With decades of experience in the equestrian and legal industries, and an extensive background litigating, negotiating settlements, serving as outside general counsel for multiple companies, drafting and negotiating a wide variety of contracts and deals and trying civil cases throughout the United States, Legally Equestrian is uniquely suited to counsel equestrian industry professionals and organizations on a wide variety of legal matters impacting their businesses. Legally Equestrian’s managing partner, Laurie Salita, began riding competitively at age seven.  Over four decades later, she continues to ride, owns multiple personal and/or investment horses, is a mother of two equestrian athletes, a Harvard-Law-School-trained mediator and a civil litigation/trial attorney with over 24 years’ experience. Laurie is intimately familiar with the hunter/jumper/equitation industries. Drawing on her experience, and relationships within the equestrian industry, Laurie and her team encourage their clients to “turn over” responsibility for sale/purchase contracts and transactions, boarding agreements and client dispute management, release/liability waivers/management, civil litigation and related legal/business burdens.

 

Legally Equestrian frees equestrian professionals and businesses from being saddled with burdens associated with transaction details, contracts, disputes, etc. giving more opportunities for them to ride, teach, train, buy, sell and compete.  Our customers trust us to find unique and amicable solutions to disputes, manage deals, provide risk management analysis and suggest solutions so they can stay out of court and in the saddle. When litigation becomes necessary, Legally Equestrian has the capacity and experience to serve as aggressive trial counsel with access to affiliates in jurisdictions throughout the country and abroad.

 

Policies & Disclaimers:

1. Concierge Packages are billed and paid in advance on or about the 1st of each month, or if we are engaged mid-month, packages are prorated and billed accordingly.  Time accrued in excess of package price is billed on or before the 15th day of the following month. 

2. Hourly services are billed monthly. Payments for hourly services are due within 14 days of invoicing.  Late payment charges may be assessed.

3. We reserve the right to require different rate arrangements if disputes proceed to litigation and/or trial.

4. Client bank accounts shall be authorized for automatic deduction unless other payment arrangements (in our sole discretion) are agreed upon. 

5. Legally Equestrian represents the specific Equestrian Professional, Company or Organization who retains us.  This remains true even if Legally Equestrian is asked to work directly with an Equestrian Professional’s employee or customer.   While Legally Equestrian exercises professional discretion and strives to maintain professional relationships with everyone, the attorney-client privilege and corresponding duties of confidentiality arise only with between Legally Equestrian and those clients who directly engage our services.

6. Legally Equestrian must avoid conflicts of interest and may, at its discretion, decline representation on any particular matter if a conflict of interest arises or is likely to arise.  If Legally Equestrian is asked to represent two or more clients simultaneously in the same deal or transaction, believes joint-representation is ethical under the circumstances, and both parties agree, all parties must execute a short conflict waiver agreement.

7. Legally Equestrian’s contracts and agreements are customized for each transaction, paid for by each client, should not be used for different transactions and should not be shared with third parties.  Legally Equestrian shall not be responsible for and shall bear no liability in connection with any transaction, contract or agreement that we did not author in connection with the specific transaction described therein – i.e. “hijacked” or stolen agreements manipulated for other transactions.  Any party who hijacks or steals contacts and agreements drafted by us does so at its own risk. Likewise, we recommend against clients attempting to re-use contracts or agreements drafted by Legally Equestrian for other/different transactions without legal oversight, review and customization for each transaction.

 

Legally Equestrian is the equine law practice within the law firm of Anderson & Riddle LLP. Anderson & Riddle has no ownership and/or interest in any horses and/or businesses that may be the subject(s) of our engagement. Representations made in any agreements, correspondence, court documents, etc. concerning any equine and/or professional and/or person and/or equestrian business and/or circumstances surrounding a dispute are derived from reasonable investigation and information gleaned from and/or provided to us in the context of our engagement. Anderson & Riddle shall have no liability and/or be responsible for the condition, behavior, health and/or soundness of any equine, the consequences and/or outcome of any equine, property and/or business transaction and/or any dispute, as applicable. Our business and corresponding responsibility is solely and directly limited to the practice of law and related consultation and advice. Our attorneys are licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, Arizona, New Mexico, the United States Supreme Court, multiple United States federal courts and courts of appeal. We also have relationships with counsel in most other U.S. states (e.g. Florida, New York, Delaware, California), and abroad (e.g. Europe), who serve as “local counsel” for us in matters arising in therein.  Additional rates may be incurred for local counsel engagement.