Becoming a professional athlete has long been a dream that many aspire to, and people likewise tend to idolize sports figures. However, that celebrity status comes with its own downsides, and you’ll need to prepare for them, whether you’re a player or a manager. Here’s what you need to know about protecting your team from legal trouble.
Appearing In Court
When and if legal trouble does affect your team, you may end up in court, and knowing what to expect and how to handle the experience is essential. First and foremost, make sure that you have an impartial record of everything that’s said in court. Hire some court reporters Seattle if there isn’t one provided by the court to make sure that you’re fairly represented. It’s also important to consider your demeanor in court. Fair or not, a judge and jury can often be swayed by inconsequential factors such as appearance and demeanor, so preparing to stay calm is a necessity, especially considering that celebrity scandals rarely involve the sentiment that the celebrity is innocent. Maintaining a classy appearance is also essential. Coming to court in anything less than business casual will, again, detract from how you are perceived by the court. Likewise, grooming and hygiene need to be taken into consideration, albeit less so, for a variety of reasons.
Getting Legal Representation
While everyone knows that you need a lawyer in any legal battle, what you might not realize is what goes into hiring a lawyer, especially a qualified one. The law is dense and labyrinthian, so attorneys typically specialize in a particular type of law. For example, a defense attorney handles primarily criminal cases, rather than civil ones, and exclusively caters to plaintiffs in these cases. On the other hand, a celebrity embroiled in a scandal will need a lawyer catering specifically to a celebrity clientele. However, simply finding the right kind of lawyer is only the beginning. Building a case in your favor is up to you and your lawyer working as a team, so finding the best partner for that purpose is also crucial. Before hiring a lawyer, carefully research them, paying special attention to user reviews. User reviews can be a great way to suss out the potential negatives of working with a given attorney. While overwhelmingly positive reviews may be enticing, it’s always worth it to look for negative reviews in the hopes that that, at least, can guarantee honesty. On the other hand, businesses have a vested interest in positive PR, so you can’t always trust reviews blindly.
Compiling Evidence
Building a case in favor of your innocence, or your opponent’s guilt, is in the hands not only of your lawyer, but also your own. This begins with telling your lawyer the whole story, without which they won’t have any real way to start building a case. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, you need to provide your lawyer with evidence that can exonerate you. What you might not expect is that it’s also important to point your attorney in the direction of unfavorable evidence. While all evidence contributes to the final outcome of a case, warning your attorney of potential pitfalls and setbacks can give them the time they need to devise a counter argument, as well as the calm and collected state of mind in which the brain does its best work. On the other hand, trying to concoct a reasonable argument against unfavorable evidence in real time, while not impossible, is incredibly difficult to do in a convincing fashion.
While pro athletes are often idolized and adored by the public, celebrities of any kind are vulnerable to bad PR, often for little or no reason. If you or a member of your team comes under fire, it will be crucial that you know what to do in order to come out on top. These tips give you a great place to start, but it’s important to carefully consider the specifics of your case before rushing in.
