April Goodwin opened a law firm in Largo in 2015, where she works with pet law to help dog and cat owners solve disputes.

When Goodwin first advertised her services for her firm, the business began slowly coming in, Yahoo News reported. She had previously read that pet law was recession-resistant, which piqued her interest, so when she started her firm, she began offering the service as well as handling employment law cases.

In 2020, around half of the cases that the Largo firm handled were pet law, Yahoo reported. Now, Goodwin says that the firm handles about twice as many pet law cases as they do employment law cases.

Unfortunately, pets are considered property under Florida law, where Goodwin’s firm is located. Goodwin handles everything from pet custody disputes to dog bites to veterinary malpractice cases.

The majority of the pet law cases that they handle involve custody disputes over animals and dog bite cases. Although most cases involve dogs, some are surrounding cats and even birds.

Goodwin recommends that people get written proof of ownership when getting a new pet just in case of custody situations. To learn more about The Goodwin Firm.

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