Amy Maldonado; Alison Foley-Rothrock

• COMPETE Act
• P-1S visas for support staff – who qualifies?
• Special procedures for MLB under EB-2

Elinor Tesfamariam; Mechelle Zarou

• Navigating petitioner scenarios, including a discussion of “self-petitioning” through LLC’s, the efficacy of attorney petitions
• What the 2015 Draft O/P Agents Memo really means
• “Moonlighting” on an O or P and the importance of a living wage
• Can an athlete on an O or P coach on the side?

Ksenia Maiorova, Nadine Navarro

• Trends in RFEs, NOIDs, and denials and strategies for avoiding them
• Selecting O and EB-1A criteria and best evidence to use
• Game: the most ridiculous things you have seen the government claim (prize)

Karin Wolman; Steve Ladik

• Best practices for petitions, itineraries, and contracts
• Change of plans – “breaking up” with petitioner, changing training locations or teams, and what to do if the client violated the terms of the petition
• Whose job is that? – potential conflicts in drafting contracts for the athlete
• The attorney’s due diligence responsibilities in sports immigration matters: suspected fraud, bad contract terms, tax issues, employment issues

Francisco Symphorien-Saavedra; David Stoller

• Preparing affirmative filings with an eye toward litigation – how to preserve the record for optimal litigation position
• Enough is enough – when to file the case? Do you have to go to the AAO first to exhaust administrative remedies?
• AAO vs. federal court – basic process and timeline overview
• When litigation is not your strong suit – co-counseling with litigators on sports immigration matters

LaVonne Idlette; John Anthony Castro; TBD

• PR Agent – how to utilize the services of a public relations agency to help your client get to extraordinary
• Tax Advisor/Enrolled Agent – tax issues for foreign athletes training and competing in the US and how a tax advisor can assist with pre-immigration tax planning Sports agent/coach – how to work with the athlete’s “handlers” without stepping on any toes