Matthew D. Goldsmith Immigration Law Blog on Lawyers.com

I sometimes get asked the following question from clients: “Do I really need an attorney for this?”  My answer is always the same. Maybe, maybe not, but is it worth a few thousand dollars to have the security that your case is being handled by a professional who does this for a living, especially when the consequences of failure can be dire?

Last night, I and millions of others witnessed on live television the ultimate example of someone who presumably did not seek an advice from a professional, and will now face ever-lasting consequences.  LeBron James was the ultimate underdog.  He grew up in low income housing in Akron, Ohio, 90 miles South of Cleveland.  His mother was sixteen years old and his father wanted nothing to do with the child.  Despite this adversity, he eventually became one the greatest high-school basketball player of all time.  It was a fairytale-esque match made in heaven for both James and his home team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, when they won the draft lottery and were guaranteed to select LeBron with the first pick in the NBA draft.  He more than met the excessive hype bestowed on him, and he became the face of the NBA at the ripe age of eighteen.

After LeBron’s rookie season, he fired his veteran NBA player agent Aaron Goodwin and replaced him with three high-school buddies, who were 23 at the time.  Upon learning of this news Jim Corbett, a former NFL player who now runs a money management firm, told the Akron Beacon Journal, “I will promise you really ugly things will happen. This is a big mistake, a bad decision that is going to cost LeBron.”  James’ endorsement deals are the envy of pro sports. They include relationships with Upper Deck trading cards, Bubblicious chewing gum, Coca-Cola brands Sprite and Powerade and shoe and apparel giant Nike, which agreed to pay him $90 million over seven years about a month before James became the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA draft.  All of those endorsements were negotiated by Goodwin, who signed James just before he went pro.

Fast forward seven years to last night.  As Adrian Wojnarowski so perfectly described it: “As the worst idea in the history of marketing unfolded, James looked trapped somewhere between despondence and defiance. His bumbling buddy Maverick Carter had walked him into the public execution of his legacy, his image, and there was a part of James that clearly wished he could turn back through the doors and hide. Only, it was too late. No going back now. James goes to the Miami Heat, Cleveland goes into a basketball Hades and LeBron’s legacy becomes that of a callous carpetbagger.” 

While I’ll be the first to admit I am not an NBA fan, I am a huge fan of sports and of history.  What LeBron did in his first seven years was unprecedented.  It is shocking when you realize he is just twenty-five years old.  He was adored by everyone.  Fans in every arena would applaud him and admire his talents.  Kids from all across the country would adorn his jersey and emulate his moves on the court.  Just as important, he came off as a humble kid who stayed out of trouble, and he represented a city which did not have much else to cheer for.  All of that changed last night when he stuck a knife through the back of every Cleveland fan and every NBA fan who wanted to see a legend along the likes of Jordan, Bird, Magic and Kobe – guys who took no short cuts, were loyal, and who were the ultimate competitors.  LeBron’s decision in 2004 to hire his high school boys to manage all his marketing ultimately caught up to him and it resulted in a perfect storm.  Although difficult, people would have ultimately forgiven him for leaving Cleveland, but they will never forgive him for the way in which he left.  If he cares at all about his image, it will now cost him a lot more to restore his tarnished reputation than it would have had he retained the right people from the beginning.

Like I tell my clients – it ultimately costs a lot more to fix a mess then it does to prevent one. 

For more than 30 years, the law firm of Garganigo, Goldsmith & Weiss has been assisting people with immigration, green card or visa issues. For more information on how our immigration lawyers in NY can help, please call us at 212-643-6400, email us online, or visit our office at 14 Penn Plaza, Suite 1020, New York, NY 10122.