Services & Businesses
Laura D'Angelo:
18 years ago, I came to Kentucky to attend law school in the state with the premier equine industry. I moved here from Toronto where I grew up riding and showing sport horses (Three-Day Event, hunters and jumpers). I obtained a Bachelors of Science at Guelph University in Guelph, Ontario and an MBA at York University in Toronto. I hoped to combine my business background with a law degree and utilize both to practice in equine and business law.
Today, almost my entire legal practice focuses on the racing and sport horse community. I counsel equine trade associations, racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and businesses that support or service the equine community, primarily in Kentucky but also nationally. My practice covers business formation, contracts, minimizing risk and liability, equine lending and workouts, equine tax, purchase and sale of horses, stallion syndications, litigation and regulatory compliance. I have represented clients in front of various regulatory bodies including the USEF, state racing commissions and in response to Attorney General requests. I provide counsel on legal online-gaming in horseracing and also fantasy handicapping tournaments. Clients from all over the country turn to equine lawyers in Kentucky because this is where the expertise lies.
I teach Equine Law at the University of Kentucky College of Law and lecture and write frequently in this area. The University of Kentucky is now home to the Equine Initiative, the UK Law School Journal of Equine, Agricultural and Natural Resource Law and the UK Law School National Equine Law Seminar which is held annually and attended by lawyers and bankers and insurance agents from many states and countries.
I am a lover of horses, of the racing industry and of Kentucky. I remain an active competitor in the Adult Amateur Jumper division and compete regularly at the Kentucky Horse Park. I meet so many people in the industry that relocated to Kentucky for the same reason as I did - because they could make a living working in the horse industry in some capacity. As the state of the horse industry goes in Kentucky, so too will my practice and my livelihood and my favorite form of entertainment.