Recommendations for Equine Lawyer in California
December 16, 2023 12:45 PM
We need to find a lawyer in California to review the liability waiver for a horse related activity. No luck with personal recommendations - everyone else just copied from someone else or used a standard contract that they downloaded for a few bucks. Don't want to pay $$$ but want to make sure the contract actually does what it is supposed to do. Specific recommendations appreciated. Generic "how to find a lawyer" advice is not helpful - there are many out there but we need help choosing.
I can't offer up any personal recommendations, but here's where I'd start (and I often have to find lawyers for business-related reasons).
1. You want somebody/some firm that specializes in equine law.
2. You want somebody who has some recognition from the equine industry
3. You want somebody who is familiar with the type of equine sport you're involved in (i.e. hunter jumper. racing, western pleasure, etc.)
4. Ideally, you want somebody local to your area.
Given that, I did a very quick Google search, and here are the first places I'd call to ask for a free consultation.
Randolph Catanese
Why: Mr. Catanese has been a guest lecturer before the National Equine Law Conference sponsored by the University of Kentucky Law School in 2014, 2017 and 2019. He has also been a speaker before the American Horse Council Tax Conference. In addition, he is a contributing board member for the American Horse Council Tax Bulletin. Mr. Catanese has also lectured before the University of Arizona Racetrack Management Program. Mr. Catanese is a Member of the American College of Equine attorneys.
Reasoning: I like the membership in the equine attorneys group. I like that he's been recognized as an industry expert. He seems to be more business and racing, so that may be a con, depending on your equestrian activities
Polly Hey
Why: Polly is a member of the United States Equestrian Federation, United States Hunter Jumper Association, Pacific Coast Horse Shows Association, Norcal Hunter Jumper Association, and the California Dressage Society. In 1997, Polly won the Norcal Senior Medal Finals. Polly stays current on court decisions and the latest changes in Equine Law by attending the National Equine Law Conference in Kentucky, and is a member of The American College of Equine Attorneys.
Reasoning: Again, the equine attorneys members, but also the USEF members, and if you're on the hunter/jumper side of the business, she should be able to understand your concerns.
Erin Prutow
Reasoning: I might look at Erin simply because of the way she addresses liability waivers on her website.
Rachel Kosmal McCart
Rachel is a member in good standing of the United States Eventing Association, and AQHA Professional Horsemen. She currently owns three horses. As an adult amateur, Rachel earned numerous open and amateur American Paint Horse Association (APHA) points in almost every event as well as many year-end APHA regional awards in a wide variety of different events. In 2012, Rachel switched to three-day eventing.
Reasoning: If you're into the western aspects, I might consider her experience with the AQHA a reason to consider her.
A couple of other firms I might check out are:
W&D
Cochaella Valley
The other thing I'd do is I'd look at whatever association you're a member of and see who is advertising legal services through the association, or who in the association is a lawyer.
posted by sardonyx at 1:21 PM on December 16, 2023
1. You want somebody/some firm that specializes in equine law.
2. You want somebody who has some recognition from the equine industry
3. You want somebody who is familiar with the type of equine sport you're involved in (i.e. hunter jumper. racing, western pleasure, etc.)
4. Ideally, you want somebody local to your area.
Given that, I did a very quick Google search, and here are the first places I'd call to ask for a free consultation.
Randolph Catanese
Why: Mr. Catanese has been a guest lecturer before the National Equine Law Conference sponsored by the University of Kentucky Law School in 2014, 2017 and 2019. He has also been a speaker before the American Horse Council Tax Conference. In addition, he is a contributing board member for the American Horse Council Tax Bulletin. Mr. Catanese has also lectured before the University of Arizona Racetrack Management Program. Mr. Catanese is a Member of the American College of Equine attorneys.
Reasoning: I like the membership in the equine attorneys group. I like that he's been recognized as an industry expert. He seems to be more business and racing, so that may be a con, depending on your equestrian activities
Polly Hey
Why: Polly is a member of the United States Equestrian Federation, United States Hunter Jumper Association, Pacific Coast Horse Shows Association, Norcal Hunter Jumper Association, and the California Dressage Society. In 1997, Polly won the Norcal Senior Medal Finals. Polly stays current on court decisions and the latest changes in Equine Law by attending the National Equine Law Conference in Kentucky, and is a member of The American College of Equine Attorneys.
Reasoning: Again, the equine attorneys members, but also the USEF members, and if you're on the hunter/jumper side of the business, she should be able to understand your concerns.
Erin Prutow
Reasoning: I might look at Erin simply because of the way she addresses liability waivers on her website.
Rachel Kosmal McCart
Rachel is a member in good standing of the United States Eventing Association, and AQHA Professional Horsemen. She currently owns three horses. As an adult amateur, Rachel earned numerous open and amateur American Paint Horse Association (APHA) points in almost every event as well as many year-end APHA regional awards in a wide variety of different events. In 2012, Rachel switched to three-day eventing.
Reasoning: If you're into the western aspects, I might consider her experience with the AQHA a reason to consider her.
A couple of other firms I might check out are:
W&D
Cochaella Valley
The other thing I'd do is I'd look at whatever association you're a member of and see who is advertising legal services through the association, or who in the association is a lawyer.
posted by sardonyx at 1:21 PM on December 16, 2023
When Mrs Straw and I were running a program to do crafts with kids, the sponsoring organization required that we come up with a waiver, so I freaked out, and a lawyer friend spent quite a while talking with me about boilerplate and options, and his advice was that there is no magic language, and that if it ever came down to a legal issue this would be decided by "my peers", so write it myself, in plain language, expecting that it was going to be interpreted by my neighbors.
posted by straw at 10:20 PM on December 16, 2023
posted by straw at 10:20 PM on December 16, 2023
You could ask on the Chronicle of the Horse forums or search their archives.
posted by sepviva at 10:01 AM on December 17, 2023
posted by sepviva at 10:01 AM on December 17, 2023
Restart this process with your insurance broker. Any horse activity for which you would reasonably want a liability waiver in California is something for which you must have insurance, and the insurance will often dictate (and provide!) an appropriate form of waiver. People die in in horse accidents all the time, and there are outcomes with even higher damages that death (e.g., quadriplegia).
By the way, run away instantly from any lawyer who would draft you a liability waiver for anything horse-related without making sure you have insurance for the covered activity.
posted by MattD at 10:37 AM on December 17, 2023
By the way, run away instantly from any lawyer who would draft you a liability waiver for anything horse-related without making sure you have insurance for the covered activity.
posted by MattD at 10:37 AM on December 17, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by parmanparman at 1:09 PM on December 16, 2023