Senior Partner Leon Wildes was singled out by former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Commencement Ceremony, David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center. Sir Paul McCartney received the International Advocate for Peace Award from the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution and was also on hand to watch his stepson receive his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree. May 28, 2019
Leon Wildes, Michael Wildes, the firm’s Managing Partner, and Amy Wildes, Michael’s wife, and an immigration attorney at Wildes & Weinberg, had the privilege of hooding Amy and Michael’s two eldest children. Amy and Michael are proud Cardozo alumni and Michael is an Adjunct Professor of Law, having taken over the Immigration Law class his father taught for 33 years, 9 years ago. This makes 3 generations of lawyers so far!
Sir Paul stated that he is “especially proud to receive the award from Cardozo which for many years has been known for its work on behalf of peace and justice, helping people who have been wrongfully convicted and assisting immigrants seeking asylum from violence and poverty. When my mate John Lennon wanted to become an American Citizen, he had an immigration fight on his hands with President Nixon. It was a Cardozo professor that won that fight for him – Leon Wildes.”
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Leon Wildes is best known for his successful representation of former Beatle John Lennon and his artist wife Yoko Ono in deportation proceedings.
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.
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 and which paved the way for DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy.
Leon Wildes long-awaited memoirs of the case, aptly titled John Lennon vs. the U.S.A ., is published by Ankerwycke Books, an imprint of ABA Publishing, a division of the American Bar Association.
Since the books launch in August 2016, nearly 5000 copies have been purchased, Leon and his son, Michael Wildes, the Managing Partner of the firm, who also wrote the foreword to the book, have appeared on dozens of TV and radios shows including Good Day NY, The Michael Stolar Show, The Lawrence O’Donnell Show, and more than 1000 people have attended a “Conversation with Leon Wildes”, at noteworthy institutions such as The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, and The Lower East Side Tenement Museum. The book has been reviewed and discussed by Rolling Stone, Billboard Magazine, The NY Post, and many other impressive periodicals.
More than fifty nine years since its inception Wildes & Weinberg 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 First Lady Melania Trump, famed artist Sarah Brightman, several Miss Universe winners as well as soccer icon Pele and Chef Jean-Georges.
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 by appointment in Los Angeles, California.
Please contact michael@wildeslaw.com for media inquiries.