Gary Lawrence Francione (born May 1954) is an American legal scholar. He is the Distinguished Professor of Law and Nicholas deB. Katzenbach Scholar of Law & Philosophy at Rutgers School of Law-Newark.

Francione is known for his work on animal rights

Animal rights

Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...

 theory, and was the first academic to teach it in an American law school. His work has focused on three issues: (1) the property status of animals, (2) the differences between animal rights and animal welfare, and (3) a theory of animal rights based on sentience

Sentience

Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive or be conscious, or to have subjective experiences. Eighteenth century philosophers used the concept to distinguish the ability to think from the ability to feel . In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences...

 alone, rather than on any particular characteristics.

He is a pioneer of the abolitionist theory of animal rights

Abolitionism (animal rights)

Abolitionism within the animal rights movement is the idea that focusing on animal welfare reform not only fails to challenge animal suffering, but may prolong it by making the exercise of property rights over animals appear acceptable. The abolitionists' objective is to secure a moral and legal...

, arguing that animal welfare

Animal welfare

Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...

 regulation is theoretically and practically unsound, serving only to prolong the status of animals as property by making the public feel comfortable about using them.