Yvonne Ocrant practices in the areas of equine law, title insurance, employment law and commercial litigation. She is a trial lawyer and mediator.

Ms. Ocrant's equine law experience includes handling litigation involving the Equine Activity Liability Act and various other state and federal laws. She assists individual horse owners; trainers; breeders; riding, boarding and training facilities; veterinarians and other entities in the equine industry litigate and resolve claims for personal injury, property damage, breach of contract, fraud, misrepresentation and other legal issues. She drafts contracts for horse purchases, sales, leases and commission arrangements, and creates equine liability releases for boarding and training facilities, trainers, transporters and other individuals and entities sponsoring or participating in equine activities.

Ms. Ocrant routinely represents employers under the full range of employment laws, including both federal and state discrimination laws on issues of race, national origin, sex, sexual harassment and religion. She also handles actions under state contract and tort law, including retaliatory discharge, intentional infliction of emotional distress, interference with contract, fraud, and invasion of privacy.

She defends numerous claims in state and federal courts and before state and federal administrative agencies. Ms. Ocrant handles cases and provides counseling in matters involving ADA, ADEA, employee breach of fiduciary duty/confidentiality agreements, Equal Pay Act, FMLA, defamation, Illinois Human Rights Act, and Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act.

Ms. Ocrant also handles unemployment cases before the Illinois Department of Employment Security and state court, and provides counseling on numerous unemployment matters such as willful and deliberate misconduct, voluntary termination, refusal of work, chargeability, contribution rates, independent contractor arrangements, and claimant work search requirements.

She also regularly represents title insurance underwriters, agents, mortgage brokers and lenders in resolving claims and litigation cases over title insurance issues. Ms. Ocrant joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in June 1999. She was instrumental in the September 2011 update of the stable keepers lien section of the Illinois Innkeepers Lien Act, 770 ILCS 40/49, which replaces the state’s statute on liens against boarded horses, which originated in 1897.

She serves as the Chair of the Equine Law Subcommittee of the Animal Law Section of the American Bar Association. Ms. Ocrant’s professional memberships also include the Chicago Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the Wisconsin Bar Association.

In the Fall of 2005, Ms. Ocrant completed intensive training in mediation from the faculty of Pepperdine University School of Law’s top-ranked Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. Ms. Ocrant is a co-author of “Recent Developments in Animal Tort and Insurance Law,” published in the Winter 2011 issue of the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal.

She is also the author of "HEADS UP!," a monthly column on various equine law related issues published in Scribe, a monthly magazine sponsored by the Illinois Dressage and Combined Training Association. Ms. Ocrant's "HEADS UP!" articles include:

• "To Lien or Not to Lien . . . an Update on the Stable Keepers Lien Law," November 2011.
• “Equestrian Helmet Laws: Are You In or Out?” June 2010
• “Liability Under the Animal Control Act: Was the Horse Provoked and Does it Matter?” February 2009.
• “What Happens When . . . My Horse Gets Loose and Causes Damages or Injuries to Other People or Property?” June 2007.
• “Home is Where Your Horse Is – But is Homeowner’s Insurance Enough?” April 2007.
• “Write Before You Ride: A Few Useful Tips on Horse Trailering Agreements,” May 2006.
• "Litigate or Mediate? How Should You Resolve Your Equine Related Dispute?" January 2006.
• "Trainer? Coach?: Who are you and why should you care? Understanding the Trainer Responsibility Rule," September, 2005.
• “Release and Indemnification Agreements for Minors: A Major Concern,” June 2005.
• "How Can My Care Live On?—Answers to Your Questions about the New Illinois Pet Trust Law," February 2005.
• "It's a Small World After All: Equine Issues Across State Lines," December 2004.
• "Take it Outside—Resolving Equine Legal Disputes out of Court," July 2004.
• "To Lien or Not to Lien: Recovery for Unpaid Equine Related Services," March 2004.
• "Is Your Horse Attractive in Illinois," January 2004.
• "How to Own Your Own," November 2003.
• "Fearful Forms: The Dangers of Unedited Liability Releases," October 2003.
• "Insure Against Insurance Mistakes," September 2003.
• "How the Law Becomes the Law, and the Implications of Kush v. Wentworth," July 2003.
• "Get it Insured," June 2003.
• "An Introduction to the Illinois Equine Activity Liability Act," April 2003.

Ms. Ocrant speaks extensively on the topic of equine law. Her presentations include:

• “Equine Law 101,” 2012 USDF/USEF Young Rider Graduate Program, Wellington, Florida, January 2012.
• “Smart Business Practices for the Eventing Professional, United States Evening Association Annual Convention, Scottsdale, Arizona, December 2011.
• “Equine Law 101,” McHenry County Horse Club, Woodstock, Illinois, November 2011.
• “Equine Law 101: Reducing Personal & Financial Risks in Equine Activities,” and “Understanding Horse Syndications So You, Too, Can Enjoy the Ride,” Equestrian Lifestyle Expo & Holiday Market, Grayslake, Illinois, November 2011.
• “Equine Law 101,” Southern Illinois University Equine Science Department, Carbondale, Illinois, November 2011 and March 2011.
• “Equine Law and Estate Planning,” Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, Wellington, Florida, February 2011.
• “Syndicating Horses,” EquestrianProfessional.com, live webinar, February 2011.
• “Equine Law 101: Reducing Liability Risk in Equine Activities,” NARHA 2011 Illinois State Meeting, Poplar Grove, Illinois, January 2011.
• “Smart Business Practices for the Eventing Professional,” United States Eventing Association Annual Convention, Scottsdale, Arizona, December 2010.
• “Equine Law,” Hinshaw and Northern Trust’s Equine Law and Estate Planning Seminar, Barrington Hills, Illinois, August 2010.
• “Equine Law Seminar,” Illinois Horse Fair, Springfield, Illinois, March 2010.
• “Equine Law 101,” Southern Illinois University Equine Science Department, Carbondale, Illinois, February 2010.
• “Legal Aspects of Abandoned Horses,” University of Illinois Extension Abandoned Horses Conference, live teleconference, October 2009.
• “What is Illinois Equine Law About?” University of Illinois Extension Kankakee County Stable Owners and Stable Managers Workshop, Kankakee, Illinois, March 2009.
• “Reducing Risks in Equine Activities,” Equestrian Lifestyle Expo & Holiday Market, Arlington Park, Illinois, November 2008.
• “Francis Field Equine Law 101,” New Lenox, Illinois, November 2008.
• “Equine Law 101: Reducing Your Risk of Liability in Equine Activities,” Trail Riders of DuPage, Wheaton, Illinois, March 2008.
• “Ethics Law for the Equine Lawyer,” 22nd Annual National Conference on Equine Law, Lexington, Kentucky, May 2007.
• “Equine Law 101: Learn How to Protect Yourself from Liability and Loss,” 2007 Illinois Horse Fair, Springfield, Illinois, March 2007.
• “Mediation Preparation and Employer Strategies, Hinshaw’s “Effectively Dealing with Current Labor & Employment Issues” seminar, Oak Brook, Illinois, November 2006.
• “Equine Legal Issues and Equine Insurance,” Horse Promoters seminar, Orland Park, Illinois, April 2005.
• “Hot Topics in Equine Law,” Purina Mills Horse Owner’s Workship and Equine Law Seminar, West Chicago, Illinois, March 2005.
• “The Equine Activity Liability Act and Insurance for Equine Activities,” Alfred Rubin Center, Naperville and New Lenox, Illinois, January 2005.

Ms. Ocrant provides pro bono legal services for the Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society in Barrington Hills, Illinois, and is a member of the board of directors for the Horsemen’s Council of Illinois.