Founding Partner Leon Wildes and his son, Managing Partner Michael Wildes hosted a book warming event for Leon Wildes’ recently published book, John Lennon vs. the USA at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law on September 7, 2016.
The event was a mix of invited guests and open to the public (with advance registration required). Among the notables spotted in the crowd were Lennon’s One-To-One Concert cohort Geraldo Rivera, long-time friend & photographer Bob Gruen, and Fest for Beatles Fans founders Mark & Carol Lapidos.
The event itself was a warm and welcoming affair, complete with refreshments and live music, and boasted Wildes and son/law partner Michael (who wrote the book’s foreword) doing a combination meet-and-greet and book signing. This was followed by a lecture in the Jacob Burns Moot court room, which proved to be a standing-room-only affair due to the strong turnout the event garnered. A few YouTube clips of Lennon and Wildes (mostly from the famous Tom Snyder interview) played on the courtroom monitors as guests filed in.
Pictured above (L-R): Bob Gruen, Leon Wildes, Geraldo Rivera, and Michael Wildes
Yoko Ono, officially a co-host of the event, was unfortunately not in attendance, but sent a welcoming congratulatory note, which was read to the crowd by Michael as part of his introductory speech.
Following additional welcoming remarks from Leon’s other son, Rabbi Mark Wildes and Rivera, a living room chat style event was co-chaired by Michael and New York television personality Rosanna Scotto in which the elder Wildes regaled the audience with tales from the book and framed the discussion around its timing, blessing from Yoko and the Lennon camp, and most significantly, the case’s impact on modern immigration law.
On a more personal level, when asked about his favorites among the Lennon catalog of songs, Wildes cited “Beautiful Boy”, making the connection to John’s announcement of Sean’s birth concurrent with the news of their victory in the courts. He also cited “Imagine”, which was then sung live in homage.
A very special evening with some very special people, celebrating a very special book. The book, aptly titled “John Lennon vs. The USA”, is published by Ankerwycke Books, an imprint of ABA Publishing, a division of the American Bar Association and became available in August 2016. It can be purchased on Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/John-Lennon-vs-The-U-S-A/dp/1634254260.
Founded in 1960, Wildes & Weinberg is perhaps best known for Leon Wildes’ representation of former Beatle John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono. Between 1972 and 1976, Leon represented Lennon and Ono in their struggle to remain in the United States, despite the concerted attempts of the Nixon Administration to deport them.
Pictured Above: Rosanna Scotto, Leon Wildes, and Michael Wildes
The case (which included bringing four separate Federal lawsuits) not only resulted in John and Yoko getting their green cards and being able to remain in the United States, but it also led to substantial changes in immigration law and brought to light secretive government practices and undue political influence, that has resulted in greater transparency in the U.S. immigration system.
More than fifty six years since its inception the firm continues to serve a distinguished domestic and international clientele and covers all areas of U.S. immigration law, including employment and investment-based immigration, work permits, permanent residence for qualified individuals, family-based immigration, asylum applications and all temporary and permanent type visas.
In addition, the firm is internationally renowned for its successful representation of distinguished individuals and corporate clients such as performing artists, directors, writers, models, actors/actresses, athletes, race car drivers, fine artists, art dealers, curators, musicians, literary agents, and Fortune 500 companies. Some of the firm’s recent clients include famed artist Sarah Brightman, several Miss Universe winners as well as soccer icon Pele.
Despite difficulties currently being encountered in dealing with U.S. immigration authorities, Wildes & Weinberg has maintained an extraordinary track record for success in its cases and the firm’s multilingual staff is known for its experience and special expertise in processing each foreign national’s matter with nothing less than the highest level of professionalism.
Today, the firm of Wildes & Weinberg, maintains offices in New York City, New York, Englewood, New Jersey, Miami, Florida, and Los Angeles, California. To learn more about Leon Wildes or Wildes & Weinberg, please contact Managing Partner Michael Wildes at michael@wildeslaw.com.
