Team member: Michelle Pujals
Michelle Pujals, Esq.
General Counsel
Michelle Pujals serves as general counsel of the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), a division of Drug Free Sport International. From 2018 through 2022, she was the owner and principal of Tautemo Consulting, LLC, a legal and sports consulting firm. Prior to forming Tautemo Consulting, Pujals was a member of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Legal Department for more than 20 years, most recently serving as vice president & assistant general counsel.
At the NBA, Pujals’ responsibilities included administering and developing the anti-drug programs for NBA players, coaches, trainers, and referees; overseeing general commercial litigation matters and internal league arbitrations; conducting internal investigations of league office staff and NBA team staff and players, including investigations relating to policy violations and potential criminal matters; negotiating and drafting portions of collective bargaining agreements between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA); and providing ongoing legal advice to the NBA Basketball Operations and Security Departments. Pujals was also a member of the NBA/NBPA Prohibited Substances Committee; the NBA/NBPA Joint Policy Committee on Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse; and the NBA Crisis Management Team.
Before joining the NBA, Pujals was a litigation associate at Cahill Gordon & Reindel and Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman in New York City. She is admitted to the state bars of New York, Pennsylvania, and Missouri (in-house admission). Pujals received a B.S. (summa cum laude) in journalism from Boston University’s College of Communication and her J.D. (magna cum laude) from Georgetown University Law Center.