Thursday, November 26, 2015

What One Must Understand About Equine Law

By Marci Nielsen


The law profession has many different branches that deal with different aspects of daily life. One of the branches, which deals exclusively with all matters related with horses is called the equine law. When talking about all matters related to equines, In Dedham, MA, it means all legal aspects of the horse industry as well as horse-related business. Such matters include breeding, buying, selling, boarding, transporting, and leasing horses among many others.

The first responsibility that lawyers owe to their clients in this field is eliminating liability. Horse riders, trainers, learners, and owners are some of the most commonly represented clients. Since little is known about equines to many people, most of them wonder if legal practitioners make enough to lead decent lifestyles. What people do not understand is that there is usually enough business and the client base is huge. Legal representation is required by businesses and individuals who operate in the industry.

Many lawyers have shifted from other branches to specialize as equine lawyers. Many ambitious attorneys avoid this field because they do not think it is attractive enough. They opt for more common fields such as prosecution, judges, and corporate law. With that happening, the field that deals with horses is left with very little lawyers, which makes it even more attractive. Additionally, one can specialize in other fields if they want.

Clients in this subspecialty are many and diverse too. They can be individuals, partnerships, corporations, government agencies, or limited companies. The options are very many. While some clients are regular, other are usually one-time guests. Examples of one-time clients are grooms who intend to hire horses to be used at their weddings. Because there is a possibility of liability resulting even from a one day event, the groom must hire an attorney to handle the paperwork.

Attorneys perform diverse duties to clients depending on the nature of a case. Although there are many responsibilities, the basic ones include reviewing, negotiating, and drafting contracts to be used by non-professionals and professionals. Examples of contracts drawn are related to breeding, leasing, purchases, labor, boarding, and liability waivers. The separate and special treatment of horses under the law results from the fact that they are unique. The uniqueness results from being able to work as athletes, vehicles, draught animals, assets, food source, and a means of transport.

Other areas in which lawyers offer assistance include issues related with insurance, tax, and immigration. Tax issues relating to horses are many and complicated. The lawyer works to resolve them and to offer tax planning strategies to avoid problems with the government. Grazing and zoning disputes are also handled.

In terms of migration, horses are exposed to strict laws. There are several papers that need to be drawn and filed before a horse can move from one country to another. The process also involves a lot of insurance issues that must be ironed out upfront before migration. Lawyers can be hired on a full time basis or as consultants.

Rates charged by lawyers are different in different locations. Charges are usually dictated by merits of a case. Despite of merits, governments impose caps on how much lawyers can make from a case to avoid client exploitation.




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