
Yolanda Eisenstein is an animal protection lawyer and consultant in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is president of the Animal Law Commission of Paris-based Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA), a global association of lawyers established in 1927. She also represents the UIA at the United Nations, where she works on environmental and global wildlife issues. Her international advocacy includes Lawyers for Animal Protection in Africa, a Kenyan nonprofit, where she serves on the board of directors, contributing to wildlife conservation in Sub-Saharan Africa. She is a previous chair of the ABA TIPS Animal Law Committee and, in 2018, received their "Excellence in the Advancement of Animal Law" award in recognition of her work to advance the humane treatment of animals through the law.
Eisenstein earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from SMU Dedman School of Law, where she was an adjunct professor in animal and wildlife law. Additionally, she holds a master's degree, summa cum laude, in philosophy. Eisenstein is the author of Careers in Animal Law and The American Bar Association Guide to Dog Laws. She served as co-editor with Bruce Wagman on Wildlife Law & Ethics and co-editor with Daina Bray on A Guide to Representing Animal Protection Organizations. She was a contributor to Animal Cruelty: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Understanding and the Elgar Encyclopedia of Animal Law.