving the lives of animals and she considers a law degree another arrow in the quiver in protecting them.
Shelley's message about the animal protection movement is that “effective animal advocates come from all different backgrounds and walks of life - political, religious, economic - the most important thing we can remember as a whole is to present ourselves professionally and focus on our commonalities and not our differences in order to move the law forward for animals.” For nearly 10 years in a row, Shelley was recognized as Burbank’s Best Attorney by The Burbank Leader for her work in animal welfare.
Shelley is Founder and President of The Animal Protectorates - TAPS and Chair of the Animal Law Guild, the advocacy arm of The Animal Protectorates. Shelley has previously served as Vice-Chair of Animal Legal Defense Fund - Los Angeles. She is also a past member of the American Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee.
Shelley is past Vice-President of the Burbank Police Foundation.