Equine

Explore Hinshaw partner Yvonne Ocrant’s insights on equine business transactions, contracts, and legal standards in her co-authored chapter for the Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Animal Law.

The law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is pleased to announce that the firm ranks as "Distinguished in Litigation" in BTI Consulting's BTI Litigation Outlook 2024 client survey. According to BTI, top legal decision-makers identified Hinshaw as among the firms "best suited to meet their pressing litigation needs."

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP announced that Christopher "Kipper" Burke has joined the firm as a partner in the global Insurance Services Practice Group in the Houston office. Burke expands the firm's insurance capabilities to the Gulf Coast as part of Hinshaw's continued strategic growth in that region.

Hinshaw's Yvonne Ocrant, was recently a guest on "The Plaidcast," a podcast produced by The Plaid Horse. In the episode, Ocrant unpacks the impact the pandemic has had on the equine industry. As part of a roundtable, she addresses the risks associated with re-opening horse boarding and training facilities—as well as horse shows—and best practices for navigating said risks.

Hinshaw's Yvonne Ocrant recently co-authored an article titled "Animal Law for Insurance Lawyers" in the American Bar Association's (ABA) Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) Practice Law Journal. Hinshaw law clerk Bryant Roby, currently a law student at Chicago-Kent College of Law at Illinois Institute of Technology, contributed to the research and drafting of the damages section of the publication.

Hinshaw's Yvonne Ocrant and Tom Luetkemeyer will present "Getting and Keeping Your Best Horses and Your Best Staff - the Art of Event Horse Syndication and Best Practices for Event Barn Staff as Independent Contractors" on November 14, 2019, as part of the Ocala Jockey Club's 4th Annual International 3-Day Event. Scheduled to be held November 14 – 17 at the Ocala Jockey Club farm in Reddick, Florida, this year's event has the distinction as serving as a qualifying competition for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Equine law attorney Yvonne Ocrant recently wrote an article for the Los Angeles-based Equine and Canine News' fall newsletter. Titled "Understanding Equine Activity Liability and Minimizing Your Risk... Keep Doing What You Are Doing, Just Do It Better," Ocrant's article explores the laws of equine liability and equine-related injury claims in California. She outlines a series of best practices to manage the risk of equine liabilities.

Chicago-based partner Yvonne Ocrant authored an article titled "Changes to keep young athletes safe, but at what price," published by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. In the article, Ocrant continues her discussion of the SafeSport Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump on February 14, 2018. She focuses on the collective concern of coaches and trainers that SafeSport could lead to a number of false claims that are intended to gain a competitive edge.

Chicago-based partner Yvonne Ocrant will present "Equine Law 101" as part of Purina's Equine Education Event (E3) series in California. Her presentation will provide attendees with an opportunity to learn about liability exposure and risk protection and give them the opportunity to pose any  equine-related questions. Hosted by local equine industry businesses, the E3 series will make its first stop October 15, 2019 in Del Mar. On October 16 and 17, the events will take place in Buena Park and Burbank.

Chicago-based partner Yvonne Ocrant authored an article titled "Sports world takes step to protect athletes, but more work needed," published by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (CDLB). In the article, Ocrant discusses the federal Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017—known as the SafeSport Act—which was promoted by the U.S. Olympic Committee in 2012, following input from athletes, child safety experts, and national governing body officials and signed into law by President Donald Trump on February 14, 2018.

Chicago-based partner Yvonne Ocrant authored an article titled "Equestrian trainer liability not as easy as it seems," published by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (CDLB) in October 2018. The CDLB featured the article in its daily news and headlines email newsletter to subscribers. In the article, Ocrant discusses the regulations of medication and supplement use for both the human and the equine athletes, focusing on a rule by the United States Equestrian Federation titled "Responsibility and Accountability of Trainers."

In the third and final part of the series on legal issues facing the Minnesota horse industry, Hinshaw partners Suzanne Jones and Yvonne Ocrant discuss how to protect yourself against liability by using the risk-transfer mechanism of an indemnity agreement. The article is titled "Transferring Your Equine Liability Risk to Another Party," and appears in the University of Minnesota Equine Extension Newsletter and Farm Forum.