GreAt CAses
Yvette Saddik ’03 represented
former Oakland A’s outfielder Yoenis Céspedes (now playing for the Boston Red Sox) with an immigration matter. Céspedes is a Cuban national and has been through an ordeal on his immigration path, including fleeing his native Cuba and having his family be imprisoned in the Caribbean. Saddik is an attorney in San Pedro.
H
Major League Assistance
onestly, I’m a huge Dodgers fan. I hadn’t been to an A’s game in years, so when I was contacted about assisting Yoenis Céspedes with an immigration matter, I just didn’t realize how big of a player he is. For me, it was, oh, his name is Yoenis Céspedes, he’s from Cuba. It wasn’t until I started Googling him that I started to understand that he’s pretty much a celebrity anywhere in the Bay Area. I had to remember that this is what I do every day. I help people live that American dream of becoming legalized and knowing they don’t have to ever go back to a bad country, a communist country. So Yoenis, even though he’s this rich superstar, he was no different than other clients. People who need immigration assistance are very vulnerable, even if they have a $10 million-a-year contract. I first was asked to help when it became clear Yoenis wouldn’t be able to travel to an upcoming game in Toronto because of his green card application. He was here legally on a P-visa and had applied for legal permanent residency, but when you’ve started that application process there’s paperwork that needs to be submitted if you do need to travel outside the country. I got everything submitted, but I also relied on a very, very important tool I learned in law school—networking. Because of my connections, I was able to quickly give the immigration agency a synopsis of what was happening, sell Yoenis’ story, explain that this was an emergency, and get everything taken care of for traveling to Toronto. No matter who you are or how much money you have, you still have to go through these avenues. After that, I talked to Yoenis directly and said, ‘Listen, you are
20 USF SCHOOL OF LAW
welcome to go to any other attorney after this. You can do what you want. I did what I was hired to do.’ But he didn’t. He felt comfortable with me and he said that he felt like I communicated everything to him, so I took over as the attorney of record in making sure his green card application was processed correctly. He just received his permanent legal resident status this past spring. I still have to keep in touch with him. I just got something in the mail from immigration reminding him and myself that immigration always needs to know your address when you’re a green card holder. We have a good relationship and I know that I can email his agent or talk with him directly if I need to. That was one of the big challenges initially—working with all the people who surround him, building a rapport with him, and having him understand that sometimes I have to hear certain things come out of his mouth. After we finally met in person, I think he did feel more comfortable calling me. I speak Spanish fluently, but other than that we didn’t have a lot in common. But I think where I stand out when it comes to a lot of other immigration lawyers is that I have a conversation with clients, I make them feel comfortable. That’s something I learned at USF, especially in the Criminal Law Clinic actually representing clients. There is really a technique to be able to interview and talk to clients, not just talking with them as a lawyer but talking to them like a human being. Since Yoenis, I’ve landed another MLB client—Cincinnati Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto from the Dominican Republic. Maybe one day my office will be full of sports memorabilia autographed by clients.