Amid million-dollar mounts, international competition circuits, and cross-border business converge, legal footing can be just as critical as a double clear round in a Grand Prix event, or a tense shoot-out in a Polo match. Few understand this better than Mike Nicodema, a trial attorney whose 40-year legal career was first defined by victories in the courtroom and now focuses on giving the horse sports industry the legal expertise and representation it has long deserved.
While some attorneys might see horses as a niche, Nicodema recognized early that horse sports is a global industry with complex needs, ranging from intellectual property disputes over bloodlines, to cross-border transactions and litigation involving multimillion-dollar horses, to the kinds of liability cases that can alter careers and livelihoods. His clients run the gamut from competition venue and barn owners to teams and athletes in the show jumping, hunter, dressage, and polo worlds, where his counsel has made him a respected name in the industry.
A resident of Wellington, Florida, Nicodema is more than a lawyer — he is a friend, an advocate, and a passionate supporter of Wellington’s unique horse sports culture. When you come across Mike in Wellington, you won’t see a man dressed in the usual trappings of the courtroom. Instead, you’ll see a casual guy usually dressed in a logo’d polo and ball cap from one of his equestrian clients. You might find him helping at a client’s barn, shooting the breeze with a client over lunch about family or life in general, or discussing a legal matter in the comfort of their homes. It’s the closeness with his clients that makes all the difference for Mike.
Nicodema sees his job as not just lawyering, but as a stewardship of a sport. He sees horse sports as an integral part of a sophisticated, interconnected global economy that requires sharp legal architecture to thrive. At the heart of Nicodema’s practice is his leadership within the Equine Industry Group at Greenberg Traurig, one of the world’s most renowned law firms. Along with a select group of U.S. and international colleagues, the firm has developed a rarefied legal practice dedicated to equine matters. It is a specialty that bridges transactional law, litigation, and global regulatory compliance. Greenberg Traurig’s worldwide reach, combined with Nicodema’s Wellington presence, means his clients benefit from both local know-how and global expertise.
Nicodema and his wife Natalie have been horse owners for over 30 years, and Natalie an amateur-owner show jumper for nearly that long. For many, Wellington is the winter horse sports capital of the world, a place where the best teams, riders, trainers, and horses gather to compete. For Nicodema, it’s all that and much more. Wellington is a community that both he and his wife love and support, and it gives him a front-row seat to the ever-evolving legal issues that shape the horse sports industry. His presence in Wellington underscores his commitment as a professional to being a year-round advocate who understands the heartbeat of the horse world. Equal parts lawyer and horse enthusiast, Nicodema brings empathy and insight to his clients because he’s been part of their world for decades; and has a vested interest in their well-being and success. As horse sports grow more globalized, and as the money, prestige, and risks involved scale up, Nicodema’s role only becomes even more vital. For the athletes chasing medals, the investors backing horses sometimes worth more than homes, and the communities like Wellington that anchor it all, Mike Nicodema stands as a formidable advocate and steadfast friend.
Read the full article in Wellington Quarterly Magazine.
